Seven Days, January 8, 2025 by Seven Days

TOWER POWER

Residents of embattled high-rise say it’s safer

BACK TO THE WALL

Exiled from their homeland, Afghan muralists the ArtLords continue their “artivism” in Vermont BY KEN PICARD, PAGE 26

HOT ENOUGH

Vermont logged its warmest year on record in 2024, with a daily average temperature of 50.9 degrees. Snow way.

WASTE NOT

$1,200

That’s the approximate amount of money that someone stole from a Burlington laundromat — mostly in quarters. Police are searching for a suspect.

TOPFIVE

JOAN’S ARC

After more than 20 years of service, Burlington City Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District) announced she will not seek reelection on Town Meeting Day in March.

e Burlington Democratic Party called the councilor “a steadfast voice of reason.” First elected in 2003, Shannon is the longest-tenured councilor and served as the body’s president for three years. She was also the Democratic candidate in last year’s mayoral election but lost to Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak.

Shannon, who grew up in Westchester County, N.Y., came to Burlington in 1985 to teach sailing. She loved the city so much that she stayed, delaying her college education. In 2002, Shannon launched her ﬁrst council campaign when her daughter, Julia, was just 7 months old. She defeated a Progressive incumbent and, in the ensuing years, handily fended off numerous challengers for her South District seat.

As a councilor Shannon championed a landmark policy that banned smoking in bars and clubs, which was later expanded to public parks. She also worked to resolve the Burlington Telecom crisis after millions of taxpayer dollars were diverted to save the sinking utility.

Shannon is an outspoken supporter of Burlington police, most notably opposing the now-infamous 2020 resolution to reduce the ranks through attrition. She has

voted against several efforts to bolster civilian oversight of police.

Who will replace her? On Sunday, city Dems at a caucus selected Ranjit “Buddy” Singh to run for council this year over rival Romeo von Hermann. Resident Jason Van Driesche later cried foul, saying Shannon did not announce her council retirement until after the deadline for others to step up for consideration. Shannon said she spoke to a number of potential candidates, but there were no takers, so she submitted her name for the caucus by the party’s December 26 deadline. She said she withdrew her bid after learning that two individuals had since come forward.

“I just felt like it’s time for somebody else,” she said.

In a press release, Shannon thanked her constituents and said it’s been an “honor to serve.”

“To restore Burlington to its full potential,” Shannon said, “the City Council must laser-focus on tackling three critical issues: affordable housing, the drug crisis, and reversing the long-term consequences of intentionally diminishing our police department.”

Singh will likely have an opponent in March. Josh Wronski, executive director of the Vermont Progressive Party, said the Progs will ﬁeld candidates for each of the four council seats up for election.

Read Courtney Lamdin’s full stories at sevendaysvt.com.

Montpelier o cials released treated wastewater to melt an ice jam forming downtown on the Winooski River. That shit worked!

FALL GUY

After big losses in the November election, Vermont Democratic Party executive director Jim Dandeneau plans to step down. A position that sees plenty of turnover.

WORKING STIFF

As of January 1, Vermont’s minimum wage increased 34 cents, to $14.01 an hour. That’s nearly twice the federal minimum wage.

3. “Life Stories: Remembering Vermonters Who Died in 2024” by Seven Days staff. Everyone has a story. Each year, our writers proﬁle people we’ve lost.

4. “Burlington Democrats Name Candidates for City Council Races” by Courtney Lamdin. Ranjit “Buddy” Singh, Allie Schachter and incumbent Mark Barlow were selected at a caucus.

5. “Joan Shannon to Retire from Burlington City Council” by Courtney Lamdin. See story on this page.

ANIMAL INSTINCT

Shelburne native Lena Ashooh is headed to Oxford University next fall on a Rhodes Scholarship, a competitive program that provides up to three years of study at one of the most prestigious universities in the world. e Champlain Valley Union High School graduate is the ﬁrst Rhodes Scholar from Vermont in nearly 20 years.

Now a senior at Harvard University, Ashooh has designed her own course of study on animal welfare. She plans to do her graduate research in law and philosophy. She describes her study as “condition of animals” to encompass animals’ lives everywhere — including farms, laboratories and the wild. Ultimately, she hopes her research will show humans why animals merit better treatment.

“Our concepts of what makes somebody an individual worthy of protection are not very expansive and lead to people being exploited, or animals,” Ashooh told Seven Days. “Animals are already telling us, where we see them around us, how smart they are, and we just refuse to acknowledge it.”

She was drawn to animals at a young age, inﬂuenced by her mother, who she said has an afﬁnity for all creatures. Ashooh also participated in 4-H, showing dairy cows at fairs in the summer.

“ ere was no other kind of reality when I was very young other than that animals are just other kinds of people,” she said. “ at’s how I was raised

to see them, and I did see them as neighbors or beings that I was cohabitating with.”

In college, she’s conducted ﬁeld research involving macaque monkeys in Puerto Rico and worked closely with African grey parrots at the Parrot Cognition Lab in Cambridge, Mass. irty-two Rhodes Scholarships are awarded each year. Ashooh, 21, hopes the recognition, and her research, will help elevate the study of animal welfare.

“ ere is phenomenal scholarship, with sophisticated ideas about how we can better treat one another and animals,” she said. “I don’t think people are being given space to work on that in a serious way in academic institutions.”

ANNE WALLACE ALLEN

COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

Lena Ashooh with African grey parrots

FILE: JAMES BUCK

Joan Shannon

Healthy + Happy New Year!

Cathy Resmer

Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

NEWS & POLITICS

Matthew Roy

Sasha Goldstein

Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page

Hannah Bassett, Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders, Rachel Hellman, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Anne Wallace Allen

ARTS & CULTURE

Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

Chelsea Edgar, Margot Harrison, Pamela Polston

Jen Rose Smith

Alice Dodge

Chris Farnsworth

Rebecca Driscoll

Jordan Barry, Hannah Feuer, Mary Ann Lickteig, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard

Alice Dodge, Angela Simpson

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

Bryan Parmelee

Eva Sollberger

James Buck

Je Baron DESIGN

Don Eggert

Rev. Diane Sullivan

John James

GREAT ISSUE

Congrats on your end-of-year issue [December 25]. I always look forward to reading your journalists’ take on covering the stories I’ve read [“Backstories 2024”]. And the longer obits always make me appreciate the people I knew slightly and make me sorry I didn’t know the others [“Life Stories”].

Rick Winston ADAMANT

DISPROPORTIONALITY DISAPPOINTS!

Je Baron SALES & MARKETING

Colby Roberts

Robyn Birgisson

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka, Kaitlin Montgomery

Carolann Whitesell ADMINISTRATION

Marcy Stabile

Matt Weiner

Andy Watts

Gillian English CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jordan Adams, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Erik Esckilsen, Steve Goldstein, Amy Lilly, Bryan Parmelee, Suzanne Podhaizer, Samantha Randlett, Jim Schley, Dayton Shafer, Carolyn Shapiro, Xenia Turner, Casey Ryan Vock CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Luke Awtry, Daria Bishop, James Buck, Bear Cieri, Tim Newcomb, Zachary Stephens, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly CIRCULATION: 35,000

Seven Days is published by Da Capo Publishing Inc. every Wednesday. It is distributed free of charge in greater Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, the Northeast Kingdom, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury and White River Junction. Seven Days is printed at Quebecor Media Printing in Mirabel, Québec.

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As a reader and librarian, I look forward to the Reading Issue of Seven Days Unfortunately, this year’s [December 18] conﬁrmed the research shared in my most recent read: The Authority Gap: Why Women Are Still Taken Less Seriously Than Men, and What We Can Do About It, by Mary Ann Sieghart. Sieghart writes that while a majority of books published are written by women, a majority of books reviewed in the press

CORRECTIONS

A character was misidentified in the December 18 story headlined “Murder’s Cooking: Author Sarah Stewart Taylor Used Community Cookbooks as Inspiration for Her Latest Mystery.” The correct name of the character is Alice Bellows. The “Backstories 2024” feature in the double issue published on December 25 contained a couple of errors. “Biggest Heartbreak,” about the floods in Plainfield, misrepresented the relationship between Lauren Geiger and Nancy Everhart. Geiger is married to Everhart’s former husband. And “Most Eloquent Subject” inaccurately described the manner in which Mark Utter o ciated the wedding of Emily Anderson and Brian Merrill. Utter’s words were read aloud by Vermont actor Paul Schnabel.

UPDATE

After publication of our December 25 food story, “Simply the Best,” Twisted Halo ceased operations at Champion Comics and Coffee in Williston. The doughnuts are still available at Twisted Halo Café in Waitsﬁeld.

are written by men. Why is that? Partly it is because critics and reviewers are predominantly men; two of the three reviewers in your article “Hibernation Syllabus” are men. But it’s also because, while women read books by all genders and suggest them in equal proportions, men tend not to. Your column conﬁrmed the research.

Bianca Stone recommended two books by men and two books by women. M.T. Anderson had a ratio of three books by men to one by a woman. And Ken Cadow recommended four books written by men. I was disappointed by this 3-to-1 ratio.

Do better, Seven Days! Do better, men! Your lack of willingness to read and review books by women contributes to a world where women’s contributions are undervalued.

Jeanie Phillips BURLINGTON

TIME TO JOIN CANADA?

Thanks to Seven Days for its review of the possibilities for Vermont under King Trump [“Hanging in the Balance: Donald Trump’s Return to the Presidency Could Disrupt the Way Many Vermonters Live,” December 11]. One thing to consider is that since Vermont was the only state to go against him in the GOP primaries, King Donald might hold a special place in his heart for revenge against us.

With this in mind and the other projections of what an authoritarian regime under a man like this could do to us, I wonder if it is not a good time to reconsider joining Canada — that is, of course, if the Canadians will have us. It

NO DEMOCRACY ON CITY COUNCIL

[Re “Hanging in the Balance: Donald Trump’s Return to the Presidency Could Disrupt the Way Many Vermonters Live,” December 11]: As I read the article about how Donald Trump will disrupt many lives in Vermont once he becomes president again, I was reﬂecting on how it doesn’t really matter if Trump is in o ce or not, because the Democrats on the Burlington City Council are doing plenty of disrupting on their own!

For the second time in a year, more than enough signatures were collected to put a measure on the ballot to let voters declare Burlington an “apartheid-free community.” This was rejected by all the Democratic city councilors.

I went to the meeting and listened to how, once again, Zionism and Judaism were attempted to be linked. I even heard someone say out loud before the meeting that they wanted to get away from all the “Jew haters.”

makes sense. Canada is still a democracy, whereas we will become an authoritarian state as of January 20, having destroyed our own democracy from within. Canada is still a humane nation, whereas ours is not anymore.

Vermont is so closely connected with Canada culturally, economically and socially that we could almost be considered all but another Canadian province. So why not make it o cial and petition our Canadian sisters and brothers, their parliament, and their governor general to join them?

I realize, of course, that this is much easier said than done. It would be turning our backs on Vermont’s role in American history, but our history was rejected, anyway, on November 5, 2024.

I know that this is sheer fantasy, but it has merit considering what is coming at us for the next four years, if not longer.

Walter Carpenter MONTPELIER

I was taken aback and did not respond because every time I am at marches, rallies, protests or conferences about standing in solidarity with the Palestinians who are experiencing genocide in which our government is complicit, I am always ﬁlled with love for all and I am often with people who are Jewish who realize “never again” applies to everyone.

Shame on the cowardly Democrats on the council who chose to act in a very undemocratic way. You all will be remembered in history as blocking the will of the people. Free Palestine!

Sally Lincoln NORTH FERRISBURGH

‘LINGUISTIC COMPROMISE’

I spoke at the December 16 city council meeting [“Burlington Council Blocks ProPalestine Item From Ballot,” December 17, online]. Based on the continued frustration of those supporting a petition

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Notice for Survivors of Sexual Abuse and Others With Claims Against the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington, Vermont

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‘It Feels Safe’

After ﬁghting to win their high-rise back, Decker Tower residents gather for karaoke, fellowship

Attorney Seeks Gag Order

Against Burlington Police

Personnel Growth

An expanding workforce development program teaches students new skills

The Last Dance?

e Vermont Burlesque Festival returns, facing an uncertain future

Shout Out

Inua Ellams brings his audience-driven performance Search Party to Dartmouth

Polyphonic Paradise

Violinist Soovin Kim offers a rare solo concert of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas Waterbury Coworking and Retail Space to Open in March

Drawing Attention

“Desire Lines” explores the medium with six diverse artists

No Gray Areas: ‘Winter Color’ Brings Invented Worlds to Kishka

Find a new job in the classiﬁeds section on page 65 and online at jobs.sevendaysvt.com.

Knitwear designer Ona Wöldten teamed up with Junction Fiber Mill to create knitting patterns using its wool yarns. Wöldten launched her Lindal sweater pattern before the 2024 New York State Sheep & Wool Festival, where attendees wore handmade versions of her sweater. Seven Days Eva Sollberger traveled to White River Junction to meet the ﬁber artist.

Exiled from their homeland, Afghan muralists the continue their “artivism” in Vermont BY KEN PICARD, PAGE 26

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK COMPILED BY REBECCA DRISCOLL

DragonBoot Quartet bring compelling string compositions

Church for an afternoon of nimble musicianship. e vibrant foursome Juilliard School — plays familiar Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, as well

as contemporary works by American

Caroline Shaw.

at the Essex Resort & Spa invites women over 40 to step into the New

SATURDAY 11

Finding eir Footing

e Marble Valley Dance Collective captivates audience members with New Dances Dawning, staged at Vermont State University’s Casella eater in Castleton. Eighteen dancers from the state’s southwest region evoke a sense of unbridled joy, community and belonging through movement — emphasizing the nonproﬁt’s mission of forging deep connections through dance.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 53

SATURDAY 11

Clap Your Hands

Proliﬁc local songwriter Matt Hagen takes center stage for Burlington’s FlynnZone Kids Hour — a monthly performance series in the Flynn lobby designed for wee ones ages 3 to 5. rough musical improvisation, Hagen leads kiddos and their caregivers in interactive, playful songs built to foster imagination, make memories and introduce children to the arts.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 54

SATURDAY 11

Ski Ya ere

Sleepy Hollow Inn’s Full Moon Ski Party in Huntington invites snow sports enthusiasts of all ages and abilities to ski beneath the milky twilight and snowshoe out on the moonlit ﬂoor. e event opens with a free ski lesson, followed by folks taking to the trails with headlamps — or opting for the 1K lighted loop. e adventure concludes with music, hot drinks and treats by the ﬁre.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 55

SATURDAY 11

Dynamic Duo

Boston juke-joint revival band the Smack Dabs and virtuosic New England foursome Rhythm Future Quartet light up the night with a soulful double bill at Next Stage Arts in Putney. Audience members get groovy with the former’s 1930s good-time swing blues and the latter’s hot-club jazz tunes (think Django Reinhardt) — an energy so contagious, listeners can’t help but tap a toe.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 55

ONGOING

Swiss Scapes

Acclaimed German artist omas Struth’s exhibition of large-scale color photographs at Hall Art Foundation in Reading showcases the rural landscapes of Northern Switzerland. Struth’s soft, unidealized shots were taken in the early 1990s and began as a commissioned project for a private hospital in Winterthur — the works serving as a portal for patients to the outside world.

SEE GALLERY LISTING AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

Introducing ‘Ways and Means’

On Wednesday, a new crop of citizen lawmakers will stand together and swear to “be true and faithful to the State of Vermont.” Although it’s not stated in their oath of o ce, they’re also meant to represent the people who elected them. For the next ﬁve months they’ll work on behalf of their neighbors to determine how the state should manage its limited resources, including tax revenues, for the greater local good.

Witnessing this biennial ritual in a historic chamber of the Vermont Statehouse is enough to move even the most cynical observer. I teared up watching my partner, former state senator Tim Ashe, take the oath in 2009. He was just one of thousands of well-meaning part-time public servants who have participated in Vermont’s annual exercise of representative democracy, which dates back to 1777.

When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand. Ideas actually begin to grow within us and come to life.

— BRENDA UELAND JOURNALIST, EDITOR

IN A YEARLONG SERIES, WE’LL SCRUTINIZE THE LEGISLATURE TO HELP READERS UNDERSTAND HOW IT FUNCTIONS — AND SOMETIMES FALLS SHORT — IN REPRESENTING THEM.

Almost a quarter of a millennium later, now seems like a good time to ask: How is that working?

Today, an institution created when Vermont was a state of small farms — and just 10,000 residents — must grapple with complex social, economic and environmental problems, from education funding to homelessness and climate change.

Legislators get no training for their elected positions beyond a couple of presession orientations. With minimal sta , they largely rely on paid lobbyists and advocates for research and policy recommendations.

A small percentage of lawmakers call the shots, and, in modern Vermont, when they get it wrong, the consequences are dire. For example, Vermont passed an education funding bill in May 2023 that had to be rewritten when the legislature reconvened in January 2024 because it had thrown school districts into chaos.

Meanwhile, the number of local news outlets covering the legislative session has shrunk dramatically, and the relatively few reporters following the action are often rookies. VTDigger.org started as a Statehouse watchdog and reliably chronicles the daily machinations. Seven Days is lucky to have seasoned journalists Kevin McCallum, Anne Wallace Allen and Alison Novak covering highlights, but, even in our paper, big-picture analysis of the sausage making is a rarity. No media outlet in the state has sta ers consistently asking the hard questions about whether the 248-year-old system still e ectively serves Vermonters.

Seven Days is embracing the challenge. In a yearlong series we’re calling “Ways and Means,” we’ll scrutinize the legislature to help readers understand how it functions — and sometimes falls short — in representing them.

Such an ambitious project requires a designated reporter, but we didn’t want to move any of our veteran news writers o their beats. Through friends at ProPublica, we found Hannah Bassett, a Tufts grad with a master’s in journalism from Stanford University. A Granite State native with family in Vermont, she had worked as a press secretary and outreach coordinator for U.S. representative Annie Kuster of New Hampshire before turning her focus to government accountability and, ultimately, journalism. Hannah was at the Arizona Center for Investigative Reporting in Phoenix, writing about statewide health disparities, but expressed an eagerness to return to New England.

Two Vermont philanthropists stepped up to help us hire Hannah and split the tab for this yearlong legislative investigation. Both are former politicians — from opposite sides of the aisle — who care deeply about Vermont.

Burlington native and University of Vermont grad Bruce Lisman built a successful career in ﬁnance at Bear Stearns before founding and funding Campaign for Vermont, which calls itself a nonpartisan coalition advocating for a more prosperous state, in 2011; he stepped back from active involvement with the group in 2015 before running for governor in the Republican primary and losing to Phil Scott. He’s served on the executive boards of many prominent Vermont companies.

Entrepreneur Paul Ralston — who studied agricultural engineering at UVM — started a number of successful local businesses, including Vermont Co ee Company, which he sold in 2021. He served as a Democrat in the Vermont House representing Middlebury from 2010 to 2015. Three years ago, he started an L3C social venture called Little Village Acres, which focuses on entrepreneurial e orts to help Vermonters experiencing food insecurity.

Neither donor will have any inﬂuence over the stories Hannah pursues, her sources or what we publish. Both have already made their contributions to the project through our ﬁscal sponsors: Journalism Funding Partners and the GroundTruth Project. I appreciate their trust in Seven Days and investment in our work.

News editor Matthew Roy is the “Ways and Means” project manager; his team includes consulting editor Candace Page, a former Burlington Free Press writer and editor who covered the Vermont Legislature o and on for nearly four decades.

Look for stories by all our Statehouse reporters — in the paper and online — throughout the legislative session. We expect Hannah’s ﬁrst take later this month.

Paula Routly

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Hannah Bassett

Attorney Seeks Gag Order Against Burlington Police

BY COLIN FLANDERS colin@sevendaysvt.com

An attorney representing a Burlington man with an extensive rap sheet has asked a judge to bar police from making public statements about his client while several court cases play out.

Public defender Joshua O’Hara requested the gag order this week in a motion that contends recent statements from Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad have threatened Michael Reynolds’ right to a fair trial.

Long notorious in Burlington, Reynolds was the subject of a 2017 Seven Days story about holes in the social safety net. His troubles with the law have not abated: He has more than three dozen convictions — including six felonies — and is currently facing 20 charges. Burlington police say they have interacted with Reynolds nearly 2,000 times over the years.

‘It Feels Safe’

After ﬁghting to win their high-rise back, Decker Tower residents gather for karaoke, fellowship

BY DEREK BROUWER • derek@sevendaysvt.com

Last winter, Debbie Phelps carried pepper spray whenever she left her Decker Towers apartment. The corridors inside the low-income highrise had become a magnet for the drug trade and squatters, thrusting Burlington’s most urgent ills upon 160 elderly and disabled tenants. To feel safer, Phelps, who is in her late sixties and uses a walker, headed into the hallways with escorts and weapons for self-defense.

But on a recent rainy December evening, Phelps entered the community room on the ground ﬂoor feeling excited. The building, she said, felt di erent now. No longer did trespassers occupy the laundry rooms and stairwells each night. The hallways were quieter. Residents were gathering to eat and sing karaoke.

“It feels safe,” Phelps said. “I don’t have the stun gun or the pepper spray or any of that.”

Conditions at the St. Paul Street building have improved markedly from a low point last winter, when the building was overrun by drug users and homeless people looking for a place to stay warm.

PEOPLE DON’T SEEM TO BE TRYING TO GET IN … IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THEY’VE GONE SOMEWHERE ELSE.

SUSAN MILLER

The changes have followed many months of dogged activism by residents. Their organizing last February prompted a coordinated response from public o cials and led to hundreds of thousands of dollars in new security spending by Burlington Housing Authority, which owns the building, and the City of Burlington.

While the e orts to improve security brought relief to Decker Towers’ vulnerable tenants, the underlying regional crises of homelessness and addiction have not relented. So the challenges that its residents have endured are cropping up elsewhere. In recent weeks, squatters have taken up residence in o ce buildings, basements and apartment homes throughout the city.

But at Decker, last month’s karaoke night marked a return to neighborliness that residents say they had lost in recent years. The event was held in the same room where, last February, tenants voted to create a resident council to advocate on their behalf and form a neighborhood watch that would patrol the building to roust squatters.

The council purchased a microphone and strobe lights for this happier a air, and residents used the community kitchen

‘IT

On Monday, WBUR Boston’s “On Point” program quoted Murad during a 45-minute segment that centered on the debate around involuntarily committing mentally ill people. Vermont Public carried the broadcast.

O’Hara told Seven Days on Tuesday that Reynolds deserves a fair trial, “just like anybody else.”

Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George supported O’Hara’s request during a hearing on Tuesday, according to the defense attorney. George declined to comment.

O’Hara said he has never requested such a gag order in more than 15 years of defense work. He said he was compelled to do so after Burlington police issued a press release on December 30 that outlined a slew of interactions with Reynolds over the previous two weeks. ey included an arrest at the University of Vermont Medical Center after Reynolds allegedly attempted to assault security guards. Police later learned Reynolds had broken into an occupied Burlington home earlier that day; a resident came out of the shower to ﬁnd Reynolds hiding in a closet. e press release also featured a lengthy statement from Murad, who argued that Reynolds must face harsher punishment for his actions.

“He has exhausted outlets of charity, treatment, or relief, and burned bridges with entities that seek to help the disadvantaged,” Murad’s statement read. “We have an answer for this kind of violent, incorrigible, antisocial behavior: Vermont’s ‘habitual criminal’ statute.”

Under that statute, state prosecutors can seek enhanced penalties for some persistent offenders. ➆

Michael Reynolds in 2017

Decker Tower residents enjoying community dinner and karaoke night

JAMES BUCK

Personnel Growth

An expanding workforce development program teaches students new skills

BY ALISON NOVAK • alison@sevendaysvt.com

Last summer, 29-year-old Alex Reid found himself at a career crossroads. The St. Albans resident had worked in tree service and as a FedEx delivery driver in the years since he’d graduated from college but he didn’t see a future in either path. He was interested in breaking into construction — an industry expected to offer more than 4,000 openings in Vermont in the next 10 years, according to a recent report by the McClure Foundation and the Vermont Department of Labor.

ReSOURCE, which came with a $500 weekly stipend, Reid eagerly applied.

Over the summer, he spent six weeks getting an overview of the trade — first learning foundational carpentry skills and then applying that knowledge by helping with flood recovery efforts in Barre. During the final two weeks of the session, he worked with Eliot Lothrop of Building Heritage, a small Huntington company that specializes in historic preservation, restoring the East Monitor Barn on the campus of the Vermont Youth Conservation Corps in Richmond.

EDUCATION

•

But because he didn’t have experience in the field, Reid said construction companies weren’t interested in hiring him. When a family member mentioned a Construction 101 training program offered through the nonprofit

Reid’s experience was made possible through Serve Learn Earn, a workforce development program that pools the resources of four local nonprofits: ReSOURCE, Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Vermont Works for Women and Audubon Vermont. Founded in 2021, the program has provided workforce training and community service opportunities in the trades, conservation and sustainable agriculture to more than 1,400 participants.

Alex Reid working at the East Monitor Barn

EDUCATION Education Commission

Questions Its Own Effectiveness

BY ALISON NOVAK alison@sevendaysvt.com

Last year, the legislature created the Commission on the Future of Public Education in Vermont and gave it an ambitious task: to develop a more sustainable, affordable and equitable vision for public education. But ﬁve months in, commission members are wrestling with how its work ﬁts into larger policy conversations around education funding. e topic is expected to be hotly debated during the coming legislative session.

At a meeting on Monday, commission chair Meagan Roy signaled that lawmakers may change or reﬁne the charge of the 13-member group.

“We shouldn’t be working at crosspurposes” with the legislature, Roy said. “We were convened to serve a purpose. We need to make sure that that is still the [work] the legislature needs us to do.”

Last month, the commission issued a preliminary report that outlined, in broad strokes, several policy considerations for reforming the education system — including revising the education funding formula, pooling resources so that students have more equitable learning opportunities and better aligning stafﬁng to enrollment.

But the report stopped short of giving policy recommendations, noting that there is “no silver bullet solution” for the state’s education funding problems. More time and data analysis are necessary to come up with more concrete ﬁxes, it said.

e commission is slated to meet for 10 more months and issue another report in October with ﬁnal recommendations. But Oliver Olsen, who represents the Vermont Independent Schools Association on the commission, said members may need to “radically reshape” how they operate to meet the deadline. e full group meets just once a month.

“ ere needs to be more division of responsibility and probably some more committee time to really dive into these things,” said Olsen, a former lawmaker and State Board of Education chair. ➆

‘It Feels Safe’ « P.14

to serve spaghetti and cake. Four “dining room rules” were published on a whiteboard, starting with “No conﬂicts — please keep the peace,” and ending with “Have a nice day and enjoy your meal.”

Standing at the microphone, council president Cathy Foley announced the evening’s run of show.

“Someone step up to the mic and tell me what you want to sing,” Foley said to the 20 or so people who had come downstairs for the event. She was holding another resident’s small dog by its leash.

Phelps was battling a minor case of stage fright. “I’m really nervous. I don’t want to be alone,” she said before her turn. Her friend and neighbor Sarah Procopio joined Phelps for a rendition of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain.”

Resident Je rey Flores dedicated his version of Kansas’ “Dust in The Wind” to his mother, exclaiming, “That was for you, ma!” After ingesting some liquid courage inside his apartment, resident manager Mayank Nauriyal surprised everyone with his melliﬂuous voice.

“We’re getting back to the way things were,” a longtime resident who gave only his ﬁrst name, Giles, said, recalling the activities that tenants used to do together.

City police data confirm residents’ sense that the building is safer. Police fielded nearly 200 calls for service at Decker Towers during the first three months of 2024, according to the city’s data analyst, Je Nicholson. Calls began declining last April and totaled just 153 for the remaining nine months of the year.

April is when the weather warmed and the city — in one of then-mayor Miro Weinberger’s ﬁnal o cial acts — agreed to grant $38,000 to the housing authority to help pay for nighttime security guards inside the building. Last fall, the city awarded another $76,250 from its housing trust fund to support an ongoing security presence this winter.

The city’s investments followed a Seven Days cover story last February that chronicled the grim conditions inside the building and residents’ armed patrols.

No single measure appears to be responsible for the near-normalcy that has since been restored. More frequent patrols of common areas by security guards and law enforcement have made them less appealing to squatters and people using drugs. Several raids by Burlington police and more than a dozen evictions by the housing authority have booted from the building most of the dealers and the tenants who were harboring them, residents and housing authority o cials say. Residents themselves have been vigilant about reporting suspicious behavior and

telling unwanted visitors to leave. The housing authority is less likely to approve rental applications for prospective tenants with recent criminal history, executive director Steven Murray said.

Murray and the Weinberger administration had been at odds over what was needed to ﬁx Decker and who was responsible for it. But last spring, Murray said, he

WE FINALLY SAID, “LOOK, WE NEED A DRUG RAID.” STEVEN MURRAY

began a series of monthly meetings with state and federal prosecutors, Burlington police, and Mayor Emma MulvaneyStanak’s o ce to discuss issues at Decker Towers.

“I do think that ﬁnally getting us all in the same room and talking about what BHA can do, or what the city can do, made a huge di erence,” Murray said last week.

During one of those meetings, Murray said, he asked Burlington police to target a drug-dealing tenant the housing authority had been unable to evict.

The tenant was not dealing at a volume that the police would typically target for investigation, Murray said, but was drawing a lot of illegal activity to the building.

“We ﬁnally said, ‘Look, we need a drug raid,’” he said.

Police arrested the tenant and an eviction case is due for a hearing later this month.

Police Chief Jon Murad acknowledged the unusual intervention in a recent email to o cers.

“Some of the dealing in Decker was a lower order than we usually tackle. But the results were probably more impactful than

larger operations with bigger seizures sometimes are,” Murad wrote.

Residents and o cials had anticipated this winter with some trepidation, unsure whether plunging temperatures would lead people to seek warmth in the building. Homeless shelters are full, and nearly 300 people are sleeping rough in and around the city, according to city o cials. Two seasonal shelters to be run by local nonproﬁts have yet to open this winter. So far, Decker has not again become a de facto overﬂow shelter. That’s even though both a private contractor hired by the housing authority and the Chittenden County Sheri ’s O ce have struggled to provide security sta at night, Murray said.

Mulvaney-Stanak has taken an accommodating approach to urban encampments and has opened emergency shelters on some bitterly cold nights, which may have relieved pressure on Decker. Last winter, the city razed a large encampment along Battery Street, which pushed many of its tent dwellers into Decker stairwells, housing authority and city police said at the time.

In the meantime, the Decker resident council now has an o ce on the ground floor with a small conference table, a computer, and a printer for creating meeting agendas and event ﬂiers. The residentrun patrols operate on a limited basis, and reports of its activities are logged in a binder.

Residents are trying to organize movie nights and art groups, while the Greater Burlington YMCA will soon start a pilot version of a group fitness class inside the building. Phelps and Procopio have been pitching ideas for a trio of murals for several common spaces.

The building’s uno cial resident cook, Susan Miller, said she is focused on “trying to pull the community back together.” She

Debbie Phelps and Sarah Procopio singing karaoke JAMES BUCK

thinks the focus on security has fostered some divisive and simplistic attitudes. Miller noted that one of the tenants arrested for harboring a drug dealer in his apartment was himself being exploited because he was addicted.

Miller stepped down from her position on the resident council because she didn’t agree with some of its decisions, but she acknowledges the situation has improved.

“People don’t seem to be trying to get in,” she said. “It just seems like they’ve gone somewhere else.”

Indeed, as temperatures have dropped, some homeless people in the Burlington area are finding other places to squat. Seven Days obtained surveillance video that captured a man using a metal device to break into a locked office building downtown one night earlier this winter. Once the door was forced open, several people followed him inside, carrying bags and a bicycle.

On December 26, police arrested four

homeless people for squatting inside the basement of an apartment building on Buell Street. The group had set fires and defecated inside the building while tenants were out of town for the holidays, according to police. They also appear to have burglarized an apartment inside the building, police said.

Burlington Housing Authority is dealing with similar problems at its other properties. Murray showed Seven Days a video he filmed inside the basement of a BHA apartment building at 185 Pine Street. The space showed signs of squatting, including blankets and mattresses on the floors, litter, and milk crates. More than 10 people had broken into the basement just before Christmas, Murray said.

The housing authority removed the trespassers on December 26 — the same day Burlington police were arresting four others at the Buell Street residence.

Since then, it’s gotten colder. Temperatures dipped this week to single digits for the first time this winter. ➆

Tents on the waterfront in Burlington

Tents by the Burlington bike path

The program has grown steadily since its inception, with annual funding from the Vermont Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. Now, it’s poised to expand even further, thanks to a $1.8 million, three-year grant from the Ascendium Education Group, a national nonprofit focused on helping people achieve their academic and career goals.

“So often, nonprofits are in their silos,” said Kate Gluckman, Serve Learn Earn’s director. “But when we start working together, opportunities bubble up.”

In an aging state, with a large number of workers nearing retirement age and not nearly enough young people poised to replace them, workforce development programs are increasingly viewed as a crucial way of filling the gap, boosting career prospects for workers and the economy as a whole. In 2022, Gov. Phil Scott signed a bill into law that invested around $16 million from the American Rescue Plan Act into training, scholarship and loan-forgiveness programs designed to address Vermont’s workforce shortage.

Serve Learn Earn says its alumni are making a difference, having earned a collective $3.25 million in wages and stipends and 552 work credentials, such as certifications in workplace safety practices, hand- and power-tool skills, and chain saw operation.

Reid was one of the success stories. After his course ended, the conservation corps hired him to continue assisting Lothrop on the barn project, which will eventually provide new teaching and training space for the nonprofit.

Reid’s trajectory — from a young person who wanted to gain expertise in a highdemand field to a skilled worker who’s able to contribute to Vermont’s economy — is a prime example of the program’s potential, Gluckman said: “His experience is what we’re trying to replicate.”

The nonprofits that make up Serve Learn Earn have overlapping missions, but they all provide distinct opportunities.

Audubon Vermont mainly offers programs for teens. Young people can apply to be counselors-in-training at the organization’s summer camps or take part in a Junior Conservation Technician program that teaches them about topics such as bird banding and trail management.

The conservation corps program focuses on trail maintenance and water quality projects, as well as building outdoor structures such as huts and lean-tos. In a separate Food & Farm program, crew members grow organic crops and raise

chickens for families who have barriers to getting locally grown produce.

Vermont Works for Women provides training in the trades through its Trailblazers program. And ReSOURCE offers 6-week, intensive sessions in construction, HVAC and weatherization and a 12-month YouthBuild program in which teens and young adults can learn construction skills and earn trade certifications.

Several new programs are also in the works. In late spring, the conservation corps will begin offering a 17-week preapprenticeship focused on timber framing, a traditional construction method in which timber is joined together using wooden pegs, without the use of metal fasteners. It’s the technique that Lothrop

seat of a Kubota skid steer, scooping out dirt from a muddy bank to make more space for parking. Instructor Tammy Ellis, a retired VTrans employee who teaches classes for both ReSOURCE and Vermont Works for Women, kept a close eye on the worksite.

“Feather it up!” she yelled over the loud rumble of the machine. The student responded by slowly lifting the bucket on the vehicle as it dug into the dirt bank.

The four students had enrolled for different reasons.

Jake McKenna trained to be a HarleyDavidson motorcycle mechanic after high school but didn’t stick with it. He ultimately found a job running a printing press but wanted to find a line of work that would allow him to spend time outdoors.

Cody Atwood, a maintenance worker at Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport, wanted to learn how to operate heavy machinery so he could contribute more at his current job.

SO OFTEN, NONPROFITS ARE IN THEIR SILOS. BUT WHEN WE START WORKING TOGETHER, OPPORTUNITIES BUBBLE UP.

KATE GLUCKMAN

and Reid are using to restore the East Monitor Barn.

In Vermont, there’s a need for experts in timber framing to restore old structures such as barns and churches, said Breck Knauft, the conservation corps’ executive director. He’s already been contacted by people interested in enrolling, even though the organization has yet to formally advertise the program. Knauft believes there’s an appeal to learning traditional skills that can also be applied to more modern types of construction.

ReSOURCE also has started a new Introduction to Heavy Equipment program. In December, four men took part in a three-week pilot during which they learned to operate a mini excavator, skid steer and all-terrain forklift known as a telehandler. One of their first projects at the conservation corps campus in Richmond was digging a 179-foot trench to run electricity to a small barn.

Jeff Schake, program manager of construction trainings for ReSOURCE, also invited staff from the Vermont Agency of Transportation and Kingsbury, a local construction company, to speak with students about potential career paths.

On the second-to-last day of class, participants wearing neon yellow safety vests took turns in the driver’s

Both Kevin Mongeon and Hassan Kassim, who is deaf and attended the class with a sign language interpreter, were hoping to learn skills that would make them more employable. A longtime employee for VTrans who just retired was deaf, Schake noted, which showed Kassim that it was a viable career path.

All of the men said they appreciated learning how to use the equipment while also helping to improve the conservation corps’ grounds.

Ciara Fagan had a similarly meaningful experience during her time as a University of Vermont undergrad and in the year after graduation by working as an educator at Audubon Vermont through the Serve Learn Earn program. She now uses the skills she learned — curriculum development, grant writing and volunteer management — in her job as education director for the NYC Plover Project, a Queens-based organization that works to protect endangered shorebirds on city beaches.

Taking part in Serve Earn Learn isn’t always a path to a dream job, Gluckman noted, and not all of those who enroll, such as Fagan, will stay in Vermont. But, Gluckman said, the program offers them a step in the right direction.

For Reid, restoring a century-old barn wasn’t necessarily the type of job he envisioned when he signed up for Serve Learn Earn. But the more he has learned about timber framing, the more fascinated he’s become with the historic construction form. He loves all things old, from vintage bicycles to antiques.

“I kind of ended up here by accident,” Reid said, but “I think this is where I belong, career-wise.” ➆

Eliot Lothrop and Alex Reid

Heavy machinery training in Richmond

FEEDback

whose verbiage remains unchanged, I suggest the mayor, in conjunction with the council, nominate three individuals who reside in Burlington who support the current petition and three members of the Burlington Jewish community who do not, to meet to produce verbiage that would be viable for all. The issue is not going away. The kettle is boiling. A linguistic compromise will reduce the heat.

Mort Zachter BURLINGTON

‘APARTHEID-FREE’ ALREADY

The recent Seven Days article on the proposed “apartheid-free community” resolution in Burlington presents an incomplete and misleading view [“Burlington Council Blocks Pro-Palestine Item From Ballot,” December 17, online]. I feel compelled to address critical omissions and inaccuracies.

First, Burlington is not and has never been an apartheid community. This inflammatory term, with its painful historical context, is misused here to serve a biased political agenda, harming community cohesion.

Second, while the resolution frames itself as anti-apartheid, it is a thinly veiled attack on Israel, falsely accusing Israel of genocide, settler-colonialism and apartheid. These baseless allegations perpetuate antisemitic tropes and foster hostility, not understanding or peace.

Third, despite its claims, the resolution offers no meaningful support for Palestinian self-determination or human rights. A truly pro-Palestinian resolution would advocate for practical steps toward peace and coexistence, not solely vilify Israel.

Fourth, the headline itself is biased. Why did it not read, “Burlington Council Blocks Antisemitic Item From Ballot”?

Lastly, this resolution is empty virtue signaling. It has no impact on U.S. policy but polarizes our community, alienating many residents, including Jewish community members already facing rising antisemitism. Burlington’s city council should focus on local issues instead of divisive, symbolic statements. Let’s work toward fostering a community where all voices can be heard and respected, without resorting to inflammatory resolutions that deepen divides. Burlington deserves better than this.

David Geddes BURLINGTON

CLOSE CALL ON SHELBURNE ROAD

[Re “Two Pedestrians Critically Injured in Shelburne Road Crash,” December 12, online]: I am familiar with the crosswalk in which two pedestrians were struck recently on Shelburne Road because the same thing almost happened to me. The only indication that there may be pedestrians present is a road sign and a painted crosswalk. What would be sufficient in a residential area is not for a highway on-ramp on one of the busiest roads in the state.

According to a previous Seven Days article [“Crash Course: Activists Want to Reshape Shelburne Road After Another Cyclist Is Killed in South Burlington,” November 27], “most of the serious crashes along Shelburne Road involving pedestrians and cyclists have been caused by intoxication and people disregarding the law rather than road design flaws,” per the Vermont Agency of Transportation. Intoxication aside, maybe the laws are broken because of flaws in road design? It is not intuitive how a bicyclist should travel on Shelburne Road, but it is implied that they are supposed to share the road with heavy traffic because of the bike on- and off-ramps at the street’s apex.

There are other flaws in the road’s design as well. For example, there is nowhere for pedestrians to legally and safely cross the street for almost half a mile in the stretch adjacent to Calahan Park, which is a residential area. The driveways at the northernmost portion are too narrow to accommodate full-size trucks taking right turns without pulling either into oncoming traffic or up onto the curb.

It is laughable that VTrans would disregard these actual flaws and their consequences.

Cy Miller BURLINGTON

STORY ‘HUMANIZES’

Thank you for “Acts of the Apostles” [December 4]. This story humanizes both the deep generosity and unprecedented pain so many folks are dealing with right now and challenges each of us to live in a place of deep empathy and generosity.

Elizabeth O’Casey MIDDLESEX

Some retired people want to hang ‘em up, and some are just getting warmed up. The people at Wake Robin are definitely in the latter camp. They’re busy, curious, and part of a dynamic Life Plan Community in Shelburne, Vermont. Come see for yourself.

Wake Robin. It’s where you live.

lifelines

OBITUARIES

Amy Kleppner

AUGUST 2, 1931NOVEMBER 29, 2024 WARDSBORO, VT.

Amy M. Kleppner was born in 1931 in Boston, Mass., and over the course of her 93 years had several long careers. Her career as a teacher started in the early 1960s, when she taught philosophy at Howard University, where her students included both future civil rights leader Stokely Carmichael and future novelist Claude Brown. After taking a few years off to

Jacquelyn F. Arbuckle

NOVEMBER 21, 1942DECEMBER 29, 2024

BURLINGTON, VT.

Jacquelyn (Fenelon) Arbuckle, of Burlington, Vt., died at McClure Miller Respite House in the early morning hours of December 29, 2024. Jackie was born in Lynn, Mass., on November 21, 1942, daughter of Eugene F. and Margaret A. (Walker) Fenelon. She was raised in Saugus and Swampscott, Mass., graduating from Swampscott High School in 1960. She went on to New England Deaconess Hospital

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

start a family, Amy went back to work and taught English in Maryland high schools for decades.

She was a public speaker and a writer and published numerous articles on subjects ranging from historical art to driver safety to hiking and more. She also published three books, the last of which, about Amelia Earhart’s advocacy for women’s rights, will be released in early 2026. She had a lifetime of adventuring, starting as a teenager in the 1940s, when she biked from Boston to Québec City. She climbed all 46 of the High Peaks in the Adirondacks; she led her young son and nephews in hiking end to end on Vermont’s Long Trail (250 miles); she canal boated in France; she trekked in Siberia, Alaska, Spain and New Zealand; and she went swimming in Antarctica. She celebrated her 63rd birthday by climbing Half Dome in Yosemite, her 77th birthday by kayaking the 350-mile Connecticut River end to end, her 85th birthday by doing a 100-mile hike in England and,

School of Nursing (Boston, Mass.), graduating in 1963, and became a registered nurse — thus starting an almost 40-year career of service to others. Over her

at the age of 92, set off for the Mediterranean to retrace some of Odysseus’ voyage. Always active, she played basketball, ﬁeld hockey, lacrosse and volleyball in high school and college and enjoyed tennis, volleyball, hiking and cross-county skiing in later years. During all those years of teaching, writing and adventuring, Amy was a wife, a mother, a grandmother and a beloved aunt. She married Adam Kleppner in 1958, and they were married for 59 years, until his death in 2018. ey were both teachers in Maryland during the school year. In 1963 they bought an old farmhouse in Wardsboro, Vt., where they lived during the summers, until they retired and moved to Wardsboro full time. at home became a family gathering place where two generations of cousins and second cousins have grown up together. During those summer days in Wardsboro, she organized games of spud, croquet, badminton and tennis. Amy took her two children and various nephews,

nieces and grandchildren hiking, camping and swimming across Vermont and across continents.

Amy was a pioneer and lifelong advocate for women’s rights and racial justice. In the 1950s, after attending Smith College (BA) and Mount Holyoke College (MA), she became one of the ﬁrst women ever to earn a PhD in philosophy from Columbia University. She was active in the campaign to pass the Equal Rights Amendment, appeared in a campaign video for Hilary Clinton, and was a long-time supporter of women’s organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the Safety Team and the Population Media Center. After Amy retired from teaching, she became only the second woman in Wardsboro’s 200-plus-year history to be elected to the board of selectmen and the ﬁrst to insist that it change its name to the selectboard to eliminate the gender bias in the word selectmen. She was reelected four times before retiring from that position. In retirement, she established

the Shared Opportunity Scholarship at Purdue University for young women of color who otherwise would not have been able to attend college.

Her advocacy for women’s rights, her adventurous spirit and her athleticism were all traits she shared with — and were perhaps inspired by — her aunt, Amelia Earhart. Amy was almost certainly one of the last people who personally knew Amelia, who disappeared when Amy was just shy of her 6th birthday.

Amy became the steward of Amelia’s legacy and worked to ensure that Amelia’s lifelong advocacy on behalf of women’s equality wasn’t overshadowed by her celebrity as a pilot or her dramatic disappearance.

Amy stayed active until the end: She wrote that book about Amelia’s activism for women’s rights (completed at age 90); added a stone terrace to her house (completed at age 91); built a community solar farm in her ﬁeld to provide Wardsboro families with lower-cost electricity (completed at age 92);

and converted her 220-yearold home’s heating system to heat pumps (completed at age 93).

e evening she died, at age 93, she had dinner with family in her home, had a bowl of pistachio ice cream for dessert, made her way to her favorite chair in her living room and died in her son’s arms, ending her long, rich life with a peaceful death.

She is survived by her sons, Bram and Caleb; her daughters-in-law, Genevieve Henry and Susannah Bernheim; six grandchildren; a brother-in-law and two sisters-in-law; many nephews and nieces; and her longtime roommate, care provider, chief of staff and dear friend, Suzanne Harrington. To honor Amy, please make a contribution to the Wardsboro Public Library (wardsboropubliclibrary. org); Planned Parenthood of Northern New England (plannedparenthood. org); the Safety Team (thesafetyteam.org); or the Population Media Center (populationmedia.org).

career, Jackie worked in many areas of nursing, including med-surg, emergency room and mental health. Jackie also earned a master’s in education from Antioch University New England in Keene, N.H.

Jackie developed an interest in eldercare when she became director of nursing at the McGirr Nursing Home in Bellows Falls, Vt. After moving to Colchester, she became volunteer coordinator of Chittenden County Hospice. While working there, Jackie, along with Terje Anderson (executive director of Vermont CARES), foresaw the need for a freestanding hospice. Jackie’s inspiration led to a ﬁve-year

plan, creation of a board, fundraising and then construction of Vermont Respite House, now the McClure Miller Respite House. She served as the ﬁrst executive director and was the guiding light for the care of people in their ﬁnal stage of life, creating standards that are still honored in today’s Respite House.

Jackie’s service also included the spiritual world. She and her close friend Peggy Mathauer were ordained deacons in the Episcopal Church at All Saints Episcopal Church on July 30, 1991. Jackie served at All Saints for 15 years, going on to serve at St. John’s in the Mountains in Stowe,

Vt., and Trinity Episcopal Church in Shelburne, Vt.

After retirement, she continued her service work for several years at Rock Point, home of the Episcopal Diocese of Vermont, where she coordinated volunteers for many programs.

Jackie had a lifelong love of gardening and all things in the natural world, ultimately achieving a master gardener certiﬁcate. She created many beautiful gardens at every home she lived in and in other places in the community. She passed that love on to her daughters and many others through her teaching and guidance.

Jackie leaves Allan, her husband of 60 years,

daughters Jennifer Arbuckle of North Ferrisburgh and Lesley Higgins, son-in-law

John Higgins and granddaughter Wylie, all of Charlotte.

e family wishes to thank the staff at Miller 3 and McClure 5 at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the Rehab Unit at Birchwood Terrace Rehab and Healthcare and especially those at McClure Miller Respite House.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 11, 1 p.m., at All Saints Episcopal Church in South Burlington, Vt. In lieu of ﬂowers, the family asks for donations to McClure Miller Respite House.

Dolores Korpos

JANUARY 9, 1931NOVEMBER 1, 2024

SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Dolores Korpos (née Dolores Ursula Zguzenski), born on January 9, 1931, passed away on November 1, 2024 — All Saints Day. Her two daughters, Lynn and Michele, and son-in-law, Roger, were by her side. In addition to her daughters and son-in-law, Dolores is survived by her two grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, two great-great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews, and dear friends. She was the second mother/grandmother to many. Dolores was married in 1950 to the love of her life, John Korpos, to whom she was married for 60 years before he passed in 2010. They shared a wonderful life of love, friendship and adventure. Dolores, aka Duz, Duzzie, Mommy Dearest, MOM-Mommy and Mamacita, was almost always smiling and brightened every room she entered. She loved to dance; play cards, mah-jongg and Scrabble; and was the life of the party — the hostess with the mostest. She had a soft spot for underdogs and strays. When asked how she wanted to be remembered, she said, “Happy. I want to be remembered as being happy.” Her loving and bright spirit will live on in the many hearts she touched.

Our family is very grateful to the wonderful caregivers and staff from Hope Hospice and the Key. They helped us tremendously. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in remembrance of Dolores Korpos to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Disabled American Veterans or a charity of your choice.

Janet Hauser Franz

OCTOBER 19, 1939DECEMBER 24, 2024 WESTFORD, VT.

Janet Hauser Franz, a beloved resident of Westford, Vt., passed away peacefully on December 24, 2024, at the age of 85. Born on October 19, 1939, in Cornwall, N.Y., to Philip and Amy (Seaman) Hauser, Janet was a dedicated mother and grandmother, cherished friend, and beloved partner of (Walter) Perry Bland. Janet graduated with a bachelor of science in elementary education from SUNY College at Cortland, N.Y., (now SUNY Cortland) in 1961. She spent her early adult years as a homemaker, teacher and educational advocate. From 1980 to her retirement in 2002, Janet worked on the main campus of the University of Vermont. During that time, she quickly rose from entrylevel office staff in the Department of Special Education, Social Work and Social Services, to a role as

residency officer in the Office of the Registrar, then on to become the founding project coordinator of the Vermont EPSCoR Program (epscor. w3.uvm.edu/bree), a position she held for 16 years. Beyond her professional life, Janet was lovingly dedicated to her family. She participated in many community choruses over the years and passed her love of music on to her children. She was an avid reader with a vast knowledge of the English language and was always ready to help her children refine their writing ... or to challenge them to a spirited game of Scrabble. The well-worn family dictionary was never far from the kitchen table.

During the growing season, Janet enjoyed cultivating vegetables and fruit, crafting her own maple balsamic vinaigrette, and baking homegrown apple and rhubarb pies to share with local patrons at the St. Albans and surrounding farmers markets, working

Stephen Milizia

DECEMBER 8, 1955DECEMBER 9, 2024 SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Stephen Matthew “Steve” Milizia, age 69, of South Burlington, Vt., passed away peacefully on December 9, 2024, at home with his family and friends, ending his nineyears’ journey of living with cancer. Steve was born on December 8, 1955, in Burlington, Vt. Stephen is survived by his wife, Elizabeth (Matteson) Milizia; and his son, Christopher David Milizia. Stephen was preceded in death by his father, Joseph Milizia; his mother, Andree (Daigneault) Milizia; and his brother, David Milizia.

in 1978. Their son, Christopher David, was born two years later.

Steve was an accounts representative for several auto accessory and equipment manufacturers, traveling the eastern regions of the U.S. and Canada.

Steve attended Cathedral Grammar School, Rice Memorial High School and Johnson State College, where he met Elizabeth “Betty” Matteson. They were married

tirelessly alongside her partner of 40 years, Perry Bland. Janet not only grew, harvested and sold fresh produce, but she also helped establish and run the Westford Farmers Market, starting in 2007, and always nurtured a sense of community among vendors and customers alike.

Janet’s other contributions to the Westford community were many, including support for Town Meeting Day proceedings and as a dedicated volunteer with the senior luncheon program, to name a few. While shepherding her four children through Westford Elementary School, Janet was always eager to support teachers, students and parents in whatever way she could. Her involvement with the school’s physical education program highlights Janet’s belief that health and fitness are key to a well-rounded educational experience.

Aside from her many community contributions, Janet’s greatest joy came from her family. Always available and supportive of diverse interests and pursuits, Janet also made great efforts to ensure holiday gatherings were warm, welcoming and festive affairs for all. She was well known for her amazing cooking and created countless

Clarice Fisher

JULY 9, 1934DECEMBER 20, 2024 SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

cherished memories at and around the homestead.

She is survived by her partner, (Walter) Perry Bland, of Westford, Vt.; her children: Susan and her husband, Dr. Jerome Siegel, of Naples, Fla., Jenifer and her wife, Sandi Wagner, of Essex Junction., Vt., Eric Philip Franz of Burlington, Vt., and Ingrid and her husband, Matthew Moriarty, of Dundee, Ore.; her stepchildren: Dr. Jessica Bland of Rye, N.H., Melissa Bland of Burlington, Vt., and Kyler and her husband, Dan Ronner-Bland, of Hampton, N.H.; and her grandchildren: Benjamin Siegel, Jacob Siegel, Henry Wagner, Ella Tatum Moriarty, Sydney True Moriarty, Max Ronner-Bland, Oscar Ronner Bland and Annie RonnerBland. In addition, Janet also leaves her nephews, Doug Hausler and Kerry Hausler, and her niece, Dale Boardman. She is also survived by many more friends and family. Janet is predeceased by her parents, Philip and Amy (Seaman) Hauser; her sister, Louise; and brother-in-law, John Herbster. In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Westford Volunteer Fire Department (westfordfire.org) and/or Fairfax Rescue (fairfaxrescue.org).

Please enjoy every day and support your local farmers markets.

Steve is a donor to the Anatomical Gift Program at the University of Vermont. As a result, he will be celebrated in a service and celebration to be announced at a later date.

Anyone wishing to contribute to an organization in Steve’s memory is encouraged to choose from one of the following: the UVM Anatomical Gift Program, Larner College of Medicine; American Red Cross; Sail Beyond Cancer Vermont; or the American Cancer Society Hope Lodge Lois McClure-Bee Tabakin Building.

Arrangements are in the care of Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To send online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.

Clarice Arlene (Cox) Fisher, born on July 9, 1934, in Middlebury, Vt., daughter of Clarence Russell Cox and Ruth Emma Smith, passed away peacefully on December 20, 2024. Raised in Ripton with her sister and brother, she spent the past 60 years as a resident of South Burlington, Vt., returning to Ripton on most weekends to stay at the camp that she and her husband, Robert W. Fisher, had built. She really enjoyed spending time with all her extended family and friends who still lived in that area. She liked to garden, watch birds that would visit her feeder, and spend time talking on the phone with many friends and family. She was predeceased by her parents; her husband, Robert; her son Jeffery; her sister, Barbara Cox Wimett; and her brother, Clarence (Bud) Cox. She is directly survived by her two sons Robert W. Fisher Jr., his wife, Demetra, and their son, Bobby; and Kevin Fisher, his wife, Wendy, and their sons, Brian and Drew.

The family would like to thank Green Mountain Nursing and Rehabilitation for their care. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to a foundation of your choice in her name.

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES

Jeanne Parsley

MARCH 28, 1927DECEMBER 18, 2024 ESSEX, VT.

Jeanne Anderson Parsley of Essex, Vt., died peacefully on Wednesday, December 18, 2024.

She was born in Elizabeth, N.J., on March 28, 1927, to Harold and Claire (Lycette) Anderson. Her early years were spent on Long Island, before moving to Connecticut and graduating from New Haven High School in 1944. She attended Bates College, where she met Charles John Parsley Jr. ey were married in 1948 and moved to Massachusetts and continued their education at Boston University, where Jeanne

Norman Joseph Lacharite

1930-2024

WINOOSKI, VT.

Norm died peacefully on December 28, 2024, at Birchwood Terrace Rehab and Healthcare in Burlington, Vt., after a brief illness.

Known affectionately by his family as Papa, he will be missed tremendously. He loved his family so much and was generous to all. He was a loving father, grandfather and great-grandfather. He was born in 1930 and lived in Winooski, Vt., for most of his life. After earning his degree at Saint Michael’s College, Norm was drafted into the army and was stationed in Korea for most of his service time. After his service, Norm returned to the college and joined the department of applied linguistics, whose focus was to teach English as a second language to students from

received a master’s degree in religious education.

Upon graduation, Jeanne and Charles moved to Vermont, where Charles served as minister in East Barre and North Bennington, and they began raising their four children. In 1964 they moved to India, where they served as missionaries, working in Ahmednagar, Pune and Kodaikanal. ey returned to the U.S. in 1968, living in Oakville, Conn., where Jeanne taught school and earned a second master’s degree in elementary education from Western Connecticut State University. Returning to Vermont in 1971, the family

abroad. Professor emeritus, he spent nearly 40 years as a teacher, administrator and ﬁnally director of the department. He was also a longtime chairman of the master’s program in teaching English as a second language. He retired in 1994.

Norman and Elizabeth Daly, the love of his life, met at the college and were married in 1958. ey were blessed with two daughters, Ann Regina and Martha. Daughter Ann had a serious illness that required constant care, which mom and dad did without complaint. Ann passed in 1997. e retirement years for Liz and Norm were ﬁlled with the joys of being part of the lives of their daughter Martha, her husband, Steve, and grandsons Christopher and Adam. Many friends near and far enriched their lives.

Norm was predeceased by his parents, Wilfred and Regina (Pellerin) Lacharite; wife, Elizabeth, daughter Ann Regina, brothers-in-law, John Russell,

settled in Grafton and later in Bellows Falls, and Jeanne taught language arts at Bellows Falls Middle School for the next 18 years. ey moved to Essex in 1998.

Jeanne loved to travel, visiting more than 50 countries during her life. She was a dedicated volunteer and worked to make the world a better place. After retirement she was a guardian ad litem in Windham County, a member of the Reparative Justice Board in Essex and a teacher of English as a second language at Essex High School. She was an avid reader and lifelong learner. She loved classical music and

Francis Daly and Charles Daly; and sister-in-law Bernadette (Daly) Meunier.

He is survived by daughter Martha and husband Stephen Roy; grandsons Christopher and his partner, Alison Bushey, and Adam and his wife, Meghan; greatgranddaughters Mina and Teddie Rose; great-grandson Rowdy; and sister-in-law Margaret Russell. He is also survived by many nieces, nephews and friends, including special friends Nora O’Neill, Sally Cummings and Kathie Era.

A heartfelt thank-you to the amazing staff and doctors at the University of Vermont Medical Center and Birchwood Rehab, Dr. Melissa Brandes, Nancy Strong NP, and Dr. Joseph Winget for their care and compassion. Remember to keep smiling — that’s what Norm always did.

In lieu of ﬂowers, contributions can be made to St. Francis Xavier School or Our Lady of Providence in Winooski, Vt. A mass of Christian burial to celebrate Norm’s life will be held on Monday, January 6, 2025, 11 a.m., at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Winooski. Arrangements are in the care of LaVigne Funeral Home and Cremation Services. To send condolences to his family, please visit vtfuneralhomes.com.

sang in many church choirs and community choruses.

Jeanne was open, caring and supportive and made lifelong friends around the world. She was always available for a chat on the phone, a lunch out or a listening ear over a cup of tea. She loved her family and was never happier than when the whole tribe visited for holidays.

Jeanne is survived by her children, MarthaJeanne and her husband, Jerry Barton, of Vienna, Austria; Karen and her husband, Dana Baron, of Shelburne, Vt.; Cynthia and her husband, omas Baehr, of Putney, Vt.; and Andrew Parsley of Keene, N.H. She

Alison Sprout

JUNE 29, 1965NOVEMBER 18, 2024 MIAMI SHORES, FLA.

Alison Lee Sprout, age 59, passed away on November 18, 2024, in Hollywood, Calif., after an extended illness. Born on June 29, 1965, in Boston, Mass., Alison was a respected journalist and writer. She graduated from Burlington High School in Burlington, Vt., in 1983 and earned a BA in English and biology from Wesleyan University in 1987, where she was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. She earned an MFA in writing from Sarah Lawrence College in 2002. Alison began her career in journalism in the 1990s as a ﬁnancial reporter in New York City, including at Fortune magazine. She later moved to Miami, where she lived and worked as a writer until her passing. In

leaves seven grandchildren and their spouses and six great-grandchildren. She was predeceased by her husband, Charles John Parsley, in 2007 and her brother, Donald Anderson, in 2015. A memorial service will be held at the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington on January 19, 2:30 p.m., with Rev. Karen Johnston presiding. A reception will follow. In lieu of ﬂowers, memorial gifts may be made to the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England or a charity of your choice.

2022, she received an honorable mention in ﬁction at the Miami Book Fair for her book Unsung, Undone. Beyond her professional achievements, Alison had a vivid imagination, a biting wit and a lifelong love of birds. Alison’s life left an indelible mark on those who knew her, and she will be deeply missed. She is survived by her son, Peregrine Beckett; her mother, Rosalee Sprout; her sister, Leslie Sprout; her brother, Kevin Sprout, and his partner, Lisa Morris; her nieces, Audrey and Lena Schneider; and the Ames family. Alison was preceded in death by her father, Blaine Sprout, and her stepfather, Bernard Ames.

A small private service and burial took place in Burlington, Vt., on December 4. In lieu of ﬂowers, the family suggests donations in Alison’s memory be made to the American Bird Conservancy at abcbirds.org.

Elmo Sassorossi

JANUARY 26, 1925DECEMBER 20, 2024

SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Elmo Alfred Sassorossi, 99, passed away peacefully on Friday, December 20, 2024, at Gazebo Senior Living in South Burlington, Vt. Elmo was born on

January 26, 1925, to Louis and Josephine (Columbo) Sassorossi in Barre, which became his geographical anchor throughout his life.

He spoke only Italian when growing up in his North Barre home, learning English when he went to grade school. After graduating from Spaulding High School in 1942, Elmo entered Harvard College, where his studies were interrupted when he enlisted in the U.S. Army. Deployed to France as an infantryman, he participated in the Battle of the Bulge. When the war ended, Elmo returned to Harvard, where he dated Norma Troup, who was studying nursing at Simmons College.

Norma and Elmo were married on April 9, 1949, a date — 4/9/49 — that Elmo often reminded his family made it easy to remember

Lewis Clyde Martin Jr.

MAY 24, 1940DECEMBER 13, 2024 ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

Lewis Clyde Martin Jr., known as Lew to all who love him, age 84, of Essex Junction, Vt., passed away peacefully on December 13, 2024. He was born on May 24, 1940, in Montgomery, Ala., the beloved son of Lewis Clyde Martin Sr. and Lillis Bozeman ornton.

Lew was a man of many talents and passions. During his school years, he was a proud member of the marching band, playing the trombone from middle school into university. His love for music was evident to all who knew him.

Lew graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in Montgomery, Ala., and attended Auburn University, where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. It was at a sock hop during his time at Auburn that he met the love of his life, Judith Wilson. ey married on August 26, 1961, and shared a wonderful life for 64 years. Initially residing in Huntsville, Ala., they moved to Vermont in 1969.

Lew began his career by working on the Apollo missions, where he designed communication technologies that guided the astronauts on their ﬁrst trip to the moon — a legacy of which he was incredibly proud. He continued his education by moving to Vermont to study computer programming and worked as a computer engineer for the remainder of his career at IBM. Lew and Judy also owned the Candlemould Gift House, a popular business in Essex Junction, for several years.

anniversaries. Returning to Barre, Elmo joined his father in operating the Colonial Granite Company for many years. Elmo and Norma started a family in 1951 with the birth of Kenn, followed by a second son, Jeff, two years later.

Following the sale of the business, Elmo began his long career in state government with the Department of Education. When the Medicaid program was created in 1965, Elmo was appointed as Vermont’s ﬁrst Medicaid director, a position he would retire from after serving for more than 20 years.

Elmo and Norma enjoyed an active social life, much centering around golﬁng with friends at the Country Club of Barre. Elmo, a founding member of the Barre Kiwanis Club, was active in the organization for 75 years. He was

Outside of his professional life, Lew was a devoted family man. He is survived by his wife, Judy, and their daughters: Elaine Duignan and her husband, Michael; Cheryl Gandini and her husband, James; and Glinda Mecca and her husband, Jay. He was a loving grandfather to Michael Duignan; Taylor Duignan; Jessica Gandini Weiss and her husband, David; Kristin Gandini and her ﬁancé, Jonathan; Christopher Root and his wife, Meg; Sarah Root; and also his niece, Jana Wilson Capallo. Lew was the original “girl dad,” raising his daughters with love, strength and a deep sense of pride.

Lew had a passion for ﬁshing and being outdoors with his good friends. He and Judy spent many winters in Green Valley, Ariz., where they met many new friends they cherish today. His sense of humor, generous spirit and warm smile will be deeply missed by all who had the privilege of knowing him.

Lew was very active in his community. He was a dedicated member of Grace United Methodist Church, a founding member of Essex Junction Rescue and a longtime member of the Lions Club, where he received the honorable Melvin Jones Fellowship award for his dedicated service.

e family would like to extend their heartfelt thanks to all the wonderful caregivers and the hospice team who helped Lew during his battle with Parkinson’s.

A celebration of life will take place on February 1, 2025. Details will follow. In lieu of ﬂowers, please make donations in his memory to Grace United Methodist Church, 130 Maple St., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

Lew leaves behind a legacy of love, kindness and a life well lived. He will forever be in our hearts. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

also a member of the Mutuo Soccorso Society, the Masonic lodge and the American Legion.

Elmo was able to explore his love of woodworking during retirement. He combined those skills with Norma’s prowess with a paintbrush to create dollhouses, many intricate toys and other treasures for his family. Elmo also teamed with Norma at Christmas to produce delicious and decorative platters of Christmas confections, pasta frollas, ossi dei morti cookies, and a parade of pies. Retirement also presented an opportunity for the couple to travel. ey visited Italy, Australia and New Zealand, eager to experience the beauty of other countries.

Norma and Elmo remained at their Abbott Avenue home in Barre until 2016, when they moved to the Gazebo

Apartments assisted living facility in South Burlington. After years of his love and tender care for Norma, she passed away in 2019.

Elmo is survived by two children, four grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren. e family includes Kenn Sassorossi and his wife, Judy (Bickford) Sassorossi; their daughter Kathryn (Sassorossi) Aisenberg, her husband, Jon Aisenberg, and their children, Lucia and Dario; their daughter Martha Sassorossi, her husband, Rafael Ferrer, and their daughters, Vera Adelina and Seraﬁna Simone; and Jeff Sassorossi and his wife, Beverly (Darling) Sassorossi; their son, William Sassorossi, his wife, Magaret (Newton) Sassorossi, and their children, Eleanor and Samuel; and their daughter, Kristine (Sassorossi) Guthrie, her husband, Eric Guthrie, and their children, eodore and Vivienne. Elmo is also survived by his niece, Cindy Dye Kearley; her husband, Steven Kearley; and their son, Kevin. Elmo’s older brother, Dario, was killed in action in France during World War II. e family deeply appreciates the support and care provided by the staff of Gazebo Senior Living and the volunteers and staff of University of Vermont Home Health & Hospice. In lieu of ﬂowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Barre Kiwanis Club, PO Box 724, Barre, VT 05641. Interment will take place at the convenience of the family. ere are no calling hours. Arrangements are by Hooker Whitcomb Funeral & Cremation Services, 7 Academy Street, Barre. For a memorial guestbook, please visit hookerwhitcomb.com.

Janice Chandler

OCTOBER 13, 1943-DECEMBER 24, 2024

SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Janice (Jan) Eileen Chase Chandler passed away suddenly and peacefully on Christmas Eve, December 24, 2024, surrounded by her loving family, at the age of 81. e family invites you to visit vtfuneralhomes.com for the full obituary and to share your memories.

Judy Stilwell Podgorny

DECEMBER 28, 1947DECEMBER 8, 2024

CHANDLER, ARIZ.

Judy Stilwell Podgorny, 76, passed away on December 8, 2024, in Chandler, Ariz. Born on December 28, 1947, in Hillsdale, N.J., Judy devoted her life to the field of nursing, culminating her career as a beloved professor of nursing. Her passion for teaching and her deep commitment to nurturing the next generation of nurses

marked a distinguished career. Known for her kindness and patience, Judy was an inspiration, finding the good in everyone she met. Her legacy will continue through the many lives she touched.

She is survived by her husband, Allan Podgorny; and her brother, James Dolan, his wife and their two children. Judy’s life was a testament to the power of caring and education and will leave an indelible mark on both her friends and the countless nurses she took under her wings. She was dearly loved.

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS OBITUARIES

Kempton Evans Webb

DECEMBER 28, 1931-OCTOBER 13, 2024 AMESBURY, MASS.

Dr. Kempton Evans Webb, PhD, died on Sunday, October 13, 2024. He was 92 years old and led a full and happy life, married for 68 years and reunited with his beloved, the late Dr. Nancy Boyd Webb, DSW. eirs was a Harvard/ Radcliffe marriage; they met at a Harvard Glee Club/ Radcliffe Choral Society rehearsal of the Boston Symphony’s Romeo and Juliet by Hector Berlioz, conducted by Charles Munch. After pursuing fruitful academic careers at Columbia University and Fordham University, respectively, they retired to coastal Massachusetts for 20 years after moving from the greater New York City area.

reintroduced to Lake Champlain. He was a talented sailor and paired this with his vast academic knowledge to navigate numerous waters in various vessels.

Kempton was raised in Malden, Mass., son of the late Margaret and Winthrop Webb. He earned his bachelor’s in geology from Harvard College and master’s and PhD degrees in geography from Syracuse University.

Dr. Webb’s passion for education was infectious, always inspiring people to pursue higher education, and he was a powerful storyteller who could transport any listener around the globe. He was professor emeritus at Columbia University, where he served for 28 years as chairman of the geography department and as director of the Institute of Latin American Studies. Prior to his academic career, he was a research analyst staff sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve with the 454th Strategic Intelligence Unit, where he served at the Pentagon for several summers while at Syracuse University. Summers in college took him to Alaska as a gold miner, Greenland working for the weather bureau and to Peru as a mining geologist.

Dr. Webb developed a love of sailing that started with a Sunﬁsh and moved up to an 80-foot schooner, the Richard Robbins, on Lake Champlain in Vermont. e business was short-lived, but the age of commercial sail was

His many roles in life included professor, author, keynote speaker, television host, consultant, husband, father, brother, uncle, grandfather and friend. He was a world traveler and an expert on Brazil and Latin America. He wrote and cowrote several books about that region of the world and was ﬂuent in Portuguese, Spanish and French. He specialized in research on Brazilian droughts and ﬂoods and the economic geography of the food supply of Belo Horizonte and Fortaleza Ceara. His books were published in the U.S. and also in Brazil. He traveled to Alaska, Greenland, Mexico, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and all over the U.S. He read the New York Times daily and discussed world events in depth. Dr. Webb had a greeting he utilized when meeting someone new: “Kempton’s the name and geography is my game.” He was especially revered, among his family and close friends, for his whimsical and unique sense of humor.

Kempton’s family was the center of his life. He is reunited with his wife, Nancy, who predeceased him in early 2023; his sister, Martha Crommett Willett, who predeceased him later in 2023; and his lifelong friend (since kindergarten), John Bowman, who also passed in 2023. Kempton is survived by his daughter, Rachel Webb, and husband William Scott of Newburyport, Mass.; son, Scott Webb, and wife Rosemary Webb of Hinesburg, Vt.; four grandchildren, Katherine Scott and ﬁancé Avery Rossow, Jennifer Scott, and Sophia and Preston Webb; four nephews, David Crommett, Peter Crommett, Stephen Crommett and Christopher Crommett; sister-in-law, Barbara Fedele; and two nieces, Angie Fedele and Oriana Fedele. In addition to his family, Kempton will be remembered by his many professional colleagues and hundreds of students whom he taught during his tenure at Columbia University. e celebration of life and burial service will be private.

Roland R. Vautour

JANUARY 20, 1929DECEMBER 13, 2024 JEFFERSONVILLE, VT.

On December 13, 2024, Roland R. Vautour, 95, a longtime Jeffersonville resident, passed away peacefully with family by his side.

Born to Arthur and Yvonne (King) Vautour in Berlin, N.H., on January 20, 1929, Roland enjoyed all the activities the North Country offered, including hiking, skiing and ski jumping with the Nansen Ski Club. He especially enjoyed spending time in the summers at the family camp on Cedar Pond. Having received a scholarship from the University of New Hampshire to ski and jump, Vautour graduated with a degree in

Christopher “Ossie” Winter aka Christopher Andrew Pryse Engisch

DECEMBER 23, 1964DECEMBER 12, 2024

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

We are deeply saddened to announce the sudden passing of Christopher Winter. Chris died unexpectedly, and we are feeling an incredible, deep loss. Ossie, as Chris was known

business administration in 1952. At UNH, he met the love of his life, Sally Liden; they were married on June 16, 1951.

Vautour held a series of management roles at Montgomery Ward in New York, Connecticut and Maine, before becoming director of development for the city of Waterville, Maine. He was recruited to become Vermont’s Commissioner of Development in 1960 by governor F. Ray Keyser. During most of the 1960s, Vautour was the general manager of what was then Madonna Mountain Ski Area, now known as Smugglers’ Notch resort. During most of the 1970s, he and his wife were local business owners. Vautour was a volunteer leader in numerous community and state civic and charitable organizations.

Long active in state and national politics, in 1981 Vautour was appointed by president Ronald Reagan as director of the Farmers Home Administration for Vermont, New Hampshire, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In 1986, Reagan nominated Vautour to be under secretary of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, and he was unanimously conﬁrmed by the U.S. Senate. Vautour was at the center of solving the massive farm credit crisis of the 1980s,

to his friends and family, was the youngest child of Dr. Robert and Joan Engisch. He is survived by ﬁve siblings who loved him very much: Cindy Engisch Lisner (Richard) of France/Portugal; Glynis Sutter of Arizona; Geoffrey Engisch of Arizona; Hilary Engisch Klein of Stowe, Vt.; and Peter Engisch (Mary) of Essex Junction, Vt.; as well as nephews and nieces Evan, Joanna and Nora Engisch; Lola Lisner; and Ula, Teagan and Gaelyn Klein.

Chris grew up on Oak Hill Farm in Williston, Vt. He loved the farm, growing up with horses and dogs and cats and ducks. As a young boy, he was a ﬁne athlete — playing soccer and skiing at Smugglers’ Notch.

He loved playing the drums, and music became his passion. He was a powerful drummer and could easily recount the historic details of rock and roll. You name the artist, and Chris would tell you the subtleties of each artist’s life and music library. He loved Johnny and Edgar Winter,

overseeing the Farmers Home Administration, the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation, the Rural Electriﬁcation and Telecommunications Administration, and the Commodity Credit Corporation. President George H.W. Bush asked Vautour to continue in his role throughout his presidency.

Vautour was a lifelong sports enthusiast, especially skiing. Being a competitive skier and jumper at UNH, he passed along his love of skiing, golf and biking to his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Widowed in 2007 by the death of his wife of 56 years, Vautour is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Lawrence and Jean Vautour of Wayne, Maine; his four children, Victoria Vautour and her husband, Mark Delaney; Gregory Vautour; Andrea Sheredy; and Eric Vautour, all of Jeffersonville; four grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren.

A celebration of life will be held at a future time. In lieu of ﬂowers or other remembrances, he asked that donations in his name be made to the Nansen Ski Club (please put on memo line “For Roland”), 658 Cross Country Rd., Pembroke, NH 03275. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

Tommy Bolin, Pink Floyd, Black Sabbath, Supertramp, Alice Cooper, and the Lovin’ Spoonful, to name a few.

But he loved England most of all.

He was a great lover of everything British. e Beatles.

“All Creatures Great and Small.” Teatime. Comedy on the BBC. e British countryside, especially Dover. He had a beautiful connection with our grandmother Norah Lloyd, who was born in London.

He had a great sense of humor, and his kind and gentle spirit will always be remembered. One of his favorite sayings was, “Don’t worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself!” said with a nod of his head and a wry smile and a laugh.

We’d like to send a special thank-you to those who were near and dear to Chris and to those who cared about him in the ﬁnal days. We will miss him forever.

e family will be having a private get-together.

For information on this, please call (480) 714-5846.

Karen Flanagan (Jette) Dowling

JUNE 8, 1955DECEMBER 22, 2024 COLCHESTER, VT.

Karen Marie Flanagan (Jette) Dowling, 69, of Colchester, Vt., passed away peacefully with her family by her side on Sunday, December 22, 2024, after a well-fought battle with Parkinson’s disease and Sjögren’s syndrome. Born on June 8, 1955, the beloved only child of Francis and

Marie (Ronald) Flanagan, Karen had a generous, thoughtful and giving nature that made her a pillar of strength and encouragement to her family and friends, leaving behind a legacy of kindness and service to others.

Karen’s journey began in St. Albans, where she attended St. Mary’s School and Bellows Free Academy. She graduated from Trinity College of Vermont with a degree in history, then worked as a staff aide to former U.S. senator Patrick Leahy in Washington, D.C., and Burlington, Vt. She later earned a second degree in early childhood education and dedicated herself to a long career in education and child advocacy in Chittenden and Franklin counties, leaving a lasting impact on the communities she served.

Karen married her first husband, Norman Jette, in 1980, and became a loving, lifelong maternal figure to his 4-year-old daughter,

Graydon Barron Stevens

MARCH 27, 1952-

DECEMBER 27, 2024

MONKTON, VT.

Graydon Barron Stevens passed away peacefully, surrounded by family and friends, on December 27, 2024, in Burlington, Vt., at the age of 72.

Born on March 27, 1952, in Barton, Vt., Graydon was the beloved son of Bruce and Priscilla Stevens. Graydon spent the early years of his life on his family farm in West Glover. At the age of 10, his family moved to a house that had several rental cabins, known as Mack’s Cottages, on Lake Salem in Derby, Vt. These formative years, surrounded by Vermont’s natural beauty, shaped his love for the outdoors and close-knit community living.

Graydon attended grade school in Barton and went on to graduate from North Country Union High School in Newport, Vt., in 1970. During his high school years, he participated in theater, excelled as a soccer and basketball player, and showcased his passion for music by forming a party band with his classmates. This early musical endeavor led him to a lifelong journey as a folk musician, performing and organizing events, such as the Cabin Fever Folk Festival, that brought people together through the power of music.

Meredith. Five years later, they welcomed their daughter, Alison. After her eventual divorce, Karen navigated life as a single mother, raising Alison with devotion. Karen’s life immensely changed when she and Michael Dowling kindled a relationship in 2002, later marrying on January 1, 2014. Together, they enjoyed many adventures, including attending Red Sox games, University of Vermont hockey games, the theater, concerts and her cherished annual visits to Ogunquit, Maine.

Music was a constant in Karen’s life, from playing guitar in her youth to joining Mike in the South Burlington Community Chorus. Her musical tastes were varied, from ’60s and ’70s folk and classic artists like the Beatles and Bruce Springsteen to Celtic music, Vermont’s Weston Priory and New York Metropolitan operas. She enjoyed teasing her daughters by loudly playing the music of Enya and Yanni. Karen was happiest when

was a chimney sweep, operating a business called Soot n’ Cinder Chimney Sweeps. He grew the business to service about 1,600 properties per year in Chittenden and Addison counties. He will always be remembered as a championship horseshoe player and for creating the political bumper sticker, “Moonlight in Vermont OR STARVE.”

In the mid-1980s and early 1990s, Graydon

surrounded by family and friends, hosting weekly family dinners, game nights and annual St. Patrick’s Day celebrations. She loved keeping a window open for fresh air despite the weather, feeding the neighborhood birds and spoiling her grand-dogs with treats. A proud Democrat, Karen followed politics avidly, enjoying good-natured debates with friends across the aisle.

She was particularly passionate about encouraging young women to take leadership roles, a value she embodied in her involvement with the Jaycees. As a leader in the Vermont Jaycee Women during the 1970s and ’80s, Karen rose to the position of state president before the merger with the men’s organization. She was awarded a senatorship by the Vermont JCI Senate for exceptional leadership. From 2020 to 2023 she served as vice president of the Vermont JCI Senate and became the scholarship chair in 2022, a

position she held at the time of her passing.

Despite the overwhelming challenges of multiple autoimmune conditions, Karen approached each obstacle with fierce determination. Though these conditions gradually took away her physical independence, her independent spirit and sense of humor remained strong. One of her accomplished moments was holding her grandson, Nolan, after his birth — a goal she achieved with pride despite the physical limitations she faced. Throughout it all, she embodied resilience: “Nevertheless, she persisted.”

Karen is survived by her husband, Michael Dowling; daughters, Alison McConnell (Andrew) and Meredith Connolly (Darren); grandchildren, Kate Connolly and Nolan McConnell; brother-in-law, Mark Dowling (Christopher Perrera); cousin, Shirley Cota, who was like a sister; and many friends and colleagues. She was

predeceased by her parents, Francis and Marie Flanagan, and her first husband, Norman Jette.

The family extends their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Noah Kolb, Dr. Marie Sandoval, the Shepardson 4 Infusion Clinic team, and caregivers Edith Wilkerson and Joyce Mabiei.

Special thanks are also given to OT Bridget King, UVM Home Health nurse Laura Turner, nurse Mary Meunier, and all the healthcare professionals who supported Karen and her family.

A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Saturday, January 11, 2025, 11 a.m., at Holy Family Church, 30 Lincoln St., Essex Junction, VT. Donations in Karen’s name can be made to the New England Hemophilia Association (newenglandhemophilia.org), an organization of which she and Michael have been longtime supporters.

To share memories and condolences, please visit awrfh.com.

In the mid-1990s, Graydon founded a business called Adventure Guides of Vermont, Inc., which served as a precursor to the nonprofit organization VOGA (Vermont Outdoor Guide Association). In 2001 he launched Vermont Outdoors Woman and Doe Camp. Graydon served as the executive director of these initiatives for the remainder of his life, passionately championing their impact. His efforts advocated for outdoor professionals and enhanced access to Vermont’s natural resources, bolstering the state’s image as a premier destination for outdoor adventure and skill development. In 2019 Graydon collaborated with senator John Rodgers to establish September as River Cleanup Month in Vermont. Additionally, Graydon stepped up to help ensure the LCI Father’s Day Derby would continue when its existence was threatened in 1997. He served for many years as a volunteer on the board of its parent organization, Lake Champlain International, helping to guarantee that its mission of protecting fisheries and water quality continues to this day. Graydon also contributed his expertise as a board member of the Vermont Trails and Greenways Council.

Graydon was an avid hunter and fisherman who loved the land and enjoyed teaching others to appreciate Vermont’s natural resources and wildlife. His tender heart was evident in his rescue and raising of wolf dogs. He was a founding father of the Vermont Traditions Coalition and the Champion Lands Leaseholders Association, which was the voice for thousands of Vermonters who protect the traditional values of hunting, fishing, recreation, farming and timber harvesting, to name a few.

Graydon’s life was a tapestry woven with music, cooking and a deep connection to his Vermont roots. He worked tirelessly with tact, diplomacy and curiosity to promote the enjoyment of the great outdoors, with respect for both the environment and the individual. He will be remembered for his warm smile, his talent for bringing people together, and his unwavering love for his family, friends and community. Graydon was a man who was not driven by money but rather by principle.

He is predeceased by his parents, Bruce Larrabee Stevens and Priscilla Barron Stevens; stepfather, Ernest Mack; aunt, Ruth Barron; and beloved nephew Taylor Stevens McLaughlin. He is survived by those who knew and loved him, including his brother, Larry Bruce Stevens; sisters, Rowena Stevens Drown and Carley Stevens-McLaughlin; nieces and nephews, Eric Stevens, Tinah Stevens, Rhonda Coates, Jarrett Drown, Jamie Drown, Cassandra Townshend and Calista Corley; lifelong best friend, Frank Stanley; and many others.

A celebration of Graydon’s life will be held to honor his legacy at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Vermont Traditions Coalition, PO Box 323, Williamstown, VT 05679.

IN MEMORIAM

Philip A. Ades, MD

APRIL 2, 1951NOVEMBER 27, 2024 BURLINGTON, VT.

Please join us for a memorial service on January 18, 2024, 2 p.m., at Ira Allen Chapel, University of Vermont Campus, in Burlington, Vt. A reception at the Davis Center will follow the service from 3 to 5 p.m.

JACK ROWELL

BACK TO THE WALL

Negina Azimi painted her first mural as a member of ArtLords of Afghanistan in March 2017. It was Nowruz, the Persian New Year, a celebration of spring and new beginnings. The 18-yearold had just graduated from fine arts school when she picked up a paintbrush and joined other members of the artist collective on their latest project. Their canvas: one of the thousands of ugly concrete blast walls scattered across Kabul to shield schools, homes and offices from terrorist attacks.

The mural they painted captured a happier reality — the smiling faces of Zohra, Afghanistan’s first all-women orchestra. In the deeply patriarchal society, where the role of women in public life was strictly curtailed by social norms, a tribute to female musicians painted by female artists was “a bold statement,” Azimi said. “That mural made my whole year.”

Four years later, the existence of that mural and others like it drove the young artist from her homeland. Taliban forces swept into power in August 2021, toppling the Afghan government and imposing

Exiled from their homeland, Afghan muralists the ArtLords continue their “artivism” in Vermont

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

oppressive religious laws that banned images of women in public.

On the day the Taliban arrived in Kabul, Azimi was painting another public mural about land mine removal. As the streets fell eerily quiet, she ran, leaving the mural unﬁnished. She and her younger sister, Marwa Safa, who was also a member of ArtLords, said goodbye to their family and friends and boarded separate ﬂights out of Kabul.

The government was not aware … how much art can transform an idea.

ABDULLAH ELHAN

Today, the Azimi sisters live in Brattleboro, where they still make art. They are part of the diaspora of the ArtLords collective, most of whose members also ﬂed their homeland to escape persecution by the Taliban for their provocative community murals promoting democracy, peace and human rights. The sisters are among ﬁve

members who came to southern Vermont as part of the ﬁrst wave of Afghan refugees in early 2022.

Since then, the Brattleboro ArtLords have made their mark on the local landscape, creating public murals in their town, in Bennington, and in schools, galleries and nonproﬁts around New England. They have run art therapy sessions for refugees from other countries, curated screenings of Afghan movies and taught Vermont art students how to collaborate on group projects. Recently, they completed a large painting that’s on display in the BCA Center on Burlington’s Church Street.

While the Afghan muralists forge new lives and new careers in the U.S., the art they’re creating here connects them to their past. As they have introduced themselves to their new neighbors in southern Vermont through their art, imbued in their work is a deep sense of responsibility to speak for and give hope to those they left behind.

“I came from Afghanistan, where most of my sisters are deprived of their rights. And my colleagues who are still there cannot do any art,” Azimi said. “So it’s kind of a statement that I’m still doing it.”

BORN FROM THE STREETS

“ArtLords is the opposite of warlords,” Azimi said about the name of the grassroots movement that launched in Kabul in 2014. At its height, the collective had 53 employees — many of them women — as well as galleries, studios, o ces and art cafés in seven Afghan provinces.

The collective was cofounded by Azimi’s mentor and fellow artist Omaid Sharifi, who was 10 when the Taliban ﬁrst came to power in 1996. Because his family was poor and the Taliban closed his school, he started working at age 12, selling cookies and cigarettes on the streets of Kabul. Later, as a teen working in his father’s modest shop, he secretly listened to a radio stashed at his feet that played news stories from the BBC.

It was a horriﬁc time in his country’s history. In a phone interview, Sharifi recounted seeing the Taliban parade his fellow Afghans through the streets, then march them into a football stadium to cut o their hands or heads for minor o enses, such as listening to music or watching TV. Body parts were left in trees beside smashed television sets and radios as

From left: Zuhra Nadem, Sean Kiziltan, Abdullah Elhan, Marwa Safa Azimi and Negina Azimi in front of a mural they painted for Foodworks in Brattleboro in 2023

warnings to not succumb to such entertainment, which the Taliban considered immoral, obscene and an affront to Islam.

“I talk about it in a very normal way, but those traumas never go away,” Sharifi said.

In October 2001, U.S. and British forces ousted the Taliban following the terrorist attacks of September 11, and a democratic government took power. As Sharifi grew up, he dreamed of reclaiming the ugly, sprawling blast walls that are ubiquitous in Kabul. To him, they symbolized the fear, isolation and imprisonment that Afghans felt after decades of war. He never intended to become an artist, he said, but he realized that painting the walls would be a way “to make things better for myself, for my family and for the people of Afghanistan.”

In 2014, the government gave Sharifi and his new art collective permission to paint murals on the walls. The artist chose

his imagery carefully: Sharifi took issue with the traditional heroes of Afghanistan, who were invariably men carrying swords and rifles. He decided to change that narrative by portraying role models who were teachers, doctors, ambassadors — and women.

Though ostensibly a city beautification project, the murals became a form of social commentary that the collective describes as “artivism.”

ArtLords’ first mural addressed the corruption rampant in government: a pair of large, watchful eyes, painted opposite a ministry building, accompanied by the words, “I can see you.” The eyes became a symbol of ArtLords’ mission.

The artivists also painted images of Taliban fighters, “but instead of guns, we put pencils and pens and ice cream in their hands,” said Abdullah Elhan, 28, another of the ArtLords who now lives in Brattleboro.

along with those of many of his friends and family members, appeared on a Taliban “kill list” circulated on social media.

ArtLords pressed on. In June 2021, Azimi was one of 12 artists who created a 13-by-8-foot painting that now hangs in United Nations headquarters in New York City. Titled “The Unseen Afghanistan,” it depicts the country’s rich cultural heritage and a vision of a brighter future: a sixthcentury Buddha destroyed by the Taliban, a group of schoolchildren wearing blue UNICEF backpacks, a girl reading Islamic poetry. Embedded in the mural’s paint is soil gathered from all 34 Afghan provinces.

“When we started ArtLords, we thought, This is a good tool. This is an effective tool. And we want to use it to change attitudes and opinions and behaviors, ” Sharifi said. “We did not know it would really grow this big.”

FROM SOUTH ASIA TO SOUTHERN VERMONT

Azimi apologized profusely as she arrived just a few minutes late at the café in downtown Brattleboro where we met for an interview. The 25-year-old, now a caseworker for newly arrived refugees, has the kindly smile and warm, gentle nature of someone you would instantly trust to babysit your children.

When Azimi fled her homeland, she left with only a small backpack. In it, she carried a bottle of water, some snacks, the flag of Afghanistan, and a sketchbook, pen and paints. As she wrote in an artist’s statement in 2022, “I have learned that good art educates and creates empathy, and empathy leads to change.”

In all, the Afghan collective created more than 2,200 murals in 24 provinces.

“None of the murals were painted just by the ArtLords,” Sharifi said. “All of them were painted by the people.” Sometimes as many as 100 community volunteers participated, sharing food, playing music and performing street theater, often in Taliban-controlled areas.

“There’s very much power in art,” Elhan said. “The government was not aware ... how much art can transform an idea.”

The murals that promoted Westernstyle values — democracy, women’s rights, free speech, religious tolerance and education for all — also made the artists targets of harassment, kidnapping, arrest and torture. Between 2018 and 2021, three ArtLords were killed by improvised explosive devices. Sharifi regularly had guns pointed at him while he painted. His name,

In addition to the Azimi sisters and Elhan, the Vermont ArtLords include Zuhra Nadem, 28, a native of Kabul, and Sean Kiziltan, 29, a U.S.-born Turkish American who joined the collective last spring after one of its Afghan members moved out of state.

In all, 28 members of ArtLords and their families — more than 100 people — have been evacuated from Afghanistan since 2021. They remain scattered across the globe, from Texas to Australia.

Among them is Sharifi, who left his country when the Taliban returned to power. Today, he lives in Ashburn, Va., where he oversees the collective’s international operations, including fundraising and grant writing that provide modest financial support to his far-flung members.

For many of them, life has been a struggle. Azimi waited seven months in Albania before learning that she would be reunited with her sister in southern Vermont. They

“The Unseen Afghanistan,” which hangs in United Nations headquarters in New York City

Omaid Sharifi working with a young artist in Afghanistan

ArtLords muralists working in Kabul prior to the return of the Taliban in August 2021

BACK TO THE WALL

were among the 600 Afghan refugees resettled in the state since the U.S. military withdrawal in August 2021. The siblings were brought to Brattleboro by the Ethiopian Community Development Council, a national refugee resettlement agency whose offices in Brattleboro and Bennington are now staffed largely by Afghans.

Elhan also spent seven months in Albania. A painter, calligrapher and miniaturist from Panjshir province, in northeastern Afghanistan, he joined ArtLords in 2021, shortly before the Taliban returned to power. One of seven siblings, he was the only member of his family that the U.S. State Department deemed eligible to be evacuated from the country because of his work and activism. Poised and confident with strong English skills, Elhan studied computer science in college and later worked in information technology.

But art was always his first love. When Elhan learned that he qualified for a U.S. visa, he went online and searched for “top 10 artistic states.” Vermont ranked second. Elhan had never heard of the state but knew that other ArtLords had settled in Brattleboro.

He arrived in April 2022, during the pandemic. Though many of the galleries, museums and art stores were closed or had limited hours, Brattleboro’s offbeat, imaginative streak was readily apparent. The town of 12,000 is home to such creative hubs as the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, the New England Center for Circus Arts, the Vermont Center for Photography, and two different churches turned multimedia performance spaces: Epsilon Spires and the Stone Church.

“The people are very welcoming. And, of course, it’s an artistic town,” Elhan said. “They embraced us the very first day.”

WHAT GOES UP

Among the Taliban’s first acts upon returning to power was to whitewash or deface nearly all of ArtLords’ murals and burn its offices. So it’s perhaps ironic that one of the first projects the collective carried out in Vermont was designed to be impermanent.

Because the influx of 120 Afghan refugees in spring 2022 was unprecedented for Brattleboro, Kirsten Martsi, then-manager of education and community engagement at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, reached out to the resettlement agency to offer the museum’s services, such as tours and art classes.

She happened to be talking at the time with Leah Smith and Michael Townsend, professional muralists in Providence, R.I.

They’re our town muralists now.

KIRSTEN MARTSI

The pair cofounded Tape Art, an international arts collective that pioneered the use of painter’s tape as a medium for creating large temporary murals.

When the tape artists learned that the Afghan refugees included muralists from Kabul, “That blew us away,” Smith recalled recently. “We knew we had to work together.”

A few months later, the tape artists and the Afghan muralists met to brainstorm ideas and explore the downtown for walls that lent themselves to murals.

Their “breakthrough moment,” Townsend recalled, happened back at the museum when the ArtLords shared the story of their murals being destroyed by the Taliban.

“We do temporary art for a living. We’ve probably taken down 500-plus murals over the years,” Townsend said. “That’s when it clicked for us that this was a measurable cultural loss” for their Afghan partners.

Over four days in August 2022, the tape artists and the Afghans collaborated on 17 temporary murals around the downtown. Each one incorporated images of murals that the Taliban had whitewashed, including the mural that Azimi had painted of the all-women orchestra. They called the project “Honoring Honar” — honar means “art” in the Afghan Dari language.

Though the tape art murals lasted only a few weeks, “It was really powerful. People really responded to it,” Martsi said.

“We had so many people calling and emailing the museum saying, ‘Why does it have to come down? We love it!’”

That year, ArtLords was commissioned to paint its first permanent mural in Vermont: a pair of angel’s wings on a wall in Experienced Goods, a secondhand store that funds the Brattleboro Area Hospice.

Other commissions quickly followed. They painted a colorful, football fieldlength mural over a graffiti-covered retaining wall on Brattleboro’s High Street with designers Calvin Laituri and Daniel Chiaccio; a Banksy-style image featuring an Afghan worker on the wall of a local food shelf; and an Afghan woman, wearing a traditional cloak but no headscarf, outside the refugee resettlement office in Bennington. Other murals have been approved but not yet painted at Middlebury College and the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

“If someone has an idea for a public arts project, ArtLords are the first people they’ll think of,” Martsi said. “They’re our town muralists now.”

ART FOR THE NEXT GENERATION

In March, Azimi and Elhan were invited to speak on a panel at Burlington City Arts about art and migration. Based on that conversation and the caliber of their work, Heather Ferrell, BCA’s curator and director of exhibitions, commissioned ArtLords to create a new painting as part of an exhibition called “Passages: Identity, Memory, and Transformation.” That show, highlighting artists who explore ancestral experiences or reimagine cultural traditions, includes works by four other New England and New York artists and runs until February 1.

The three-panel painting, which took the ArtLords three weeks to complete, is called “Passages of Resilience From Kabul to New Horizons.” The

An ArtLords mural outside the Ethiopian Community Development Council office in Bennington

A mural on High Street in Brattleboro painted by ArtLords

calligraphy in it is a verse from Rumi, the 13th-century Islamic poet and scholar born in what is now Afghanistan: “In this earth, in this soil, in this pure field, let’s sow nothing but the seeds of kindness and love.”

In one panel, a phoenix rises from the urban landscape of Kabul. The mythical creature has many meanings in Afghan culture, including as the protector of girls who brings wisdom, hope and resilience.

As the phoenix flies left, or west, over a mountain range — possibly in Afghanistan, but maybe Vermont — it follows a woman dressed in traditional Afghan garb. Her steely gaze is focused squarely on the chess pieces before her: a king, a bishop and a pawn. Afghan women historically have been the pawns of rulers and religious leaders. Yet this woman, her

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“I See You,” one of the first murals painted by ArtLords, in 2016 in downtown Kabul

“I See You,” one of the first murals painted by ArtLords in 2016, in downtown Kabul, Afghanistan

The “Honoring Honar” project in Brattleboro, which re-created part of the “I See You” mural destroyed by the Taliban in 2021

U.S. Sen. Peter Welch visiting the “Honoring Honar” exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center

BACK TO THE WALL «

hair flying free and a globe in her hands, faces them undaunted.

This work, like all of ArtLords’ murals, was a collaborative effort. Once they agree on a theme, Elhan said, one person will suggest a design, another will sketch the images, and others, or the entire group, will paint the final picture. For example, the woman central to the BCA painting was proposed by ArtLords member Nadem.

“This painting ... says a lot about the resilience of the Afghan women,” she said through a translator in a video produced by Burlington City Arts. “Despite the fact that there is so much going on in Afghanistan, especially against women, they are not giving up.”

For Azimi, the mountains are a reminder of one panic-stricken moment. As she was evacuated from Afghanistan, she looked out the airplane window, saw the peaks below and realized she was leaving her homeland, perhaps forever. For an instant, she said, she struggled to breathe.

The colorful, enigmatic painting seems to invite interpretation.

“I loved seeing their art. It’s intriguing,” said Merdi Mambueni, 14. In October, Mambueni was one of 12 ninth graders from Burlington High School who participated in an artist residency program with ArtLords, funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. For three days, the BHS students learned about ArtLords’ collaborative methods and design techniques. The artists taught them how to blend paints, work with brushes and make their images look more realistic.

The students then broke into three groups and created paintings of their own based on the suggested themes of women’s empowerment, self-love and the future. Those canvases, which will be displayed at the BCA Center from January 24 to February 1, will eventually hang in Burlington High School’s temporary campus in the former Macy’s.

“I think their work is so deeply meaningful and layered and champions education, which feels like such a natural fit for students,” BHS teacher Jory Hearst said of ArtLords.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, Hearst noted. One canvas didn’t turn out the way the group wanted, so the students painted over it. Another was colored darker than the students intended. Nevertheless, the students took pride in their work, Hearst said, and wanted to bring something back to the school that was not only attractive but conveyed a hopeful message to their fellow students.

“A lot of [art] students ... don’t know what to do with their skills, to find work in their field of study,” Elhan said. ArtLords’ school residencies “can teach them this is a way [to make] a living and do something they love.”

Mambueni, who used to draw a lot when he was younger but put it aside, said working with ArtLords rekindled his interest in art. “Other people should get to experience this,” he said.

The ArtLords have done similar educational work in southern Vermont.

The Brattleboro Museum hired them to participate in an art therapy series with refugees who came to Brattleboro from Congo, Syria, Yemen and Eritrea. Working with professional therapists, ArtLords ran six sessions with about 30 immigrant children and their families. Together, they made paintings that explored the theme of leaving their homelands.

Last year, ArtLords partnered with the nonprofit Epsilon Spires on two screenings of Afghan movies. The first was The Breadwinner, a 2017 animated film about an 11-year-old girl from Kabul who cuts her hair and dresses like a boy in order to support her family after her father is arrested by the Taliban. The second was Flee, a 2021 animated documentary about a gay Afghan man who escaped to Denmark as a refugee. Both screenings were followed by a traditional Afghan meal.

“It’s been wonderful to see the community embrace them and their art,” said Jamie Mohr, Epsilon Spires’ founder and executive director, about the Afghan muralists. By the end of the immersive experience, “people were exchanging numbers.”

AN UNKNOWN FUTURE

Like many Vermont artists, the ArtLords cobble together other jobs to make ends meet. Nadem, who is still honing her English skills, is employed at Against the Grain Gourmet, a Brattleboro factory that bakes gluten- and grain-free pizzas, breads and desserts. Speaking on her behalf, her friends said she’d like to one day study diplomacy and international relations.

Azimi’s sister Marwa Safa, 22, is studying accounting. Azimi and Elhan work part time at the Ethiopian Community Development Council and the Brattleboro Museum, helping with events and installations, monitoring the collection, and working the front desk. Only Kiziltan, who grew up in the Brattleboro area, works full time as a designer and graphic artist.

“Of all the teams I have, the team in Vermont is really thriving, because ... the community welcomed them,” said ArtLords cofounder Sharifi, who noted that its members elsewhere in the U.S.

drive for Uber and work at Walmart.

“These people [in Brattleboro] are doing art, and I’m really proud of them.”

But whether art will play a role in their future is unknown.

“Everyone will have their own journey,” Elhan said. “Definitely for me it’s art, and it will be art forever.”

Azimi has not given up on a different childhood dream.

“I wanted to go to law school and become a judge … with the power to change things in my country,” she said. Instead, based on her college entrance exam scores, the Afghan educational system randomly assigned her to art school.

ArtLords in front of their BCA artwork

Negina Azimi painting “The Unseen Afghanistan” in 2021

“Passages of Resilience From Kabul to New Horizons” at the BCA Center in Burlington

art educates and creates empathy, and empathy leads to change.

She still hopes to go to law school someday, though she expressed no regrets about her artistic journey. She recalled the joy she felt in September upon visiting the United Nations and finally seeing the ArtLords mural she helped paint, the one that conveyed so much hope about her country’s future.

Her joy has been tempered by current events in Afghanistan. The day we met, news had broken that the Taliban had imposed yet another draconian edict, this one barring women from praying or reciting the Koran aloud in public.

and

Thus far, Vermont’s ArtLords haven’t addressed human rights in the U.S. through their murals. Though they have followed this country’s shifting political landscape for women and minorities, they declined to speak about it publicly, in part because of their vulnerability as recent immigrants. Mostly, their art reflects their newfound freedoms — and those still unrealized for their fellow Afghans back at home.

“Every day is a new law, a new restriction on women in my country,” Azimi lamented. “I’m carrying lots of responsibilities, not only for myself to just start a new life here and be free, but to be a voice for people who cannot have one.” ➆

INFO

“Passages: Identity, Memory, and Transformation” is on view at BCA Center in Burlington through February 1. Learn more at burlingtoncityarts.org and artlords.co.

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THURS • JAN 16 • 7PM WITH PANEL JAN. 24-JAN 29

SPECIAL SCREENING

THURSDAY, JAN 16 • 7PM PANEL

Film will also be showing at Essex Cinema from Jan. 24-29!

NEGINA AZIMI

Afghan men

boys who helped paint an ArtLords mural

food+drink

Majestic Meetup

Industry veterans open a neighborhood bar and casual eatery in Burlington’s South End BY MELISSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

There are a few things you should know before heading to Majestic café and bar, which opened Thanksgiving week on the rotary in Burlington’s South End, across from Christ the King School:

No. 1: The small restaurant is open all ﬁve weeknights but not Saturday or Sunday.

No. 2: Those who drive there, please, for the love of whatever higher power you believe in, ignore the mapping apps and enter the compact parking lot from Ledge Road, not directly o the rotary, heading the wrong way into the one-way exit. On a recent visit, I watched several drivers slow rotary tra c to make a tight, angled turn into Majestic’s narrow parking exit, risking simultaneous rear-end and frontend crashes.

FOOD LOVER?

No. 3: If Majestic’s early weeks are any indication, be prepared to wait to eat, unless you arrive close to the 4 p.m. opening time or after about 8:30 p.m. The 25-seat eatery does not take reservations, nor does it have a website or phone number to inform you that it does not take reservations. Sta will serve you drinks while you wait, though.

These cautionary notes aside, once you park safely and land a seat, Majestic is an easy place to enjoy. The convivial atmosphere evokes a relaxed, lively dinner party at a friend’s house — assuming that friend is a very good cook with a well-stocked bar, a deep vinyl library and a thoughtful but not snooty wine collection.

Settle in with a smoky, tart Everything’s Fine mezcal margarita ($13) and a plate of slightly funky Crema Alpina cheese ($10) from the Berkshires, served with marinated local mushrooms, a bright parsley and celery salad, and a hunk of Tremolo Bread baked in the Old North End. Share a golden beet salad ($8) with ginger-maple vinaigrette and a little dish of tender, ricotta-enriched meatballs ($12) in tomato-fennel sauce with house-baked focaccia. Sip a glass of skin-contact Sicilian zibibbo ($10) from the wine list curated by downtown Burlington’s Wilder Wines.

As your cocktail’s name suggests, everything is indeed fine down at Majestic.

The new bar and restaurant is a partnership of seasoned Burlington industry professionals Maura O’Sullivan, 58, and Sam Tolstoi, 38. O’Sullivan was kitchen manager for 16 years at Penny Cluse Café until it closed in 2022. The career chef previously led the culinary team at Burlington’s Smokejacks, a trailblazer in Vermont’s farm-to-table movement that ended its run in 2008.

Tolstoi started as a prep cook at Manhattan Pizza & Pub as a 19-yearold University of Vermont student. He later co-owned the downtown Burlington fixture for a decade before selling his share in 2022. (The bar, which was brieﬂy rebranded as Rincon Pizzeria and Tapas Bar in the fall, has reopened under

Clockwise from bottom left: Smoked salmon, meatballs, savory tart, cheese plate, golden beet salad and drinks at Majestic

Sam Tolstoi and Maura O’Sullivan

SIDEdishes

Crumbs: Queen City Café Shutters, City Market Downtown Café Temporarily Closes, El Comal Opens, Mad River Distillers Adds a Tasting Room

Burlington’s QUEEN CITY CAFÉ will close after service on Saturday, January 11. Chef-owner SEAN RICHARDS announced the news on social media last weekend, noting that the business will be open this week with regular hours, Wednesday through Sunday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Richards opened the café in the former Myer’s Bagels spot behind Barge Canal Market on April 4. He built a following for his Southern-influenced fare — especially his flaky, wood-fired biscuits — while battling construction on Pine Street throughout the spring and summer.

“It’s been great to serve this town,” the post read. “Come down for one last biscuit before we go.”

On Monday afternoon, CITY MARKET, ONION RIVER CO-OP announced the temporary closure of the café at its downtown Burlington location. The email sent to co-op members cited “a continued number of safety and security issues.” It did not share a timeline for reopening but said City Market would “take the time to reassess the space and reopen it when we feel that it is safe.”

Sean Richards of Queen City Café

City Market, Onion River Co-op

Majestic Meetup

new ownership and is undergoing renovations.) Tolstoi is also a hands-off partner in Burlington’s Muddy Waters.

O’Sullivan and Tolstoi had known each other for years. When they found themselves looking for a new project at around the same time, they decided to join forces. “We both came from high-volume, fastpaced restaurants and wanted to do something on our own terms,” Tolstoi told Seven Days last January. Among those terms was their eventual and unusual decision not to open on weekends, seeking a better worklife balance for themselves and their staff.

In late 2023, Tolstoi bought the former Majestic Car Rental building on the rotary and launched the major makeover required to turn it into a restaurant. A planned spring 2024 opening had to be pushed to late November due to construction and permitting delays, he said.

The spot’s name came naturally, the pair said. During months of building and planning, their refrain became “Let’s meet at Majestic.” The co-owners hope that becomes their customers’ mantra, too.

O’Sullivan said they aimed to create not a food or drink destination per se but a welcoming “local hang where people can come to be with each other.”

Her business partner, who lives just a couple of blocks from Majestic, said, “This neighborhood needed something.” Tolstoi’s neighbors — and many others — are proving him correct.

Among Majestic’s early fans is Justin Kuzma, who lives with his family about a mile from the restaurant in Burlington’s South End. Kuzma said he watched the construction in the high-profile rotary location with interest and followed Majestic’s Instagram (its only online presence) for updates.

So far, Kuzma said, he’s visited the restaurant twice: with his wife and then with his sister, his wife and the couple’s almost 4-year-old son, who was tickled when the server satisfied his request for a whole apple he’d spied in a kitchen prep bowl.

“We’re very excited to have a new place close by,” Kuzma said, adding that he looks forward to walking over in warmer weather. “It has that nice, cozy home feel, a neighborhood place.”

O’Sullivan and Tolstoi are very much the personal hosts of Majestic. She stays busy in the compact open kitchen but will pop out to deliver a plate or two and say hi to the many customers she already knows, as well as those who are quickly becoming familiar faces. Tolstoi works with the

small front-of-the-house team to seat, serve and flip records from his collection on the turntable, spinning a soundtrack that ranges from Donna Summer to Fela Kuti to Neil Young.

O’Sullivan’s low-key menu fits the vibe. Her goal, she said, is to offer an array of “snacks that can be combined into meals.” The food is not fussy or overly complex, but you will be well fed.

The menu’s 10 or so shareable plates make for an affordable mix-and-match game, with choices spanning a bowl of sweet-hot chile crisp Chex mix ($6) to the salsa verde chicken drumstick served with roasted peppers and pearl couscous ($12).

For those familiar with the past 25 years of the Burlington restaurant

scene, O’Sullivan’s menu also provides a fun memory game. The salsa verde is borrowed from Penny Cluse (it’s also now on the menu at Deep City), as are the marinated mushrooms served with the Crema Alpina cheese. The beet salad’s maple-ginger vinaigrette comes from a recipe on a faded fax used in the Smokejacks kitchen, where O’Sullivan first smoked salmon, as she does now for Majestic’s classic smoked salmon plate ($8) with Ploughgate Creamery butter and dill-cucumber salad.

Other recipes were gleaned from friends, cookbooks and newspapers. The herby shrimp remoulade ($9) comes from the grandmother of Penny Cluse co-owner and current Deep City chef Charles Reeves. The beef-and-pork meatballs are

based on a New York Times classic, and the very good carrot cake ($6) is from Joy of Cooking. A satisfying wedge of flakycrusted potato and Gruyère tart ($10) graces the menu thanks to a close friend of O’Sullivan’s, James Beard Award-winning cookbook author Molly Stevens. A version of that recipe appears in One Potato, Two Potato, a 2001 book Stevens cowrote with Roy Finamore.

An accomplished home cook could probably re-create much of Majestic’s menu, but it’s so much more relaxing to have someone else do the cooking and cleanup.

Early fan Kuzma said he appreciates the “focused and affordable” menu and the interesting but not overwrought cocktails. The food is generally a few steps beyond what he and his wife would cook, he said, “but I don’t care if I could have made it at home at that price point.”

Tolstoi claimed responsibility for one edible offering, which is tucked on the spirits list among the amari. A small glass of gummy bears ($3) is a tip of the hat to Tolstoi’s tenure at Manhattan’s, where the candy was also on the menu.

The co-owner quipped that his other major contribution is naming cocktails. In honor of “the antics of the rotary,” as O’Sullivan put it, look for a drink called In Through the Out Door, coming soon to a neighborhood bar near you. ➆

INFO

Majestic, 616 S. Willard St., Burlington, @majestic_vt on Instagram

Diners at Majestic

PHOTOS: DARIA BISHOP

SIDEdishes

EL COMAL opened in Williston on January 4, almost a year after CASIMIRO DE JESÚS MARTÍNEZ and CAYETANO SANTOS announced plans for their restaurant serving scratch-made, Oaxacan-style dishes. Located at 28 Taft Corners Shopping Center, it has daily hours from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.

Santos attributed the delay to the challenges of finding specialized equipment such as a mill with volcanic stones needed to grind house-nixtamalized corn for masa — the base ingredient for fresh tortillas; thick, topped tortillas called memelitas; and triangular, bean-stuffed tetelas.

MAD RIVER DISTILLERS has added a tasting room in Stowe. Located inside EDELWEISS MOUNTAIN DELI at 2251 Mountain Road, the small space highlights products from the Warren-based distillery that aren’t available in the state’s 802 Spirits stores, such as an American single malt whiskey and the 10-year-old Founders Reserve Rye Whiskey, president MIMI BUTTENHEIM told Seven Days. Mad River Distillers continues to operate its tasting room at Waitsfield’s

CONNECT

On Instagram:

Jordan Barry: @jordankbarry; Melissa Pasanen: @mpasanen.

MAD RIVER TASTE PLACE and its full-service bar in Burlington. The Edelweiss outpost, previously occupied by Essex’s BLACK FLANNEL DISTILLING, is tucked in an alcove near where customers wait for their deli orders.

“They do a lot of traffic,” Buttenheim said of the deli, “so it’s a great place to encounter visitors and people who don’t make it out of Stowe.”

Tastings are available Thursday through Sunday.

Jordan Barry & Melissa Pasanen

VT Bake House Expands From Alburgh to St. Albans

St. Albans will soon be home to a second location of VT BAKE HOUSE. The Alburgh-based bakery, pizza and sandwich shop will expand to 84 North Main Street by February, co-owner CHAD STE MARIE told Seven Days, offering breakfast and lunch to start, with delivery available.

Also called VT Bake House, the St. Albans shop will offer a similar menu to the Alburgh original, which Ste Marie and his wife, ANDREA STE MARIE, opened in 2022. They’ll add patty melts and specialty grilled cheeses to the lineup of baked goods, breakfast sandwiches, subs and Vermont retail products, but they won’t offer pizza.

“There are so many pizza places [in St. Albans], and we want to add to the

community rather than take away from businesses that are already here,” Ste Marie said.

Their St. Albans shop will have doughnuts, however, like its predecessor in the space, Hangry the Donut Bar, which closed abruptly in the fall. The Ste Maries will keep some of the doughnut-themed décor while adding seating.

Downtown St. Albans appealed to the

Ste Maries as a more accessible base for their catering and wedding operations than Alburgh, which is largely a summer town, Ste Marie said. While vending at the city’s Northwest Farmers Market, “We heard over and over, ‘Oh, we wish you were down here,’” Ste Marie said. VT Bake House’s Alburgh shop will remain as is, Ste Marie said, with the addition of Vermont beers on tap.

Jordan Barry

Mimi Buttenheim at Mad River Distillers’ new Stowe tasting room

Cayetano Santos and Casimiro De Jesús Martínez in the kitchen at El Comal

Seating at the future VT Bake House in St. Albans

PERFORMING ARTS culture

The Last Dance?

e Vermont Burlesque Festival returns, facing an uncertain future

BY HANNAH FEUER • hfeuer@sevendaysvt.com

Since 2014, Vermont has hosted a burlesque festival akin to one you might find in Las Vegas. The five-day extravaganza features performers flown in from as far as Australia, a black-tie red carpet, a charity auction to raise money for breast cancer research and workshops on the art of the tease.

But this will be the Vermont Burlesque Festival’s final year in its current form, according to executive producer Cory Royer. Attendance has dwindled, and the event is losing money. Royer said he is considering downsizing the festival or finding cheaper venues outside Burlington, where he feels that ticket buyers are deterred by downtown safety concerns.

“As much as our diehards love it, I can’t keep doing something if we’re losing money,” Royer said. “This is not a nonproﬁt.”

About 1,400 people attended last year’s fest — 400 fewer than in 2023 — which put the event a few hundred dollars in the red. This year, Royer hopes acclaimed headline performers Jessabelle Thunder and Tito Bonito will help turn things around. The festival runs from Wednesday, January 15, to Sunday, January 19, at the Barre Opera House and venues across Burlington, including the 126, Nectar’s and Hotel Champlain.

Putting on ﬁve days of programming doesn’t come cheap, and the fest has struggled with its bottom line throughout

its history. Each year’s entertainment costs roughly $70,000 to produce, Royer said. He personally finances it using money earned from his day job running a media production company, PhotoGraphic TV. Royer doesn’t take a salary and invests any profits back into his production business. While the fest’s best-attended year, 2020, generated about $16,000 in profit, Royer said he’s lost money across the event’s 11-year run.

Festival expenses include venue rentals, performance fees and ﬂights for traveling talent, advertising, insurance, and paying

musicians, tech workers, security and ushers. Royer’s partner, Karen Dorey, helps him with logistics.

Only headliners are paid, while other artists pay $40 to apply to perform. Royer acknowledged that can be a tough sell, so he provides performers with professional headshots and highdefinition photos and videos of their acts — resources he hopes will help them land paid gigs in the future.

“For me to be able to pay all 150 performers, the cost of this festival would

go up incredibly,” Royer said. “So would the ticket price, and then we would [in] no way be able to pull this o .”

Revenue comes from ticket and merchandise sales, performer registration fees, and sponsors. Ticket sales account for about 80 percent of the festival’s income, with prices varying based on the night, from free nightclub mixers to $152 staged spectacles. Sponsorships typically make up 10 to 20 percent of revenue, though Royer noted that convincing businesses to associate their brand with burlesque is no easy task. (Disclosure: Seven Days is among this year’s sponsors.)

“We’re risqué. We are an adult-themed event, and it’s not easy for, say, a bank or a credit union to put their name on an event like this,” he said. “We have an uphill battle to educate people that this is an art form, and it’s not what you ﬁnd in a strip club.”

Burlesque performers, Royer explained, theatrically undress as part of a highly choreographed routine, often incorporating storytelling, humor and satire. Unlike at a strip club, there aren’t lap dances or audience members tossing dollar bills at the stage. Typically, women make up about three-quarters of audience members at the Vermont festival.

People who have experienced a bodily change often find burlesque to be an emotional experience, Royer added, from breast cancer survivors embracing their mastectomies to transgender performers strutting their stu onstage.

“Some people find burlesque as a way to feel confident with themselves. They find it very empowering to get onstage to show, Hey, this is my body. I love it. It’s beautiful,” he said, “To watch an audience respond positively to that, that’s when tears start to flow.”

But sex appeal isn’t not part of the show.

“I love the music, the corny jokes, the profanity,” said longtime attendee Mark Hitchcox, a 64-year-old Fairfax resident. “But let’s face it: You have loads of scantily clad women shaking their tassels. What’s not to love?”

Royer, 48, grew up in Colchester and worked as a video journalist at WCAX-TV in Burlington after college. Then he moved to Las Vegas, where he joined the CBS a liate station KLAS-TV. In 2005, he started a videography company and worked on television shows such as “Guy’s Big Bite” and “Aarti Party” on Food Network. He moved back to Vermont in 2020 and lives in Winooski.

Royer was ﬁrst exposed to burlesque in 2008, when his then-girlfriend took him to a show in Los Angeles. Inspired by the performance, the couple decided to host

e Rougettes at the 2023 festival in Barre

Tito Bonito

Jessabelle under

Shout Out

When Inua Ellams introduced his one-man show Search Party in New York City last January, he informed the audience that its success depended on them. “If it is brilliant it is because of your word choices,” he told the crowd at the experimental theater festival Under the Radar, according to the New York Times, “and if it is terrible it is your fault. Collective responsibility.”

He was only half joking.

During the show, the Nigerian-born British writer and performer reads from his poems, plays, essays and art reviews. But there’s a twist: What he reads depends on the crowd. Audience members take turns shouting out words, which Ellams types into the search bar on his iPad. He then reads a piece of his writing in which the word appears.

This weekend, Hopkins Center for the Arts presents three performances of Search Party at Dartmouth College’s Theater on Currier in Hanover, N.H. Ellams, visiting for a weeklong residency at the college, likens the hourlong production to having a conversation in his living room. “Just come expecting to be open and to have a chat,” he told Seven Days.

The venue, about a block from the Hopkins Center, is well suited for an intimate exchange. It’s a temporary, 65-seat black-box theater the Hop is using while it undergoes renovations.

Ellams created Search Party in 2020 in an effort to be more egalitarian when giving poetry readings. Rather than impose his choices on an audience — “which just meant that if I was in a bad mood, I ended up choosing poems that reflected my bad mood,” he said — he invited them into the process. The call-andresponse exercise has grown into a show that changes with each performance. He’s now presented the show more than 30 times, though the Dartmouth performances mark only its third run in the U.S. Ellams, 40, has published one book of poetry and several short collections. The creator of “The Midnight Run,” a cultural walking experience staged in cities around the world, he may be best known in the U.S. for his plays Barber Shop Chronicles and The Half-God of Rainfall. Last month, he won the 2024 Alfred Fagon Award, presented for the best new

Inua

Ellams

brings

his

audience-driven performance Search Party to Dartmouth

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

play by a Black British playwright, for Once Upon a Time in Sokoto

Based in London, Ellams says he is most comfortable when traveling because he becomes an outsider looking in, a position that’s familiar to him. He immigrated to London with his family when he was 12 and grew up in England and Ireland. For most of his life, he said in a phone call from London, he has felt like he doesn’t belong. “So belonging doesn’t make me feel comfortable because I don’t know what to do with it.

JUST COME EXPECTING TO BE OPEN AND TO HAVE A CHAT.

INUA ELLAMS

“I’m restless when I’m at home,” he said. “I tend to create projects for myself, largely because I feel as if my community of immigrants is always under attack, and I have something like survivor’s guilt, because I’ve made it through.” Consequently, he’s always looking for new stories to tell and ways to harness the privilege his artistic success has brought him.

Ellams will work with Dartmouth students during his residency, despite the fact that he himself didn’t go to college. He would have liked to, he said, but he couldn’t afford it.

He was already an established writer when, just a few years after high school, he applied to the creative writing master’s

PERFORMING ARTS

program at Goldsmiths College at the University of London. A professor there was teaching Ellams’ work. If he enrolled, the professor told him, he would have to write a paper about himself. “And he advised me not to come,” Ellams said.

The University of the Arts London, which Ellams used to sneak into, awarded him an honorary doctorate two years ago.

At Dartmouth, he plans to share his creative techniques with students.

“I generally look and listen to the world for inspiration,” he said. “I listen to a lot of conversations around me. I try to steal from my fellow commuters. I overhear phone conversations, and even if it’s just a snatch, just a phrase, just a sentence, I imagine it’s part of a longer conversation with someone I don’t know and then begin to riff on the conversation and see where it leads me. So I just take from the world.

“The world is constantly vomiting up new stories, new ideas, new perspectives, new ways of thinking,” he continued. “And rather than sitting down and trying to invent stuff, I just accept what the world throws at me.” ➆

INFO

Search Party by Inua Ellams, Friday, January 10, 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, January 11, 2 and 7:30 p.m., at Theater on Currier, Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H. $18-30. hop.dartmouth.edu

Inua Ellams

In the grim pandemic nadir of September 2020, violinist Soovin Kim stepped out on an empty stage at the New England Conservatory in Boston and performed Johann Sebastian Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin. These six towering works from the late 1710s — three sonatas and three partitas — take two and a half hours to play straight through and encompass an encyclopedic range of technique and emotion. Chamber Music Northwest — the Portland, Ore., series of which Kim is co-artistic director — streamed a video recording of the concert to homebound audiences as a “gift.”

That remarkable gift is still available on YouTube, but a greater one is imminent. This weekend, Boston-based Kim, 48, will perform the Sonatas and Partitas at two concerts, one on Friday night and one on Sunday afternoon, at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington. The concerts are an off-season offering from the summertime Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Colchester, which Kim founded and co-artistic directs. They give locals a rare chance to see one of the country’s most accomplished violinists perform a set of works that the late violinist George Enescu called “the Himalayas” for violinists.

“Not many people do solo Bach concerts,” Jody Woos said. As executive director of LCCMF from 2013 to 2021, Woos recalled organizing many fundraising house concerts in which Kim played movements of a sonata or partita. Performing them all, however, is “kind of a marathon,” she said.

“Just to stand and play one of them is an accomplishment,” said cellist Edward Arron, Kim’s friend of 30 years, who regularly plays at the LCCMF and Capital City Concerts in Montpelier. “Each partita and sonata is a monument. For someone to play all six of those in two days — that is an incredible feat of violin virtuosity, of physical and mental stamina.”

Each sonata has four movements that alternate between slow and fast. The second movement of each is a fugue, in which one phrase is taken up successively by distinct voices at set intervals — something that might seem inconceivable on one instrument. The violin is naturally single-voiced, but in Bach’s hands it becomes polyphonic, Kim explained.

The partitas are generally lighter explorations of dance-music forms, each with four to seven movements that range from stately sarabandes to minuets to lively jigs, aka gigues.

The exception is Partita No. 2 in D minor, of which the fifth and final movement is the Chaconne. Bach composed the famous movement around the time of his first wife’s death in childbirth. One

Polyphonic Paradise

Violinist Soovin Kim offers a rare solo concert of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas

BY AMY LILLY • lilly@sevendaysvt.com

Yet, as the violinist observed, “we can’t play more than four notes at once. And when you’re playing multiple voices — chords — our hand is only so big; we can only extend so far.” Unlike a pianist, a violinist must often play a chord’s notes in quick succession rather than simultaneously.

The works’ complexity makes them “a heavier listen,” Kim admitted. But he advises audiences to focus on the emotion rather than the technique. “If people are aware of the difficulty, then I’m not doing my job,” he said. “It’s a bit like going to a restaurant and enjoying the food. It’s for the chef to figure out the difficulty. The people eating should have no idea how it was made.”

Bach transforms the violinist’s difficulty into graspable structures for the listener, Arron pointed out. The music is “utterly approachable,” he said, “because as one listens, one can … imagine the framework, the lines going up and down, when the music is developing and when it has returned to a familiar place.”

Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas are a constant presence in Kim’s life. As a faculty member at the New England Conservatory and visiting professor at Yale University, Kim said, “I hear some solo violin Bach most days of the year, whether it’s me or my students.” The works are peaks that every violinist must scale in training, and they must play selections at every major conservatory audition and competition — including the International Violin Competition “Premio Paganini” in Genoa, Italy, which Kim won in 1996 at the age of 20. Kim recorded the Sonatas and Partitas a decade ago, though he has yet to finetune and release the album, he said. Time brings more maturity to the performance of these pieces, said Arron, who plays Bach’s Six Suites for Solo Cello, composed around the same time as the solo violin works. “We learn them as stepping stones, technically and musically, and as we get older and wiser, we continue to find deeper meaning in these pieces.”

hundred and fifty years after its composition, Johannes Brahms marveled of the 15-minute piece, “The Chaconne is for me one of the most wonderful, incomprehensible pieces of music. On a single staff, for a small instrument, the man writes a whole world of the deepest thoughts and the most powerful feelings.”

For Kim, the Sonatas and Partitas are “profound,” and the Chaconne particularly so. Not only is it acknowledged as Bach’s

greatest composition, he said, but “there are probably composers who would say it’s the greatest thing ever written, because on top of the content — life, death, heaven, earth, the afterlife — it’s done on one violin.”

The multiple voices of Bach’s polyphony show up in a staggering variety of ways: a melody with accompaniment, movements in which every voice is equally important, places where two voices interact with a third.

Kim concurred. “They take us to the furthest corners of life experience,” he said. “I’ve played them in living rooms and on stages and in the Grand Canyon for no one: I walked down a little ways and played them. They will be some of the last music left on earth, that’s for certain.”

“They’re perfect pieces of music,” Arron added. “How many things in this world can you say are perfect?” ➆

INFO

J.S. Bach Complete Sonatas and Partitas for Solo Violin, Friday, January 10, 7:30 p.m., and Sunday, January 12, 4 p.m., at the Cathedral Church of St. Paul in Burlington. $5-49; $85 for both concerts.

Soovin Kim

The Last Dance?

a monthly burlesque show at a venue beneath the pier in Redondo Beach, Calif.

In 2014, Royer bought the logo and mailing list for the existing Las Vegas Burlesque Festival from a friend for around $3,500 and took over its operations. But the fest only netted around $2,000 in its best year, and Royer was forced to shut it down about five years later.

Also in 2014, while visiting his home state for the holidays, Royer hosted a one-night event at Higher Ground in South Burlington — the seed of what would become the Vermont Burlesque Festival. He thought a burlesque festival would have less competition in Vermont than in Vegas and thus have more success.

uneasy. Yes, there’s too many shootings.’ ... It was very clear that that’s why people weren’t coming.”

To help attendees feel safer, he had festival security monitor the nearby parking garage during the downtown showcase performance and walk them to their cars at the end of the night. Still, the show had unsold tickets.

“For a team to work on this for eightish months and then to not get paid, or only to get paid a couple of dollars — that’s tough,” Royer said. “And if there’s a loss in income, it comes out of my pocket.”

WE HAVE AN UPHILL BATTLE TO EDUCATE PEOPLE THAT THIS IS AN ART FORM.

CORY ROYER BUSINESS

The Vermont version quickly outgrew its initial venue, expanding to the Barre Opera House in 2015 and later staging performances at ArtsRiot and the Flynn in Burlington. The fest became mildly profitable in 2018, making $1,600. Attendance peaked in 2020 but has dwindled in the years since. The 2021 festival was virtual, due to COVID-19.

While last year’s performance at the Barre Opera House, which seats 645, sold out, Royer attributes the festival’s downturn to public safety issues in Burlington. In a Facebook post last year, he asked followers if downtown Burlington safety concerns were preventing them from buying tickets. According to Royer, “Within hours, this thing had a thread of, like, 200 responses, and overwhelmingly, the answer was, ‘Yes, I don’t go downtown. Yes, my friend got their car broken into. Yes, the homeless make me

A scaled-back fest would also be a loss to performers, such as Kitty Kin-Evil, an Ottawa resident who has performed at the Vermont Burlesque Festival since its inception. Performing burlesque is her full-time job, and festivals like Vermont’s are important gigs.

“At this point, it’s almost like a small family reunion — I’ve done it for so many years,” she said. “I have a fan base there. People look forward to seeing me, and I look forward to seeing them.”

Royer said his love of burlesque has enabled him to endure years of losing money or barely breaking even. But eventually, it makes sense to walk away.

“I would prefer not to move it out of downtown. But I need the support of sponsors and ticket holders,” he said. “I can’t hold this ship up on my own.” ➆

INFO

Vermont Burlesque Festival, Wednesday through Sunday, January 15 through 19, at various locations in Burlington and Barre. Various prices. vermontburlesquefestival.com

Waterbury Coworking and Retail Space to Open in March

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

Waterbury will soon have its first coworking space and creative retail hub, called TREEHOUSE, in the historic village. Like the new business’ name implies, the site has been hiding in plain sight for years, is perched above downtown, and will focus on creativity, imagination and playfulness.

TREEHOUSE is a venture by Joseph Pensak, co-owner of the Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall and Waterbury Studios. Set to open in March, it will offer a mix of coworking stations, studio offices for lease, and retail space that includes a new and used record store, a used bookshop, and a spot to buy sandwiches and coffee.

About eight months ago, Pensak was working at the Phoenix when Jeffrey Larkin, who owns several buildings in Waterbury Village, approached him about checking out some commercial property that had sat vacant for five years. Larkin told Pensak that he was impressed with the Phoenix, which opened on Stowe Street in 2023 and quickly became a community hub for music, art and events.

When Pensak toured the nearly 4,000-square-foot upstairs space, he was floored. Though it doesn’t look like much from the street, the inside features high, vaulted ceilings and skylights, which provide abundant natural light. Located at the top of Elm Street above McGillicuddy’s Irish Pub and adjacent to Vermont Beer Collective, TREEHOUSE is surrounded by Prohibition Pig, Hen of the Wood, Blackback Pub and the Reservoir Restaurant & Tap Room.

“This is the best location you can possibly imagine in Waterbury,” Pensak said. “You’re right in the middle of everything.”

Choosing a name for the new venture was a no-brainer, he said. Miraculously, a business search of the Vermont Secretary of State’s Office website revealed that “treehouse” was still available.

“A treehouse is a magical space,” Pensak said. “What a great name for a space where people can work, dream and come up with new ideas.”

The entire space has been freshly painted and outfitted with new floors and high-end gallery lighting. One side of the business will offer coworking spaces,

similar to those at Hula in Burlington. It will feature hot desks, Wi-Fi with high-speed internet, and privacy booths for video and phone calls. One of the bathrooms has a shower so that commuters can run or bike to work and then wash up before their workday. Plus, there will be discounts on grab-and-go sandwiches and gourmet coffee; the details are still in the works.

“I just really miss having good coffee in town,” Pensak said, referring to PK Coffee, which closed two years ago.

The other side of the business will feature a second location for Autumn Records of Winooski, owned and operated by Greg Davis, and Treehouse Used Books, which Pensak likened to Crow Bookshop in Burlington.

“We’re encouraging people in Waterbury to buy their new books from Katya [d’Angelo, co-owner of Bridgeside Books],” he added. “And when you’re done reading them, come over and we’ll potentially buy them from you.”

For the eight dedicated offices, Pensak has already confirmed two tenants: Willow Tree Journeys, a studio for private yoga and Reiki sessions run by Hillary Lindsay; and Matt LaRocca, a musician, composer and senior lecturer at the University of Vermont, who often performs at the Phoenix. Pensak envisions the rest of the studios being occupied by artists, architects, graphic designers, or Chittenden County professionals or retailers looking to expand into Waterbury.

Calling TREEHOUSE his “dream project,” Pensak plans to relocate his own offices there and will curate all the artwork in the building.

One condition: His business loan from Northfield Savings Bank is contingent upon him getting letters of intent from prospective tenants by January 15. ➆

INFO

TREEHOUSE will open in March at 1 Elm St., Waterbury. Follow @treehouse________ on Instagram for updates. Prospective tenants can contact Joseph Pensak at joseph@thephoenixvt.com for tours of the space.

Joseph Pensak at the Phoenix Gallery & Music Hall

The 2023 festival in Burlington

on screen

REVIEW

Robert Eggers’ Nosferatu has to be one of the least likely “Christmas movies” ever. Released on December 25, it’s even set in the holiday season, but you may agree that this stunning remake of F.W. Murnau’s silent horror classic is more suited to the bleakness of January.

Since the movie’s release, online discourse has come thick and fast, with some viewers shocked to learn that Nosferatu is a “rip-o of Dracula.” Indeed, Murnau’s 1922 version was an unauthorized adaptation of the 1897 novel, and Bram Stoker’s widow took legal action that nearly led to the destruction of all prints of the foundational expressionist film. Today, the various versions of Nosferatu stand as evidence that no story is too familiar when you tell it in a bold, new style.

The deal

In 1838 Germany, real estate agent Thomas Hutter (Nicholas Hoult) is eager to get a promotion so he can provide for his wife, Ellen (Lily-Rose Depp). Little does he know that his ethereal new bride forged an otherworldly bond in her youth with a creature of darkness.

Thomas’ employer, Herr Knock (Simon McBurney), sends him on a lengthy errand to Transylvania to ﬁnalize the sale of an estate in their city to the reclusive Count Orlok (Bill Skarsgård). When Thomas arrives, the villagers warn him frantically away from the Count’s castle, but being a go-getter with no access to Google Translate, he persists.

Meanwhile, back at home, Herr Knock is arrested for disturbing behavior, and Ellen begins having seizures that even her staid 19th-century doctor (Ralph Ineson) ﬁnds hard to dismiss as hysteria. He calls on the help of an old friend, Albin Eberhart von Franz (Willem Dafoe), a controversial Swiss scholar who believes in the spirit world.

But Orlok is a go-getter, too, and his plans to relocate to Ellen’s seemingly safe home city are already in motion.

Will you like it?

Eggers has been obsessed with the original Nosferatu since his teens, he told IndieWire in 2016, and even directed a high school play based on Murnau’s film. In that interview, soon after the success of his ﬁrst feature, The Witch, Eggers said it felt “ugly and blasphemous and egomaniacal and disgusting” for him to take on the classic so early in his career. But eight years later (after The Lighthouse and The Northman), the ﬁlmmaker’s love for the original and for the Victorian vampire mythos shines through in every carefully wrought frame. These days, when gothic has become “goth” and its insignia can be purchased at any Hot Topic, it’s easy to forget that the genre was born from late-18th-century sexual and political repression and their discontents. Eggers hasn’t forgotten. His depiction of early industrial Germany is dark, smoky and claustrophobia-inducing, as ominous in its own way as the dreamlike landscape of Orlok’s ruined castle. His screenplay is pungent with phrasing

suggestive of a period novel: Knock calls Ellen a “nonpareil of beauty,” while von Franz tries to convince his skeptical friends that “We have been blinded by the gaseous light of science.”

This Nosferatu is revisionist in the degree of agency it gives Ellen, essentially making her a tragic protagonist. In this vampire and possession story in one, the wilting “victim” must save herself — and everyone else — after the men fail to accomplish much with their vaunted strength and rationality. Only the eccentric professor (a juicy performance from Dafoe) recognizes her powers, though he opines that they place her in the “lower animal orders.” The movie is full of scenes of gender and domestic ideals unraveling, with the fate of the family that hosts Ellen arousing particular pathos.

At the same time, however, Nosferatu deﬁes modern expectations by taking us back to the days when bloodsuckers were hideous ghouls. Not only is Skarsgård’s Orlok not sparkly, but he’s the most physically and morally disgusting rendition of the monster yet. He lacks even old world manners, bullying and pulling rank on poor Thomas before proceeding to snack on his blood.

The movie doesn’t romanticize dark appetites, living corpses or aristocratic entitlement. Yet Ellen’s attraction to Orlok is undeniable. With her light-devouring eyes and perma-scowl, Depp makes us believe in the anarchic shadow self within. What modern viewers ﬁnd most upsetting in this Nosferatu, I think, is the suggestion that natural and even innocent desires

— Ellen initially summons Orlok as a hormonally charged adolescent — can lead down terrifying paths. The story hinges on a sex-and-death pairing that we may not be prepared to sit with these days, even though it’s familiar from fairy tales.

From its desaturated dreamscapes to its deft use of shadows (paying homage to the original) to its lush evocations of 19th-century prosperity, Eggers’ Nosferatu is a fully realized world that lures us inside. Horror fans may be split over whether the movie is too languid to terrify. But for those who fall under its spell, the dread is lasting.

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY…

NOSFERATU: A SYMPHONY OF HORROR (1922; Crackle, Philo, PLEX, Pluto TV, Prime Video, Roku Channel, Sling TV, Tubi, rentable): Various cuts of Murnau’s original are easy to find, but beware of colorization. Kino Lorber has a rentable restored version.

NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE (1979; Crackle, Peacock, Philo, PLEX, Prime Video, Roku Channel, Sling TV, Tubi, rentable): Klaus Kinski plays a politer and even rather wistful count in Werner Herzog’s take on the story.

SHADOW OF THE VAMPIRE (2000; rentable): Dafoe goes way back with Murnau’s Nosferatu. In this fantastical drama about the film’s making, he plays star Max Schreck — who has a dark secret.

Willem Dafoe and Lily-Rose Depp play mortals facing an undead menace in the revived classic.

NEW IN THEATERS

ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT: Two working women sharing an apartment grapple with the problems of traditional and rule-breaking romance in this acclaimed Indian film directed by Payal Kapadia and starring Kani Kusruti and Divya Prabha. (118 min, NR. Catamount, Savoy)

DEN OF THIEVES 2: PANTERA: Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr. star in this sequel to the 2018 heist film, set in Europe and directed by Christian Gudegast. (144 min, R. Essex, Majestic)

THE LAST SHOWGIRL: Pamela Anderson scored a Golden Globe nomination for her turn as a performer facing the end of her long-running Vegas act in this drama from Gia Coppola. (89 min, R. Essex, Majestic)

QUEER: Daniel Craig plays a lonely American in midcentury Mexico City in this romantic drama based on a William S. Burroughs novella and directed by Luca Guadagnino (Call Me by Your Name). (136 min, R. Playhouse)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

BABYGIRLHHHH A CEO (Nicole Kidman) embarks on a risky affair with an intern (Harris Dickinson) in this erotic thriller from Halina Reijn (Bodies Bodies Bodies). (114 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Savoy)

A COMPLETE UNKNOWNHHH Timothée Chalamet plays the young Bob Dylan in James Mangold’s biopic, also starring Monica Barbaro and Elle Fanning. (141 min, R. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Playhouse, Star, Stowe)

THE FIRE INSIDEHHHH Ryan Destiny plays boxer Clarissa “T-Rex” Shields, whose Olympic dreams took her far from Flint, Mich., in the feature debut from Rachel Morrison. (109 min, PG-13. Capitol)

FLOWHHHHH This Latvian animation follows the fate of a cat who must team up with other animals to survive a natural disaster. Gints Zilbalodis directed. (84 min, PG. Savoy; reviewed 12/11)

THE LORD OF THE RINGS: THE WAR OF THE ROHIRRIM: In this animated fantasy set nearly 200 years before Peter Jackson’s trilogy, the king of Rohan (voice of Brian Cox) must defend his land. Kenji Kamiyama directed. (134 min, PG-13. Welden)

MOANA 2HHH The islander heroine (voice of Auli’i Cravalho) must sail unknown seas to break a curse in the sequel to the animated Disney hit. (100 min, PG. Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic)

MUFASA: THE LION KINGHHH Disney’s follow-up to its 2019 “live-action” version of The Lion King explores the backstory of Simba’s dad, voiced by Aaron Pierre. Barry Jenkins (Moonlight) directed. (120 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Star, Welden)

NOSFERATUHHHHH Robert Eggers (The Lighthouse) offers his take on one of the foundational cinematic vampire tales, starring Lily-Rose Depp, Nicholas Hoult and Bill Skarsgård. (133 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Savoy, Star, Stowe, Welden; reviewed 1/8)

SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3HHH

Keanu Reeves voices a shadowy new enemy in another animated action-adventure based on the video game series. Jeff Fowler directed. (110 min, PG. Bijou, City Cinema, Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Star, Stowe, Welden)

WICKEDHHH1/2 Gregory Maguire’s subversive take on The Wizard of Oz becomes a musical becomes a movie starring Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande. Jon M. Chu directed. (160 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic; reviewed 11/27)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

AMERICAN GRAFFITI (Catamount, Wed 8 only) THE FARM BOY (Playhouse, Sun & Mon only)

OPEN THEATERS

(* = upcoming schedule for theater was not available at press time)

BIJOU CINEPLEX 4: 107 Portland St., Morrisville, 888-3293, bijou4.com

*CAPITOL SHOWPLACE: 93 State St., Montpelier, 229-0343, fgbtheaters.com

CATAMOUNT ARTS: 115 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 748-2600, catamountarts.org

*CITY CINEMA: 137 Waterfront Plaza, Newport, 334-2610, citycinemanewport.com

ESSEX CINEMAS & T-REX THEATER: 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com

MAJESTIC 10: 190 Boxwood St., Williston, 878-2010, majestic10.com

MARQUIS THEATER: 65 Main St., Middlebury, 388-4841, middleburymarquis.com

*PARAMOUNT TWIN CINEMA: 241 N. Main St., Barre, 479-9621, fgbtheaters.com

PLAYHOUSE MOVIE THEATRE: 11 S. Main St., Randolph, 728-4012, playhouseflicks.com

SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 229-0598, savoytheater.com

STAR THEATRE: 17 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 748-9511, stjaytheatre.com

*STOWE CINEMA 3PLEX: 454 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-4678, stowecinema.com

*WELDEN THEATRE: 104 N. Main St., St. Albans, 527-7888, weldentheatre.com

Daniel Craig and Drew Starkey in Queer

Drawing Attention

“Desire Lines” explores the medium with six diverse artists

BY ALICE DODGE •

Lots of people are scared of drawing. It’s something most of us do as kids without question, but somehow it becomes daunting as we age. Many adults readily proclaim themselves “bad at drawing,” even if they doodle through their workday; they dismiss the activity rather than ﬁnding their own way forward with it.

That discrepancy prompted Sarah Freeman and Mara Williams to ask the rather fundamental question: “Why do we draw?” In “Desire Lines,” on view through February 9 at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, the cocurators bring together six regional artists with disparate styles who share an appreciation of the medium’s physicality, process and meaning.

James Siena’s arresting works seem like doodles pushed to their natural conclusions. In “Spoolstrata,” a 22-by-31inch graphite drawing, he creates the

kind of outlined, roping squiggles — think spaghetti — that you might ﬁ nd in the margins of meeting notes or a middle school math notebook. The lines loop and cross over each other in a loose weave. The repetition and density of forms create a coherent composition, folded and draping when you step back, mesmerizingly detailed up close.

Siena carries a similar technique into “Artoptichord,” a 75-by-60-inch painting in Pepto-Bismol pink and electric blue. Here, blue lines snake across the canvas, slight variations in thickness reminiscent of ballpoint pen; Siena outlines those lines with more lines, creating a thrumming mass.

The show’s curators have made audio clips from each artist available via QR codes from the exhibition labels — a smart choice that is particularly helpful in personalizing a show in which much of the work is abstract or process-driven. In one

clip, Siena describes how, when he tried to draw a tree as a 12-year-old, he thought he needed to picture every leaf. That visual impulse is a through line for his work.

“Allelomorphs, Amended,” a second 75-by-60-inch painting, presents a pair of forms that spill down the canvas, each containing contrasting black-and-white or brown-and-beige blocky patterns. The eye easily gets overwhelmed trying to read them. Throughout Siena’s work, there’s a tension between the repetitive, patient way he makes a drawing and the all-atonce visual cacophony of looking at the ﬁnished piece.

By contrast, Dana Piazza’s drawings clearly convey his meditative process. In “Lines” 144, 146 and 166, each 41 by 29.5 inches, he uses a colored marker to create a gestural line across the paper. Then he makes another next to it, and another, eventually composing a blocky shape. The overlap where each mark meets its

neighbor creates variation; the ink is darker where he slows his hand to create a curve. Each shape’s edges are stark and deliberate — each line gets heavier and darker as it approaches the edge, lending a three-dimensional quality to the larger shape.

WHERE DANA PIAZZA’S DRAWINGS SUBTLY WHISPER, TARA GEER’S SCREAM.

Piazza talked about the clarity of knowing where the edge needs to be while he’s making the drawing — how the shape needs to end, how the lines fit together. “What I like about this approach is, it makes those decisions so crystal clear and objective,” he said. “This certainty — when I’m outside the process, it’s not there.” Where Piazza’s drawings subtly whisper, Tara Geer’s scream. Both of her large-scale works in charcoal, chalk, pastel and pencil on paper roil with energy and physicality. The curators describe Geer’s style as “muscular,” and it’s an apt term; in the 48-by-65-inch “Lumpy Island,” you can almost feel the strength and motion not just of the artist’s hand, but also of her whole arm. The abstract image looks bodily, too — bulbous organic forms meet directional, slashing marks that seem fibrous and taut. Dark areas emerge through repetition, like she’s underlining a curve or an edge that can’t be ignored. That emphasis aligns with how Geer writes and speaks about the only medium she uses. “We edit for what we find important, and drawing always sort of stands back, in that less important, possibly edited-out role,” she said. “It’s sort of in the shadow of a painting, in the shadow of a finished building — all those things are rooted in a drawing, start with a drawing, are structured by drawings, and yet the drawing is discarded.”

Geer finds commonality between drawing and other ignored or marginalized objects and subjects. She brings them to the forefront in her wall-size six-panel work “Protest.” Dark and light areas of

"Lumpy Island" by Tara Geer

repeated marks slide between abstraction and representation, some shapes resolving into fingers or hands and, seen as a whole, the palm of an upraised fist. The visceral black-and-white piece, made during the tumult of 2020, seems to nod to Pablo Picasso’s “Guernica.” It’s a drawing that, above all, resists erasure.

Nandini Chirimar’s works also address identity through memory and overlooked details, but with a delicate representational sensibility. Those of us who say we “can’t draw” may wish we could wield a pencil the way she does.

“My Mother’s Closet,” a 36-by-50-inch pencil drawing on Japanese kozo paper, lightly delineates the closet’s edges while investing all of its attention on patterned saris folded over hangers, the closet’s bar sagging under their weight. Chirimar meticulously records their patterns and textures, so much so that the silk seems floaty with a bit of a sheen. The scene, with dozens of hangers and folds, could be a still-life student’s worst nightmare, yet Chirimar’s affection and tenderness for her subject is beautifully apparent.

Smaller works depict individual textiles and accessories with equal reverence, using razor-thin lines to convey threads in the fabric. Hints of color come from watercolor or raw pigment and 23-karat gold ink; those augment, but don’t overshadow, Chirimar’s detailed observations in graphite.

Maggie Nowinski’s bold, graphic blackand-white drawings also revel in patterns, though hers are imagined rather than observed. In a few wall-based panels, she pictures stylized leaves and rocks, forms that could equally be coral or mushrooms, twisted skeins of yarn or gnarled roots. The work’s strength comes from dynamic contrasts between patterns and welldeployed white space, which get a little lost as her forms move out of her panels and into sculpture.

“Seeking Topography (Memorial Cairns)” combines cutout, abstract depictions of rocks, glued flat to a pedestal’s faces, with three-dimensional versions of the same thing. Her “wHoles” — ringlike, ruffly structures installed to climb two different archways in the gallery — are positioned as some of the most dramatic works in the show yet fall a little flat. Though they draw the eye, the sculptures aren’t as varied or as confident as the artist’s more illustrative works.

Perhaps the most unexpected approach to drawing in the show comes from Alex Callender, whose work examines histories of race, gender and capitalism. Her installation “history constructs the house that sometimes holds us” combines a set of framed drawings, in white on black paper, with a background of wallpaper patterned with images from her body of work. A second piece next to it, “sightlines, development, windowsill, statecraft, this ground is still laced with waters and the way we could tell the story of modernism is a history of organizing and resistance to it,” uses photographs, drawings and news clippings presented as a giant accordion book with cutouts to look through.

Both projects investigate the history of racialized real estate development and resistance to it. They don’t as much tell a story as point us toward one, inviting us into a space where this history is visible. It’s drawing in the form of drawing out, drawing attention, drawing your own conclusions.

Addressing the question of what drawing is, Siena related it to a different meaning — pulling or extracting, as you would draw water or draw blood. He described it as “pulling an idea out of our head and onto paper.” ➆ INFO

“Desire Lines,” on view through February 9 at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. brattleboromuseum.org

CALLS TO ARTISTS

‘ALL THAT GLITTERS’: Submissions for our New Year’s juried exhibition celebrating the radiant allure of shimmer, shine and reflective materials. Seeking one or two works per artist in any medium; applications open through January 12. Apply online at sparrowartsupply.com; $25 entry fee. Info, info@sparrowartsupply.com.

‘ALL THE FEELS’: Seeking art that evokes deep emotion for a curated group exhibition. Submissions due by midnight on Sunday, January 26; apply online at spacegalleryvt.com. The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, Burlington. $20 ($15 members) for accepted works. Info, spacegalleryvt@gmail.com.

CABARET AND SILENT AUCTION: Seeking performers of all ages and all kinds, from music to magic, for a January 18 event. Email to participate. Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, deadline January 8. Info, info@ chaffeeartcenter.org.

‘FACES IN HARMONY’: Seeking works in all media reflecting the theme of faces; artwork will be displayed concurrently with photo contest, below. Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, deadline January 10. Free. Info, info@ chaffeeartcenter.org.

PHOTO CONTEST: ‘FACES IN HARMONY’: Seeking 8-by-10-inch works on the theme by youth (12 and under), teen, amateur and professional photographers. Limit 3 per artist. Chaffee Art Center, Rutland, deadline January 18. Free, $5 per professional entry. Info, info@ chaffeeartcenter.org.

OPENINGS + RECEPTIONS

VERMONT WEAVERS GUILD: An exhibition of tapestries, blankets, table linens, rugs, scarves and whimsical pieces made by members. South Burlington Public Library Art Wall, through January 31. Info, sbplprograms@southburlingtonvt.gov.

DIANE SOPHRIN: “Chaos and Catharsis: Works on a Continuum,” works incorporating reused materials that invoke the artist’s time living and working in central Europe. The Front, Montpelier, through February 2. Info, info@thefrontvt.com.

SUSI RYAN: “Textural Terrain,” abstract landscapes made with wet-felted wool. Espresso Bueno, Barre, through February 12. Info, events@espressobueno. com.

‘FINDING HOPE WITHIN’: An exhibition of drawings, mixed-media works, crochet, poetry and narrative writing by incarcerated artists at Vermont correctional facilities. Richmond Free Library, through February 26. Info, 434-3036.

MICHELE JOHNSEN: “Symbiosis II,” landscape-inspired paintings that describe intimate spaces and sublime vistas. Presented by Studio Place Arts. AR Market, Barre, through April 5. Info, 479-7069.

‘THE GIFT OF ART’: An off-season show of works from previous exhibitions, the permanent collection and gift show. Open by appointment and for events. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, through April 12. Free with admission. Info, 434-2167.

RENÉE GREENLEE: “Blue Alchemy — At the Water’s Edge,” an exhibition of cyanotypes made by the edges of Vermont’s waterways. Reception: Thursday, January 9, 4:30-7:30 p.m.; artist remarks 6 p.m. Vermont Supreme Court Gallery, Montpelier, through March 31. Info, 279-5558.

JENN KARSON: “The Generative Tree,” an exhibition of more than 600 prints and an interactive installation exploring the intersection of artificial intelligence and ecological restoration created by the artist with the Plant Machine Design Group at the University of Vermont. Reception: Friday, January 10, 6-8 p.m.

The Phoenix, Waterbury, January 10-March 15. Info, joseph@thephoenixvt.com.

‘CONTINUING HER CRAFT: JEWELRY INSPIRED BY SUSAN M. GALLAGHER’: An exhibition honoring the legacy of the jewelry artist with pieces created by Kim Gaddes, Case Hathaway-Zepeda, Katie McCabe, Kerstin Nichols, Rosemary Orgren and Sandra Seymour. Some complete Gallagher’s unfinished work, while others are inspired by her materials, sketches and notes. Reception: Sunday, January 12, 4-6 p.m. CraftStudies Studio & School, White River Junction, through February 23. Info, 281-6804.

MIKE KAZ AND MATT HORNER: “Twists and Turns,” an exhibition by the painter and sculptor in collaboration with Keene Arts, the first in the library’s Art Exchange program. The show features a custom soundtrack via Spotify. Reception includes raffles, refreshments and a find-the-artists game for kids. Reception: Sunday, January 12, 2-4 p.m. Pierson Library, Shelburne, January 12-March 29. Free. Info, 985-5124, mhibben@ shelburnevt.org.

CHRISTIANNA BOSTLEY: “Fatal Foods,” a solo show presented as part of the artist’s senior capstone project in the Art and Design program. Reception: Wednesday, January 15, 6 p.m. McCarthy Art Gallery, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, January 13-18. Info, bcollier@smcvt.edu.

CARRIE CAOUETTE-DE LALLO: “Thresholds: Bearing Witness to Chelsea, Vermont’s Past,” an exhibition of pencil drawings of doorways and windows of homes, many of them empty, that speak to the town’s history. Reception: Thursday, January 16, 3-5 p.m. Vermont Statehouse Cafeteria, Montpelier, through January 31. Info, 279-5558.

‘ABSTRACT SQUARED’: Abstract photographs by Lisa Dimonstein, Julie Parker and Sandra Shenk based on a David Stromeyer sculpture. Reception: Saturday, January 18, 5-7 p.m. Mad River Valley Arts Gallery, Waitsfield, through February 28. Free. Info, 496-6682.

ART EVENTS

SOCIAL SUNDAY: An opportunity for children and caregivers to stop in and complete a 15- to 30-minute activity during the two-hour workshop. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, Sunday. January 12, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

WINTER WATERCOLORS WITH PAULINE NOLTE: Weekly workshops for painters of all abilities; no experience necessary. Register via email. Waterbury Public Library, Tuesday, January 14, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOPS FOR ARTISTS: A selection of free online and in-person workshops addressing the most urgent needs, challenges and opportunities facing artists in New England, presented by Assets for Artists in partnership with the Vermont Arts Council. Register online at assetsforartists.org. Vermont Arts Council, Montpelier, through January 28. Info, assetsforartists@ massmoca.org. ➆

Top: "Artoptichord" by James Siena

Bottom: Works by Maggie Nowinski

No Gray Areas: ‘Winter Color’ Brings Invented Worlds to

Kishka

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

Can invented worlds share common ground? ey do in “Winter Color,” a bright and vibrant show on view through February 15 at Kishka Gallery & Library in White River Junction. Cocurators Ben Finer and Bevan Dunbar have brought together a handful of pieces from three artists who create their own distinct visual languages yet whose aesthetics and techniques share a close conversation.

Jess Johnson is known for her trippy, sci-ﬁ-inspired imagery, which starts out in her drawings and gouache paintings and has made its way into major installations, videos, fashion and virtual reality simulations. Imagine a 1970s Samuel Delany space orgy that takes place inside a Minecraft simulation of an M.C. Escher drawing, and you’re nearly there.

Elements in her work include snakes and worms, stylized bodies in all hues, gaping faces without noses,

circuits and tubes, and third eyes. ere’s a voracious quantity of pattern, details piled on details to create something immersive and enigmatic. It’s not surprising that Johnson has projected her imagery as video in planetarium-style dome screenings; it’s very surprising that, with the help of her mom, she has made it into quilts.

Two of those, “Flesh Nebula” and “Necrotic Scroll,” are on view at Kishka. Johnson lives and works in New York; her mother, Cynthia Johnson, lives in Whangarei, New Zealand, where Jess grew up. Jess combines handdrawn elements from her paintings in Photoshop and has them commercially printed on fabric. Cynthia then adds pieced borders of her own design and machinequilts the entire work.

Quilting literally gives Johnson’s imagery another dimension, one that’s tactile and real; the works read more like Tarot cards or illuminated manuscripts than video games. e addition of detail and labor lend gravitas and care to Johnson’s dizzying visual vocabulary. And the patterns that abound in the quilts play off of the other works in the show.

Edie Fake, who lives near Joshua Tree National Park in California and is known for his illustrations and graphic novels, presents three works from “Shell Game,” a series of 16-by-20-inch gouache paintings on panel. Each features an abstract pattern set off by careful line gradients that create a neon glow from afar. Fake’s bright palette — yellow and magenta but also taupe and coral, muddier colors that nonetheless seem

luminescent — is set off by black areas that suck in the light.

According to Kishka co-owner Finer, Fake uses specially formulated black paint to achieve this velvety effect. at, and the way Fake carefully stripes the edges of his panels, makes the paintings feel like artifacts from a glamorous vintage casino. His earlier work explored architecture as a way of expressing trans identity; these panels carry that forward, articulating a queer space without reference to location.

Like Fake, Jessy Park uses architecture to convey an identity where language fails. Park is a well-known artist with autism from Williamstown, Mass., who has made

her precise paintings for decades. She uses near-symmetry and geometric forms to map out a calmly ordered yet exuberantly colorful world. She often integrates pastel rainbow colors into her buildings, as in “ e Mount,” where she joyfully renders a stately old home.

A 2004 article in the Folk Art Messenger — which, like much of the writing about Park, conveys unfortunately dated attitudes about autism — talks about Park’s heightened color sensitivity and the meticulous way she mixes paints, never using a hue straight from the tube. at’s most visible in “Jail Window,” a 1981 painting that showcases Park’s facility with gradations so close they’re barely distinguishable — but highly effective in describing her worlds.

Each of these artists has created such a distinctive visual syntax for themselves that it’s remarkable to look at their larger bodies of work and ﬁnd pieces that could easily ﬁt in each others’ portfolios. In “Winter Color,” they’re speaking the same language. ➆

INFO

“Winter Color,” on view through February 15 at Kishka Gallery & Library in White River Junction. kishka.org

From left: “Necrotic Scroll” by Jess Johnson; “Shell Game #2” by Edie Fake; “Happy New Year Times Square” by Jessy Park

music+nightlife

He’s the Guitarist, I’m the Rapper: R.O.D.

and André Maquera Join Forces and Genres

Hip-hop and rock and roll are like the worst on-again, o -again couple you’ve ever met. When they’re on, sparks ﬂy and two of the 20th century’s greatest artistic movements collide and transcend. When they’re o — LIMP BIZKIT, KORN, Woodstock ’99 — well, you get the picture.

Recall when RUN-D.M.C. dusted o AEROSMITH’s corpse for a rendition of “Walk This Way” in 1986, in the process reigniting the Boston rock band’s career. Eyebrows were raised, and pearls were clutched. How could the two possibly be reconciled?! Would this be the start of a new, hybrid genre that rules all?

Mmm, not quite. By and large, when rock and rap meet in the studio, the results are pretty mixed. For every success like the 2004 collaboration of JAY-Z and LINKIN PARK, Collision Course, there are pairings no one asked for, such as BIG PUN and INCUBUS or the so-bad-youforgot-it-was-on-a-Godzilla-soundtrack duet between DIDDY and LED ZEPPELIN’s JIMMY PAGE, “Come With Me.” (Also possibly the worst “Saturday Night Live” performance of all time.)

Almost 40 years after “Walk This Way,” the debate over whether rock and rap belong together persists. Burlington rapper REAL OVA DECEIT, aka R.O.D., doesn’t understand why.

“Style isn’t everything,” R.O.D., real name ROD SENTER, told me in a phone call last week. “I don’t care if they just make beats or they’re playing a guitar. If you’re versatile — and I am — you can make it work.”

He added: “And if the song is good, it’s good, and I’m going to spit some poetry over it.”

R.O.D. should know. Last fall, he enlisted the help of St. Albans producer and guitarist ANDRÉ MAQUERA to create Hip Rock, an eight-song collection fusing Maquera’s guitar wizardry and studio nous with R.O.D.’s multifaceted ﬂow. The result is an eclectic record that leaps e ortlessly from funk to blues to rock to pop and brings out the best in both artists.

The two connected in 2020 after local producer DAVID COOPER (A2VT) recommended Maquera’s St. Albans studio, West Street Digital, to R.O.D.,

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene BY

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

who moved to Vermont from Tampa, Fla., in 2014. They hit it o and worked together on many of R.O.D.’s projects and mixtapes, but Hip Rock represents a deeper collaboration.

“I had so many Oh, fuck! moments with Rod where he would come in, listen to the track I put together and just start rapping,” said Maquera, who performed under the moniker DOCTOR A. “In all of our previous work, it was just rapping. But he’s singing a lot on this record, too.

YOU WORK HARD, FIGURE OUT HOW TO BE EFFICIENT AND ALWAYS PRIORITIZE QUALITY, AND IT WILL COME BACK TO YOU.

OVA DECEIT

He really came into his own with the melodies.”

For R.O.D., the time was right to try something di erent.

“Hip-hop right now is real stagnant,” he said. “Everyone is gravitating towards the algorithm, trying to get views and streams. So much talent gets suppressed and demonetized if you don’t play the game.”

R.O.D. has no interest in appeasing an algorithm. Even as he hired Maquera to

mix and master his work, he was aware of the producer’s background as a rock musician. Maquera is the lead guitarist for 8084, a New England band that formed in 1982 and toured for the better part of 25 years, releasing ﬁve records along the way.

As for producing hip-hop, Maquera had worked with R.O.D. and Winooski’s A2VT before, but he’d never attempted something as expansive as Hip Rock He started building the tracks, cycling through di erent styles and genres to build a diverse musical world for R.O.D. to explore.

Maquera channeled pop and West Coast funk in opening track “Mercedes,” leaving room for R.O.D. to lay down a swaggering set of verses in which he moves seamlessly between rapping and singing. “Go Funk Yourself” follows with a RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS-like funk-rock sound. “Watch Out” has a bluesy stomp that brings out R.O.D.’s southern twang. The album’s lead single, “Going for It,” could play on modern rock radio, riding a groove of crunchy, chugging guitar and R.O.D.’s in-the-pocket ﬂow. The single’s music video features the pair jamming in Maquera’s studio.

“It was deﬁnitely a little out of my comfort zone, but as a rapper, I feel I can do anything,” R.O.D. said. “And you gotta feel like that. You gotta hustle.”

And there’s no sign of R.O.D.’s hustle slowing. He’s working on a new record with Memphis rapper BLACK SMURF, as well as recording tracks with Vermont producer SKYSPLITTERINK. The live 802 hip-hop scene is picking back up, as well.

“There was a really nice underground hip-hop scene here a few years ago,” R.O.D. said. “COVID kind of killed it o , but things are ﬁnally starting to come back, and the scene is being revitalized — we’re building it back up, especially on the live front.”

This Friday, January 10, the rapper returns to St. Albans as part of GreenOut, a hip-hop showcase at the Depot featuring ELIAS GREEN, JUNI THE WICCAN and DJ DAVID CHIEF. Then R.O.D. will hop a ferry to play his ﬁrst Plattsburgh, N.Y., show, on February 8 at the West Side Ballroom as part of the Champlain Valley Amateur Arts Festival.

“The hustle is real,” R.O.D. said. “Hustle and guidance: That’s what you need. You work hard, ﬁgure out how to be e cient and always prioritize quality, and it will come back to you.”

Hip Rock by Real Ova Deceit is available now on major streaming services. ➆

André Maquera and Real Ova Deceit

On the Beat

DUSTIN BYERLY, aka MC SED ONE, is preparing for a busy 2025 ﬁlled with new music and new endeavors. But ﬁrst, he’ll pay tribute to an indispensable piece of his past.

Byerly is best known as one half of the Montpelier hip-hop duo BOOMSLANG In 2021, his Boomslang cofounder and friend, producer JOHNNY MORRIS, aka JL, died of brain cancer. Before Morris died, the two had begun work on what they knew would be their ﬁnal album, Boomslang Forever

Dubbing the project “both challenging and deeply rewarding,” Byerly announced in December that the record is ﬁnished and will drop in early 2025. “This album was a labor of love, made even more poignant by the absence of Johnny,” Byerly wrote in an email to Seven Days

Funded by a Creation Grant from the Vermont Arts Council, Boomslang Forever features a bevy of local collaborators, including SARA GRACE, ROBINSON MORSE, MIRIAM BERNARDO and KONFLIK, as well as usual Boomslang guests DJ KANGA, PRO KNOWS MUSIC and MC BLOOM.

Byerly’s new band is also ramping up in the new year. SELECT SOUND SYSTEM, a fusion of live reggae and hip-hop featuring BEN DUNHAM on bass, DAN SHARP on drums, ROB O’DEA on the keys, guitarist ZAC LIZEE and ISAIAH MAYHEW splitting vocal duties with Byerly, will drop a debut EP this Saturday, January 11. The group celebrates the record with a release show that same day at Bent Nails Bistro in Montpelier.

I was a little bummed when Montpelier’s TRANSITORY SYMPHONY called it quits last year. One of the quirkier bands in a state chock-full of quirky

projects, Transitory Symphony was a sort of Americana-meets-psych rock project that featured the delightfully weird songwriting of singer and guitarist JIM HELTZ

Heltz is back with his new project, the HELTZ FAMILY PLAYERS, which includes his son PATRICK HELTZ on keys and Jim’s brother DAN HELTZ on the drums. They’ve released their ﬁrst single, “Welcome to Kirkland,” a song that Heltz says is about America’s love of consuming, particularly at big box stores. It’s as strange as Heltz’s earlier work. The song’s shifting sense of time is either the drummer just playing pretty out of pocket, or a conscious decision to represent American consumerism through a ragged and disjointed rhythm. Either way, it works! The video for the song is streaming now on YouTube.

The folks over at NEXUS ARTISTS are back and touting a new partnership with the SXM Festival. The electronic music festival, held annually in St. Martin, has a mobile version dubbed Destination SXM. The roving 10-city party has already touched down in dance-y

destinations such as Ibiza, Amsterdam and Miami. Thanks to Nexus, one of the next stops is Burlington, speciﬁcally the Lounge at Nectar’s.

On Saturday, February 1, Destination SXM brings house music legend HARRY ROMERO, producer and SXM founder JULIAN PRINCE, and Montréal DJ SINCA to town, along with local support from ELLIOTT MATOS, JUSTIN R.E.M., MITCH ALMOND and VETICA

Tickets include admission to the Vermont Electronic Music Industry Mixer pre-party, featuring DJs, champagne and hors d’oeuvres. They also enter the purchaser into a grand prize drawing to win a pair of passes to the SXM Festival in St. Martin on March 12. Visit nexusartists.com for more information. ➆

Listening In

(Spotify mix of local jams)

1. “GEMINI” by Moondogs

2. “BEST I NEVER HAD” by Eastern Mountain Time

3. “MERCEDES” by Real Ova Deceit

4. “I LIKE BEING ALONE” by the Leatherbound Books

5. “FORGOTTEN LOVERS” by Breathwork, Xander Naylor, Ethan Snyder, Pat Markley

6. “I FIGURED” by Lutalo

7. “SLEEPING ON MY OWN” by Jer Coons Scan

Harry Romero

music+nightlife

CLUB DATES

live music

WED.8

BBQ and Bluegrass (bluegrass) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Irish Trad Jam (Celtic) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Jazz Night with Ray Vega (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Jazz Sessions (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Sarah Bell (singer-songwriter) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Sugar Shack (covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

THU.9

Cooper (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free. Honeywell (funk, jam) at South Mountain Tavern, Bristol, 7 p.m. Free.

Jazz with Alex Stewart and Friends (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Kashmir (Led Zeppelin tribute) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 7 p.m. $20/$25.

Leah Rocketship (singersongwriter) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Little Oslo, the Leatherbouund Books, the Eyetraps (dream pop) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10/$12.

Night Zero (jam) at Stowe Cider, 6 p.m. $15.

Paddy Reagan Trio (instrumental) at Monkey House, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

Seth Yacovone (acoustic) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

The Soda Plant Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Vermont Jazz Trio (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

FRI.10

Cady Ternity, Rangus (indie rock) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Dave Mitchell’s Blues Revue (blues) at Red Square, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free.

Duncan MacLeod Trio (blues, rock) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

Eric George (folk) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free. Fawn, Leander (indie rock) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10/$15.

Finn Hewitt (singer-songwriter) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Find the most up-to-date info on live music, DJs, comedy and more at sevendaysvt.com/music. If you’re a talent booker or artist planning live entertainment at a bar, nightclub, café, restaurant, brewery or coffee shop, send event details to music@sevendaysvt.com or submit the info using our form at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

Slowhand

Canadian six-string wizard ARIEL POSEN was born into the life of a musician. He grew up on the road with his musician parents, Kinzey Posen and Shayla Fink, who founded the klezmer group Finjan. His folks gifted Posen his first guitar when he was just 9, and he hasn’t looked back since. He regularly pops up on lists of the world’s best guitarists and was dubbed a “modern-day guitar hero” by Rolling Stone. He seamlessly blends elements of rock, Americana, soul and R&B into his playing and songwriting, creating sophisticated, virtuoso-level tunes that are as technically breathtaking as they are catchy. Posen swings through South Burlington on Tuesday, January 14, for a seated show at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge. Folk singer IVAN GABRIEL opens.

The Harley Brown Band (rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Ira Friedman, Timothy Quigley Duo (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Jeff Wheel (jazz) at Bleu Northeast Kitchen, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Jenni & Jesse (folk) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Liz Reedy (singer-songwriter) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

The Lloyd Tyler Band (folk rock) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Mal Maïz (Latin, psych rock) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $12. Nighthawk (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Paul Webb (jazz piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5.

Reckoners (rock, soul) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $12.

The Romans (rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $10.

Rose Asteroid, Remi Russin (indie rock) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Small Talk, Oh What? Wow! (rock, funk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. $10/$15.

Tim Fitzgerald (singer-songwriter) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 7 p.m. Free. Torn, Shapethrower, Voices in Vain, Jealous Mind, Dead Solace (metal, hardcore) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 7 p.m. $15.

Dale and Darcy Band (folk) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 7 p.m. Free.

Dave O., Mike Schuster (acoustic) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7:30 p.m. Free.

The Full Cleveland (yacht rock) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10. Giovanina Bucci (singersongwriter) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Greenbush (folk) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

In the Pocket (jazz) at Bleu Northeast Kitchen, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Jake Eddy (bluegrass) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $10.

JD Tolstoi (funk) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

LACES, MAD, Paper Castles, Rachel Lindsay (indie pop, rock) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10/$15.

Left Eye Jump (blues) at Red Square, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free.

Live Music Saturdays (live music series) at Dumb Luck Pub & Grill, Hinesburg, 7 p.m. Free.

Los Songoros with Carlos Placeres (Latin) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Mitch & Devon (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

moon ppl (jazz, funk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10/$15.

Paul Webb (jazz piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Red Hot Juba (jazz, swing) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Rob & Al moe.stly Acoustic (jam) at Stowe Cider, 8 p.m. $30.

Ryan Sweezey and the Midnight Walkers (pop) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Second-Saturday Synthfest (synth) at Stage 33 Live, Bellows Falls, 6 p.m. $10.

Turning the Tide (rock, pop) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. $5.

SAT.11

Astrocat, Shabado (punk) at Despacito, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10. Be-er, Osage Orange (rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $10/$15.

The Bleeding Hearts Family Band (folk, bluegrass) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

Burning Monk, Phantom Suns, Surf Sabbath (Rage Against the Machine tribute, rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $12/$15. Cropduster (rock) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 4 p.m. $5.

Silver Tree, Gaud, Sheepskin, Lefty Parker (indie) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7:30 p.m. $10.

Thea Wren (indie pop) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Tournesol (jazz) at Shelburne Vineyard, 6 p.m. Free.

Turning the Tide (rock, pop) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 9 p.m. $5.

SUN.12

Bermuda Search Party (indie rock) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 7 p.m. $15/$20.

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m. Free.

TUE.14

Ariel Posen, Ivan Gabriel (rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $18/$22.

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

The Campfire Jack Band, Julia Randall, Dan McKeown, Scott Stevens (indie) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Gnomenclature (jam, rock) at Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, 5 p.m. Free.

Grateful Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Honky Tonk Tuesday with Wild Leek River (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10. Raybody, Lily Seabird, Emerald Ground Water (indie) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

WED.15

All Night Boogie Band (blues, R&B) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 8:30 p.m. $5.

BBQ and Bluegrass (bluegrass) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Dark Star Project (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

David Karl Roberts (singer-songwriter) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Jazz Night with Ray Vega (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Jazz Sessions (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free. Mihali (jam) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 7 p.m. $20/$25.

Ray, Russ, Rob and Gubb (jam) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

djs

WED.8

DJ Blaine (DJ) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 5 p.m. Free. The Mid Week Hump with DJs Fattie B and Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.9

DJ Blaine (DJ) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 5 p.m. Free. Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.10

DJ Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$15.

DJ Jenny (DJ) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 5 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15. Latin Night with DJ JP Black (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

SAT.11

DJ A-Ra$ (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, midnight. Free.

TUE.14 // ARIEL POSEN [ROCK]

ﬁona Lou Armour, ﬁona compilation

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Experimental electro-pop artist ﬁona Lou Armour has a habit of making distorted, exaggerated hyper-pop songs. Between the 15 tracks on the Burlington artist’s latest album, ﬁona compilation, and the 75-plus to their name on SoundCloud, it’s apparent that Armour revels in the many anomalies of their aesthetic. The new album is high concept without being highbrow, and with nobody behind the mixing board to say no to the call of the wild, the result is a balls-to-the-wall set of transgressive tracks.

It’s the avant-garde sound of a virtual reality, a kind of frenzied video-game pop so extreme it verges into the realm of science fiction. Listening to Armour sparks the image of an anthropomorphic avatar journeying into a pixelated universe. I can’t help but imagine a cyclops treading through cities on fire, carrying nothing but a DAW and their fixed point of view, as if they were a part of a glitchcore version of “The Masked Singer.”

Four songs into ﬁona compilation, “There” suggests Armour’s ruminative side. It’s the album’s only even-

The Strangulators, You Can’t Unmurder Someone

(SELF-RELEASED, CASSETTE, DIGITAL, VINYL)

Joe MacAskill’s time in the Vermont music scene was relatively short. Along with his then-wife, Jaye, he moved to Burlington in 2020 from San Diego and opened a boutique called Catland Vintage in Winooski. As the musical comedy duo Pony Death Ride, the couple released the excellent unthemed that same year, which included songs such as “Ben Stiller, Movie Killer” and “Phil Collins in Retrospect.”

The couple closed Catland Vintage and divorced in 2023, leading MacCaskill to move back to San Diego the following year. But the musical connections he made in Vermont were strong.

tempered slow jam — that is, until the beat cuts out and glitchy voices shout “FIONA” with slapdash authority. Bars of dog barks get peppered over mumble-rapped hooks and bombard the album’s most referential aspect: repetitive, arpeggiated digital beeps and boops derivative of electro-pop hits from the early aughts. Later, in the opening of the track “Ran Freestyle,” the Postal Service immediately come to mind.

The songs of ﬁona compilation operate at maximum capacity while remaining bite-size — about 90 seconds long on average. Each tramples into the next without much ado, especially considering the bombastic nature of the chopped-up, ever-changing samples and anarchistic production. The result isn’t so much a collection of songs in the classic sense but imaginative, sensoryinduced interstitials that o er disﬁgured glimpses into Armour’s personal life.

Unfortunately, vocals are auto-tuned to such excess that it’s more or less impossible to decipher Armour’s lyrics. For all the eccentricities found in ﬁona compilation, this was my biggest gripe: Why put up an e ectual wall between you and the listener?

Still, there’s something innately confessional about ﬁona compilation. Throughout the album, Armour’s

Rough Francis’ Tyler Bolles and Julian Hackney on bass and guitar, respectively, along with Iggy Pop and Rough Francis drummer Urian Hackney, who engineered the album at his Burlington studio, the Box.

“You could say I punched above my weight with this record!” MacAskill told San Diego-based culture website the SceneSD. “I brought in my little songs, and [Rough Francis] turned it into the punk album it is.”

Released in November, You Can’t Unmurder Someone isn’t just MacAskill’s tribute to his time in the Green Mountains but also to his deep, abiding love of pulpy crime novels from the 1950s and ’60s. Each track on the new album is dedicated to a di erent book in his collection, which makes for some killer song titles: “Mother Finds A Body,” “The Black Leather Barbarians” and “Martinis and Murder” are just a few grisly noir tales turned into ﬁst-pumping punk anthems.

penchant for obfuscating is plain as day. But in the opening of the track “_” — the symbol for underscore — they opt for a clear spoken-word admission: “Every day / it feels like I’m waking up / getting ready for battle.” Amid the gibberish that is the rest of the album’s 20 minutes, Armour’s attempt to make a connection, however mysterious or half-baked, stands out.

If relatability is considered the Achilles’ heel for avant-garde artists, everything about these tracks — from the overblown e ects employed in their production to their vague titles, short stature and utter lack of directness — seems intentionally oblique. In this way, ﬁona compilation comes across as being 100 percent by and for Armour, to its detriment. Even more confounding, the album still feels triumphantly disconnected from the human who produced it — but maybe that’s all by design.

What’s left is the automated mumbo-jumbo interiority of Armour’s mythological counterpart stomping through a dystopian video game in the aftermath of the apocalypse. As seen through any lens but a basic one, ﬁona compilation is a glittery, harumscarum and ultimately forgiving survival game story set to the sound of hyper-pop.

ﬁona compilation is available on all major streaming services.

Before returning to California, MacCaskill wrote a noir-inspired punk album called You Can’t Unmurder Someone and recorded it with members of Burlington punk rockers Rough Francis as the Strangulators. MacCaskill’s supercharged backing band includes

The pairing of pulp and punk is as smooth as gin and vermouth. Duplicitous dames, hidden bodies, seedy cities at night … MacAskill covers it all. Lesser artists might have leaned into satire or looked for a joke in the juxtaposition — not an unreasonable expectation, given

MacAskill’s comedic background. Despite the album’s cheeky titles, the Strangulators aren’t fucking around: These songs are deadly serious.

Urian Hackney’s drumming, as powerful, emotive and sophisticated as ever, drives You Can’t Unmurder Someone. The pace never lets up, from the slick ri age of “Death Perception” to the bombastic title track that closes the album. MacAskill’s and Julian Hackney’s guitars are as distorted as the morals of the album’s protagonists, cutting through the songs like knives ﬂashed from a trench coat in a dark alleyway.

Adding to the punk aesthetic, the tracks were largely cut in one take, often only minutes after the band learned the songs. (Note to kids: Don’t try that at home. It only works when you’re as good as Rough Francis.)

While MacAskill is currently assembling a West Coast version of the band to perform live, he hopes to maintain the Strangulators’ local roots.

“I would love to return to Vermont down the road and record another record like this one,” he told the SceneSD. “And Vermont has good cheese, so why not visit?”

You Can’t Unmurder Someone is available on major streaming services and on cassette and vinyl at thestrangulators.bandcamp.com.

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

XENIA TURNER

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Malcolm Miller (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Roost.world (DJ set) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

SUN.12

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae, dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

open mics & jams

WED.8

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.9

Old Time Jam (open mic jam) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Artie (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.12

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

MON.13

Bluegrass Etc Jam (bluegrass jam) at Ottauquechee Yacht Club, Woodstock, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Despacito, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.15

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

comedy

WED.8

New Year, New Jokes (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.9

Alex Moffat (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $30.

Double Your Pleasure

Sanity Rockefeller’s Spelling Bee Rockefeller (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5/$10.

FRI.10

Alex Moffat (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $30.

Wit & Wine (comedy) at Shelburne Vineyard, 8 p.m. $10.

SAT.11

Alex Moffat (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $30.

Good Clean Fun (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 5 p.m. $5/$10.

DJ TAKA’s Friday residency at Light Club Lamp Shop in Burlington has been one of most reliable dance parties in town for years. Death, taxes and Taka spinning bangers, right? Well, for the month of January the Lamp Shop is doubling down and bringing in a second Queen City legend to man the decks every Friday. Starting weekly at 9 p.m., DJ CRAIG MITCHELL will spin a mix of body-shaking jams before Taka steps in at 11 p.m. Mitchell, who fronts the local Prince tribute Purple in addition to bring one of the most skilled and lauded DJs around, is Burlington royalty. So the combination of him and Taka on one bill makes for the hottest dance party of the new year. The monthlong residency starts this Friday, January 10.

SUN.12

Après Ski Comedy (comedy) at Tälta Lodge Bluebird, Stowe, 5-7 p.m. $10/$15.

TUE.14

Open Mic Comedy with Levi Silverstein (comedy open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.15

Annual VCC Town Hall (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Standup Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Want to memorialize a loved one?

We’re here to help. Our obituary and in memoriam services are affordable, accessible and handled with personal care.

Share your loved one’s story with the local community in Life Lines.

lifelines

FRI.10

Karaoke with DJ Big T (karaoke) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

Untapped: A Night of Drag & Burly-Q (drag) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $15.

SUN.12

Karaoke with DJ Coco Entertainment (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.13

Trivia Monday (trivia) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Monday with Top Hat Entertainment (trivia) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Brain (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.14

trivia, karaoke, etc.

WED.8

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub and Grill Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.9

Trivia (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free. Trivia Night (trivia) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Taproom Trivia (trivia) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Tuesday (trivia) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.15

Food and Beverage Trivia (trivia) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub and Grill Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. ➆

Post your obituary or in memoriam online and in print at sevendaysvt.com/lifelines Or contact us at lifelines@sevendaysvt.com or 865-1020 ext. 121.

calendar

JANUARY 8-15,

WED.8

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: Savvy businesspeople make crucial contacts at a weekly chapter meeting. BCA Center, Burlington, 11:15 a.m.1 p.m. Free. Info, 829-5066.

community

CURRENT EVENTS: Neighbors have an informal discussion about what’s in the news. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 878-4918.

crafts

GREEN MOUNTAIN CHAPTER OF THE EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD OF AMERICA: Anyone with an interest in the needle arts can bring a project to this monthly meeting. Holy Family Parish Hall, Essex Junction, 9:30 a.m.1 p.m. Free. Info, gmc.vt.ega@ gmail.com.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: A drop-in meetup welcomes knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers and other fiber artists. BYO snacks and drinks. Must Love Yarn, Shelburne, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 448-3780.

dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: ANIMAL

Dance presents an immersive week of movement workshops and showcases focused on the creative process. Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 10 a.m.-8 p.m. $25-150; preregister for workshops. Info, instinctdancefest@gmail.com.

TANGO AL CENTRO: Neighbors come solo or in groups to twist, turn and dip in a lesson and social dance session. Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7-11 p.m. Free. Info, 249-5066.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

NXT ROCKUMENTARY FILM

SERIES: ‘AMY’: This 2015 documentary uses archival footage and never-before-heard tracks to bring the life and death of Amy Winehouse into focus. Next Stage Arts, Putney, 7-9:15 p.m. $10. Info, 387-0102.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING: Neighbors join up with the nonprofit’s staff and volunteers to make a yummy meal for distribution. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

games

CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities test their skills

These community event listings are sponsored by the WaterWheel Foundation, a project of the Vermont band Phish.

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE!

All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

Listings and spotlights are written by Rebecca Driscoll Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

7-9 p.m. Free for first two sessions; $30 annual membership. Info, 247-5913.

words

2025

with instructor Robert and peers. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

CHESS TIME: Neighbors partake in the ancient game of strategy. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART

MARKET: Gift givers discover unique handmade items crafted by more than 35 Vermont artists. Brandon Artists Guild, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 247-4956.

lgbtq

QUEER WRITERS’ GROUP: LGBTQ authors meet monthly to discuss their work, write from prompts, and give each other advice and feedback. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: Audience members delight in a tribute to the Canadian artist’s extraordinary life, music and poetry. Sylvan Adams Theatre, Segal Centre for Performing Arts, Montréal, 1 & 7:30 p.m. $33-80. Info, 514-739-7944.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: Ping-Pong players swing their paddles in singles and doubles matches. Rutland Area Christian School,

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE AND ONLINE:

art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing in the On Screen section. music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/music.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

NOONTIME POETRY READING SOCIETY: Verse lovers link up to share their work, reflect and write creatively. Pierson Library, Shelburne, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5124.

BROOKE L. BLOWER: A Boston University professor shares how she reconstructed the backstories of seven Americans whose plane crashed in 1940s Lisbon for her recent novel, Americans in a World at War: Intimate Histories from the Crash of Pan Am’s Yankee Clipper. Presented by Vermont Humanities. 7-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 262-2626.

THU.9 business

GROW YOUR BUSINESS: Shelburne BNI hosts a weekly meeting for local professionals to exchange referrals and build meaningful connections. Connect Church, Shelburne, 8:30-10 a.m. Free. Info, 377-3422.

climate crisis

DR. MARK LEVINE: The Vermont Department of Health commissioner sheds light on the latest health risks and precautions due to global warming. Pierson Library, Shelburne, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5124.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR: All ages and abilities knit or crochet hats and scarves for the South Burlington Food Shelf. Materials provided. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of all experience levels get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

WOODWORKING LAB: Visionaries create a project or learn a new skill with the help of mentors and access to tools and equipment in the makerspace. Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, 5-8 p.m. $7.50. Info, 382-1012.

dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: See WED.8.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: Audience members are guided through an exploration of stunning animal worlds, from frozen snowy forests to the darkest depths of the ocean. Dealer.com 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20;

admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: Never-beforeseen footage brings audience members to the farthest reaches of the coldest, driest, windiest continent on Earth. Dealer. com 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: Andy Serkis narrates the journey of a lifetime into the realm of the world’s largest mammals and the scientists who study them. Dealer.com 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘OH, CANADA’: Paul Schrader’s 2024 drama follows Richard Gere as one of 60,000 draft evaders who fled north to avoid serving in Vietnam. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: Incredible CGI and revelations in tyrannosaur paleontology help to chronicle a remarkable discovery in the badlands of Hell Creek. Dealer. com 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: Snacks and coffee fuel bouts of a classic card game. Burlington Bridge Club, Williston, 12:30-4 p.m. $6. Info, 872-5722. WEEKLY CHESS FOR FUN: Players of all ability levels face off and learn new strategies. United Community Church, St. Johnsbury, 5:30-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, lafferty1949@gmail.com.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8.

language

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP: Semi-fluent speakers practice their skills during a conversazione with others. Best for those who can speak at least basic sentences. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

outdoors

RIDING WITH RESEARCHERS: Bird lovers join the institute’s research team out in the field as they search for raptors and attempt to trap and band hawks. See calendar spotlight. Beginning at Vermont Institute of Natural

Science, Quechee, including transport to Addison County. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. $112-125; preregister. Info, 359-5000.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See WED.8, 7:30 p.m. seminars

PEER LEADER TRAINING: The Get Healthy North Country Community Integrated Health Network hosts a virtual seminar for community members interested in helping others recognize the signs and symptoms commonly linked to chronic health conditions. 9-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 315-261-4760, ext. 239.

SHOP TALK ON WINTER

RIDING: Local Motion hosts an informative webinar for cyclers who want to ride safely this snowy season. 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 861-2700.

VERMONTERS LIVING

ZERO WASTE: Locals living low- and zero-waste lifestyles offer their unique perspectives on adopting a more sustainable way of living. 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, kmoody@cswd.net.

words

STORY JAM: Community members recount an unrehearsed five-minute true story from their lives. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 295-6688.

FRI.10 crafts

FIBER ARTS FRIDAY: Knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters chat over passion projects at this weekly meetup. Waterbury Public Library, noon-2 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: See WED.8. etc.

ALPHA FILM SERIES: Community members enjoy a meal, watch a brief video and share their perspectives on faith in an informal, friendly environment. St. John Vianney Parish Hall, South Burlington, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 864-4166.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.9.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.9.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

‘CLÉO FROM 5 TO 7’: Director Agnès Varda perfectly captures Paris in the ’60s with this masterpiece of French new wave cinema. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: Libation lovers revel in a special cocktail menu filled with holiday cheer, including gingerbread old-fashioneds and Euro-style hot chocolate. Barr Hill, Montpelier, 2-8 p.m. Free. Info, 472-8000.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.9, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

health & fitness

GUIDED MEDITATION

ONLINE: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

MINDFULNESS MEDITATION:

Community members gather for an informal session combining stimulating discussion, sharing and sitting in silence. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 1:15-2:15 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS CAN EXERCISE: Folks get their bodies moving with a low-impact program that keeps joints flexible and muscles strong. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 241- 4840.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8.

lgbtq

RPG NIGHT: Members of the LGBTQ community get together weekly for role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Everway. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

SOOVIN KIM: A violinist captivates listeners with celebrated interpretations of Johann Sebastian Bach’s transcendent sonatas and partitas. Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5-85. Info, 846-2175.

SARASA ENSEMBLE: The string quartet performs “Color Burst” — a warm and vivid program featuring rare music by 18th-century Moravian Austrian composer Pavel Vranický. Brattleboro Music Center, 7-9 p.m. $20. Info, 257-4523.

SPRUCE PEAK UNPLUGGED: DAR

WILLIAMS: A folk singer-songwriter known for her poignant lyrics and captivating melodies performs soulful songs to kickstart the New Year. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $45-55. Info, 760-4634.

tech

PHONE & TECH SUPPORT:

Perplexed patrons receive aid from library staff on a first come, first served basis. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 863-3403.

Wild Ride

At the Vermont Institute of Natural Science’s Riding With Researchers, adventurous ornithophiles embark on an unforgettable outing around Addison County. The exhilarating excursion is a rare opportunity to ride along with the center’s researchers as they track talon-ted, feathered friends — all the while learning about their identification, behavior and ecology. The Addison region is a well-known hot spot for wintering raptors, including red-tailed and rough-legged hawks, northern harriers, and even snowy owls. Throughout the journey, VINS staff aim to humanely trap and band the birds for long-term survey, providing the information necessary for ongoing research projects.

RIDING WITH RESEARCHERS

Thursday, January 9, 8 a.m.-4 p.m., beginning at Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee, including transport to Addison County. See website for future dates. $112-125; preregister. Info, 359-5000, vinsweb.org.

words

FRIENDS OF THE RUTLAND FREE LIBRARY BOOK SALE: A broad selection of used, rare and antique books goes on sale to benefit the library. Rutland Free Library, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. By donation. Info, 773-1860.

‘SEARCH PARTY’: Prompted by audience suggestions and open conversation, poet and playwright Inua Ellams digs deep into his bag of writings to generate a spontaneous performance. Theater on Currier, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7:30-9 p.m. $30. Info, 603-646-2422.

SAT.11

dance

CORNWALL CONTRA DANCE:

Dancers of all ages and abilities get their bodies moving to live tunes by Red Dog Riley, with calling by Luke Donforth. Cornwall Town Hall, 7-9:30 p.m. $5-10 sliding scale. Info, 462-3722. ‘NEW DANCES DAWNING’: The Marble Valley Dance Collective captivates audience members with vibrant and varied original choreography. Casella Theater, Vermont State University-Castleton, 4-6 p.m. $15-25; free for kids 10 and under. Info, stonevalleydancevt@ gmail.com.

SATURDAY NIGHT SWING DANCE:

Local Lindy hoppers and jitterbuggers boogie down to lively music from the jazz, big-band and contemporary eras. Bring clean shoes. North Star Community Hall, Burlington, 8-10:30 p.m. $5. Info, 864-8382. etc.

CHAUNCY JOHNSON MEETUP:

The Snow Angel Foundation founder shares his passion for snow sports, safety and the mission of the Ride Another Day campaign. K-1 Lodge, Killington, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 800-621-6867.

SINGLES MIXER: Folks enjoy a night of mingling, games and other activities while creating deeper connections. Copper at Dorset,

South Burlington, 7-10 p.m. $3035; cash bar. Info, 578-2164.

SISTERHOOD CAMPFIRE: Women and genderqueer folks gather in a safe and inclusive space to build community through journaling, storytelling, gentle music and stargazing. Leddy Park, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, sisterhoodcampfire@gmail.com.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.9.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.9.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

‘SHANGHAI EXPRESS’: Josef von Sternberg’s 1932 film noir features Marlene Dietrich as a courtesan whose reputation brings scandal to war-torn China. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 2 p.m. $6-12. Info, 660-2600.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

food & drink

BURLINGTON WINTER FARMERS

MARKET: More than 40 vendors showcase their finest fresh farm produce, meats, unique crafts and baked goods. Burlington Beer Company, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 560-5904.

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.10, noon-8 p.m.

PIES & PINTS NIGHT: Pie Empire serves up savory, flaky, meaty

treats to pair with beer brewed on-site. Simple Roots Brewing, Burlington, 5 p.m. Cost of pies; preorder. Info, 399-2658.

games

BINGO: Daubers in hand, players strive for five in a row — and cash prizes. Proceeds support the restoration efforts of St. Peter’s Historic Preservation Committee. St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Vergennes, 6-9 p.m. $5-10. Info, 877-2367.

CHESS CLUB: All ages and abilities face off and learn new strategies. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

D&D & TTRPG GROUP: Fans of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games embark on a new adventure with a rotating cast of game masters. Virtual option available. Waterbury Public Library, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

LEARN TO PLAY MAH-JONGG: Expert tile trader Pauline Nolte leads players through the Chinese and American versions of the ancient game. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8.

FAMI LY FU N

Check out these family-friendly events for parents, caregivers and kids of all ages.

• Plan ahead at sevendaysvt.com/family-fun Post your event at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

WED.8

burlington

STEAM SPACE: Kiddos in grades K to 5 explore science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics with fun and engaging activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

TODDLER TIME: Librarians bring out books, rhymes and songs specially selected for young ones 12 to 24 months. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

PLAY TIME: Little ones ages birth to 5 build with blocks and read together. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1010:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: Caregivers and kids through age 5 listen to stories, sing songs and share toys with new friends. Richmond Free Library, 10 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 434-3036.

barre/montpelier

HOMESCHOOL BOOK GROUP: Kids ages 10 to 15 who learn at home bond over books. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

upper valley

PRE-K STORY TIME: Little ones ages 3 to 5 hear a different farm-themed tale every week. Snacks included. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 9:30-11 a.m. $10-12; preregister. Info, 457-2355.

THU.9

burlington

BABY & ME CLASS: Parents and their infants ages birth to 1 explore massage, lullabies and gentle movements while discussing the struggles and joys of parenthood. Greater Burlington YMCA, 9:45-10:45 a.m. $10; free for members. Info, 862-9622.

BABY TIME: Pre-walking little ones experience a story time catered to their infant interests. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

GROW PRESCHOOL YOGA: Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga leads kids ages 2 to 5 in songs, movement and other fun activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

PRESCHOOL MUSIC WITH LINDA BASSICK: The singer and storyteller extraordinaire guides wee ones ages birth to 5 in indoor music and

movement. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

PRESCHOOL PLAY TIME: Pre-K patrons play and socialize after music time. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

STORY TIME: Little ones ages birth to 5 learn from songs, crafts and picture books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

POKÉMON CLUB: I choose you, Pikachu! Elementary and teenage fans of the franchise — and beginners, too — trade cards and play games. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME: Kids and their caregivers meet for stories, songs and bubbles. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

stowe/smuggs

WEE ONES PLAYTIME: Caregivers bring kiddos 3 and younger to a new sensory learning experience each week. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

mad river valley/ waterbury

BUSY BEES PLAYGROUP: Blocks, toys, books and songs engage little ones 24 months and younger. Waterbury Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Youngsters 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and color. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

FRI.10

chittenden county

LEGO BUILDERS: Mini makers explore and create new worlds with stackable blocks. Recommended for ages 6 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

LEGO CLUB: Budding builders create geometric structures with snap-together blocks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: Participants ages 5 and under enjoy themed science, art and nature activities. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

upper valley

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in tales, tunes and playtime. Latham Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

SAT.11

burlington

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: Wee ones ages birth to 5 explore a range of themes and rotating activities designed to promote school readiness and foster creativity. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

FLYNNZONE KIDS HOUR: MATT HAGEN:

A prolific Burlington songwriter strums guitar and sings songs combining the poetic wit of Shel Silverstein with the tone of Johnny Cash. The Flynn, Burlington, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 863-5966.

STORIES WITH GEOFF: Little patrons of the library’s satellite location enjoy a morning of stories and songs. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

CONNECTIONS & PLAY: Children with autism and other disabilities and their caregivers have fun, connect and support one another in a group setting. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 11 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 878-6956.

FIRE SAFETY STORYTIME: Fire prevention coordinator Michelle Collins reads themed books, followed by an exciting show-and-tell of her firefighting gear. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

FRENCH STORY TIME: Kids of all ages listen and learn to native speaker Romain Feuillette raconte une histoire. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

mad river valley/ waterbury

CHILDREN’S POETRY WORKSHOP: Writer Erika Nichols-Frazer leads lit-loving young folks ages 8 to 12 on a magical journey of expression through verse. Inklings Children’s Books, Waitsfield, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Info, 496-7280.

northeast kingdom

WEEE! DANCE PARTY: Little ones and their caregivers express themselves through movement at this free-wheeling DJ-driven bash. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 2-3 p.m. $5 suggested donation; preregister. Info, 533-2000.

outside vermont

COME AS YOU ARE FILM SERIES:

‘ENCANTO’: Families sing along at a sensory-friendly screening of Disney’s 2021 animated fantasy flick. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 603-448-0400.

SUN.12

burlington

CAMP EXPO: Summer camp experts share their insight and answer parents’ questions while kiddos try out activities including archery, tie-dye and STEM projects. Greater Burlington YMCA, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 862-9622.

DAD GUILD: Fathers (and parents of all genders) and their kids ages 5 and under drop in for playtime and connection. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SENSORY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY: Folks of all ages with sensory processing differences have the museum to themselves, with adjusted lights and sounds and trusty sensory backpacks. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 9-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, kvonderlinn@echovermont.org.

chittenden county

SOCIAL SUNDAYS: Families participate in fun and educational art activities with diverse mediums and themes. All supplies and instruction provided. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

barre/montpelier

GENDER CREATIVE KIDS: Trans and gender-nonconforming kiddos under 13 and their families build community and make new friends at this joyful monthly gathering. Locations vary; contact organizer for info. Various locations statewide, 2-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 865-9677.

MON.13

KIDS IN THE KITCHEN: AFTERSCHOOL RAMEN: Dietitian Joanne Heidkamp leads families in making a fun recipe from the comfort of their own homes. Hosted by Brownell Library in collaboration with Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 4-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

burlington

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Bookworms ages 2 to 5 enjoy a fun-filled reading time. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

POKÉMON CLUB: Players trade cards and enjoy activities centered on their favorite strategic game. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

STEM ADVENTURE: Hands-on, kid-friendly experiments in science, technology, engineering, arts and math spark learning and creativity for kiddos ages 6 and up. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: Little tykes ages 5 and under have a blast with songs, stories, rhymes and dancing. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

TUE.14

burlington

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with Linda. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

CRAFTYTOWN: Kiddos express their inner artist using mediums such as paint, print, collage and sculpture. Recommended for ages 6 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

LEGO FUN: Crafty kiddos build creations with colored blocks for display at the library. Children 9 and under must be accompanied by a caregiver. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

MIDDLE SCHOOL MAKERS: ARTS & CRAFTS: Students in grades 4 and up get creative with different mediums. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

STORY TIME: Youngsters ages birth to 5 enjoy a session of reading, rhyming and singing. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

TODDLER TIME: Wiggly wee ones ages 1 and up love this lively, interactive storybook experience featuring songs, rhymes and finger plays. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 9:15-9:45 & 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

STORY TIME: See THU.9.

mad river valley/ waterbury

WATERCOLOR FOR KIDS: Artist Pauline Nolte leads little painters in grades 2 to 4 in exploration and expression. Waterbury Public Library, 3-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

WED.15 burlington

STEAM SPACE: See WED.8.

TODDLER TIME: See WED.8.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: Infants and their caregivers enjoy a slow, soothing story featuring songs, rhymes and lap play. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140. GAME ON!: Kids take turns collaborating with or competing against friends using Nintendo Switch on the big screen. Caregivers must be present to supervise children below fifth grade. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140. KIDS PUZZLE SWAP: Participants leave completed kids’ puzzles (24 to 125 pieces only) in a ziplock bag with an image of the finished product, then find something new to take home. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PLAY TIME: See WED.8.

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: See WED.8.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TEEN HANGOUT: Middle and high schoolers make friends at a no-pressure meetup. Waterbury Public Library, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036. K

language

FRENCH CONVERSATION FOR ALL: Native French speaker Romain Feuillette guides an informal discussion group for all ages and abilities. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

music

DJANGO’S 10 YEARS SOBER

CELEBRATION: Local musicians Ben Koenig, Mark Greenberg, Fez Silk and Django Soulo take the stage for a special evening of unique sets. Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 6:30 p.m. $20 suggested donation. Info, djangosoulo@gmail.com.

DRAGONBOOT QUARTET: An ensemble of talented young musicians from New York City plays compelling works by Joseph Haydn, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Caroline Shaw. Waterbury Congregational Church, 3-5 p.m. $20-25. Info, 244-8354.

HARD SCRABBLE: A Vermont bluegrass band plays toe-tapping Americana tunes characterized by tight vocal harmonies and incredible instrumental solos. Vergennes Opera House, 7:30 p.m. $15. Info, 877-6737.

NORTHERN BRONZE HANDBELL

ENSEMBLE: A local handbell group performs a “Christmastide” concert, featuring beloved seasonal and classical pieces. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $15. Info, 578-6915.

THE SMACK DABS AND RHYTHM FUTURE QUARTET: Listeners revel in a jazzy double bill spanning the decades, from 1930s swing tunes to contemporary arrangements. Virtual option available. Next Stage Arts, Putney, 7:30 p.m. $10-25. Info, 387-0102.

outdoors

FULL MOON SKI PARTY: Nordic skiers traverse lighted trails, followed by live music and nourishment around the fire. Sleepy Hollow Inn, Huntington, 4-9 p.m. $13-22.50; cash bar. Info, 434-2283.

SPRUCE MOUNTAIN HIKE:

Adventurers join up with the Green Mountain Club for an easy 3.2-mile hike around the pond. Microspikes required. Call for start time. Spruce Mountain, Plainfield. Free; preregister. Info, 660-2834.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See WED.8, 7:30 p.m.

sports

THE NICK ZECCHINELLI FAMILY

INAUGURAL SHRED-A-THON: Skiers and riders hit the slopes to support Adaptive Sports Partners’ year-round programming for people with disabilities. See calendar spotlight. Jay Peak Resort, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m. $200 fundraising

minimum; preregister. Info, info@ adaptivesportspartners.org.

WINTER SWAP: Snow sports fans find new homes for gear that might otherwise sit in the garage. Skirack, Burlington, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, 658-6369.

tech

PHONE & TECH SUPPORT: See FRI.10. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington.

words

RESOLUTIONS: CREATIVE WRITING SUPPORT GROUP:

Beginning and accomplished wordsmiths alike focus on their craft and swap thoughts in an encouraging environment. Pierson Library, Shelburne, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 985-5124.

FRIENDS OF THE RUTLAND FREE LIBRARY BOOK SALE: See FRI.10. HAPPY (EARLY) BIRTHDAY

HARUKI MURAKAMI: Fans gather to celebrate the beloved Japanese writer with gluten-free cake and a staged reading of one of his short stories. Pierson Library, Shelburne, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5124.

THE POETRY EXPERIENCE:

Local wordsmith Rajnii Eddins hosts a supportive writing and sharing circle for poets of all ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

‘SEARCH PARTY’: See FRI.10, 2-3:30 & 7:30-9 p.m.

WRITE NOW!: Lit lovers of all experience levels hone their craft in a supportive and critique-free environment. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 223-3338.

SUN.12 bazaars

ANTIQUES MARKET: Vintage lovers scour unique treasures and timeless finds in a relaxed atmosphere. Canadian Club, Barre, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. $2-5. Info, 751-6138.

community

HUMAN CONNECTION CIRCLE: Neighbors share stories from their lives and forge deep bonds. Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, humanconnectioncircle@ gmail.com.

crafts

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.8, 1-3 p.m.

dance

DANCE, SING & JUMP AROUND: Traditional music enlivens an afternoon of circle and line dances taught and called by Liz Benjamin, Stan Carlson and Alice Smolinsky. Capital City Grange, Berlin, 3-4:30 p.m. $5 suggested donation; free for kids. Info, 223-1509.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

Powder to the People

The Nick Zecchinelli Family Inaugural Shred-A-Thon at Jay Peak Resort is an all-day terrain takeover in support of the work being done by Adaptive Sports Partners. Each year, the Northeast Kingdom nonprofit ensures equal opportunities for neighbors with disabilities through comprehensive outdoor programming — from biking to paddling and beyond. To shine a light on the org’s life-changing work, skiers and riders of all experience levels hit the slopes to shred until their tanks are empty. When the snowy spree concludes, participants and friends let loose at an after-party with libations, live music and prizes.

THE NICK ZECCHINELLI FAMILY INAUGURAL SHRED-A-THON

Saturday, January 11, 8:30 a.m.-6 p.m., at Jay Peak Resort. $200 fundraising minimum; preregister. Info, info@adaptivesportspartners.org, adaptivesportspartners.org.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.9.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.9.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.10, noon-7 p.m. games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.9, 1-4:30 p.m.

health & fitness

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: A YEAR TO LIVE (FULLY): Participants practice keeping joy, generosity and gratitude at the forefront of their minds. Jenna’s House, Johnson, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, mollyzapp@live.com.

NEW LEAF SANGHA

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: Newcomers and experienced meditators alike stretch their skills in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Hot Yoga Burlington, 6:30-8:15 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8.

lgbtq

CRAFT CLUB: Creative queer folks work on their knitting, crocheting and sewing projects. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

LEWIS FRANCO: A Vermont musician performs original tunes and Great American Songbook standards with guitarist Dono Schabner. Adamant Community Club, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, 454-7103.

NORTHERN BRONZE HANDBELL

ENSEMBLE: See SAT.11. College Street Congregational Church, Burlington, 3-4:30 p.m.

SOOVIN KIM: See FRI.10, 4 p.m.

UPPER VALLEY COMMUNITY

BAND: The local ensemble plays a winter concert of classical, jazz, ragtime and modern works, showcasing the power and versatility of live music. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 3 p.m. $20 suggested donation. Info, 603-448-0400.

outdoors

MT. PHILO SUNSET HIKE: Adventurers join up with the Green Mountain Club for a journey to the top just before the sun sets . Microspikes and headlamp or flashlight required. Call for start time. Mount Philo State Park, Charlotte. Free; preregister by Jan 9. Info, 413-884-5932.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See WED.8, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

words

FOOD FOR TALK BOOK CLUB:

Cooking enthusiasts gather for a chat about Colombiana: A Rediscovery of Recipes and Rituals from the Soul of Colombia by Mariana Velásquez. Fletcher Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov.

J. KEVIN GRAFFAGNINO: The historian discusses his latest book, Ira Allen: A Biography, shining new light on the politician’s prominent role in Vermont’s formative years. Leach Public

Library, Irasburg, noon. Free. Info, 754-2526.

MON.13

crafts

COLLAGE COLLECTIVE: Creatives of all experience levels cut, paste and make works of wonder. Virtual options available. Expressive Arts Burlington, 6:30-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 343-8172. FUSE BEADS CLUB: Aspiring artisans bring ideas or borrow patterns to make beaded creations. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.9.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.9.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

health & fitness

LAUGHTER YOGA: Spontaneous, joyful movement and breath promote physical and emotional health. Virtual option available. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 1:15-2:15 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8.

language

ENGLISH CONVERSATION CIRCLE:

Locals learning English as a second language gather in the Digital Lab to build vocabulary and make friends. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

GERMAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: Willkommen! Speakers of all experience levels brush up on conversational skills over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

outdoors

WINTER FULL MOON STROLL:

Adventurous folks explore the nature center’s trails, using all their senses to experience the unique sights and sounds of nighttime. Audubon Vermont, Huntington, 5:30-7 p.m. $6 suggested donation; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

talks

FEMALE FOUNDERS SPEAKERS SERIES: ECONOMIC POWER: Women learn to get, give and grow their wealth and independence through entrepreneurship. Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. $15. Info, 651-0080.

words

READ LIKE A WRITER:

Burlington-based New England Readers & Writers hosts a virtual reading group for lit lovers to chat about short stories, both contemporary and classic 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 372-1132.

SCRIPTWRITERS’ GROUP: Got a story to tell? Talented local writers swap techniques and constructive critiques. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 295-6688.

TUE.14

business

CEDRR JANUARY MIXER: Chamber and Economic Development of the Rutland Region hosts a night of

networking, food, prizes and activities. Southwestern Vermont Council on Aging, Bennington, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 773-2747.

community

CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION GROUP: Brownell Library holds a virtual roundtable for neighbors to pause and reflect on the news cycle. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

THE MOTH STORYSLAM: Local tellers of tales recount true stories in an open-mic format. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $17.50; preregister. Info, susanne@ themoth.org.

crafts

COZY CRAFTING CLUB: Hobbyists gather to hone their skills and make new friends. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-6:45 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

dance

SWING DANCE PRACTICE

SESSION: All ages and experience levels shake a leg in this friendly, casual environment designed for learning. Bring clean shoes. Champlain Club, Burlington, 7:309 p.m. Free. Info, 864-8382.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘ANIMAL KINGDOM 3D’: See THU.9.

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.9.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

‘GHOST WORLD’: Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson star as eccentric best friends in this 2001 coming-of-age dark comedy. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 540-3018.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.9.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.9.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MEDITATION: All experience levels and ages engage in the ancient Buddhist practice of clearing the mind to achieve a state of calm. First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, 5:15-6 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 862-5630. holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8. language

FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: Francophones and language learners meet pour parler la belle langue. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: Speakers hone their skills in the Romance language over bagged

Back to Bach

The Wall Street Journal hails Grammy Award-winning violinist Jennifer Koh as “a musician of immaculate control, keen intelligence and a slightly cool demeanor.” Listeners at Dartmouth College’s Rollins Chapel in Hanover, N.H., can observe that commanding style at Koh’s “Bach and Beyond” concert — also showcasing works by American composers Philip Glass and Missy Mazzoli. With more accolades than you can shake a stick at, including Musical America’s 2016 Instrumentalist of the Year, Koh pulls audience members into her forward-thinking string ethos through modern interpretations of classical compositions — and expands the contemporary violin repertoire by playing new works written specifically for her.

JENNIFER KOH

Wednesday, January 15, 8-10 p.m., at Rollins Chapel, Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H. $40. Info, 603-646-2422, hop. dartmouth.edu.

lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

seminars

PEER LEADER TRAINING: See THU.9.

TENANT SKILLS

WORKSHOP: The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity helps new and experienced renters gain a better understanding of their rights. 5-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 660-3456.

(NOT) SNOWED IN SERIES: WINTER COMMUTER WORKSHOP: Local Motion and Old Spokes Home host a seminar for folks interested in commuting by wheel or by foot this season. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 861-2700.

talks

LIZ THOMPSON & DAVID MCMATH: An ecologist and a forester shed light on Vermont’s old-growth forest characteristics, protection and management. Noon-1 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 262-3765.

words

BURLINGTON LITERATURE GROUP: Bookworms analyze Nobel laureate Saul Bellow’s novels Henderson the Rain King and Herzog over the course of nine

weeks. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@nereadersandwriters.com.

WRITING CIRCLE: Words pour out when participants explore creative expression in a low-pressure environment. Virtual option available. Pathways Vermont, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 777-8691.

WED.15

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: See WED.8.

crafts

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.8. etc.

CHAMP MASTERS TOASTMASTER CLUB: Those looking to strengthen their speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual option available. Dealer.com, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, champmasterstm@gmail.com.

food & drink

COMMUNITY COOKING: See WED.8.

games

CHESS CLUB: See WED.8.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.8.

GIRLS’ NIGHT OUT WITH BETH KRUGER: Women ages 40 and up gather for an evening focused on self-care, empowerment and balance. The Essex Resort & Spa, 5:30-8:30 p.m. $80. Info, 878-1100.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See WED.8.

language

SPANISH CONVERSATION: Fluent and beginner speakers brush up on their vocabulario with a discussion led by a Spanish teacher. Presented by Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 5-6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org.

lgbtq

SAFESPACE: PODS & POD

MAPPING WORKSHOP: A rural advocacy coordinator leads an interactive workshop on how pods can be used to form access points for safety within the community. Hosted by Pride Center of Vermont. 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, eva@ pridecentervt.org.

music

JENNIFER KOH: A violin virtuoso leads listeners on a musical journey from the timeless elegance of Johann Sebastian Bach to dazzling contemporary works in “Bach and Beyond.” See calendar spotlight. Rollins Chapel, Dartmouth College,

Hanover, N.H., 8-10 p.m. $40. Info, 603-646-2422.

seminars

SUSTAINING THE RENT WORKSHOP: The Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity helps renters develop the knowledge and skills needed to meet their housing needs. Noon-1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 660-3456.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE TENNIS CLUB: See WED.8.

talks

LISA ELVIN-STALTARI: A teacher and public speaker discusses the role of les filles du roi — young women brought over from France to boost Québec’s population in the 17th century. Hosted by the Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 922-3971.

words

DR. SHANNON MCQUEEN: A political science professor illuminates for listeners how gender can help us better understand elections. Presented by Vermont Humanities. 7-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 262-2626. NOONTIME POETRY READING SOCIETY: See WED.8. ➆

classes

THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS FOR AS LITTLE AS $16.75/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE). SUBMIT YOUR CLASS AD AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS.

craft

2025 CRAFT WORKSHOPS: In addition to regular chairmaking and jewelry workshops, this year we are hosting guest instructors who teach dry stone walling, natural dyes, broom making, Shaker boxes, plant pressing, basket weaving, bowl carving and more. Gift certiﬁcates available. e 2025 schedule is now live online!

Location: Handmade Charlotte. Info: Eric Cannizzaro, 360-5281952, ericcannizzaro.com.

ENAMELED PENDANT:

Participants will begin class with a mark-making exercise to help them develop a design for their pendant. Next, students will saw, ﬁle, sand and enamel their pendants. Finally, participants will choose from a variety of techniques to alter the surface of the enamel to create visual interest. All levels welcome. Sat., Jan. 11, 18 & 25, 9 a.m.noon. Cost: $200. Location: Studio Space, 1603 Lime Kiln Rd., Charlotte. Info: Jolynn Santiago, jolynnsantiago@gmail. com, sevendaystickets. com.

SILVER BANGLES WORKSHOP:

Participants will texture, measure, saw, ﬁle, shape, solder, form and polish a set of silver bangles that can be worn together or individually. Multiple shapes of wire and texture tools will be available to personalize each bracelet. All levels welcome. u., Jan. 9, 9 a.m.-noon. Cost: $150. Location: Studio Space, 1604 Lime Kiln Rd., Charlotte. Info: Jolynn Santiago, jolynnsantiago@gmail.com, sevendaystickets.com.

18, 2-4 p.m. Cost: $30. Location: Brand Hall, 899 Dorset St., South Burlington. Info: 307-6332, sevendaystickets.com.

culinary

“THE BASICS” CAKE DECORATING CLASS: In this workshop, we will talk through the basics of ﬁlling a cake, crumb coating a cake, working on getting nice smooth edges, various buttercream textures and some rosette piping. You’ll leave with great new techniques as well as a six-inch cake that serves 12. Tue., Jan. 21, 6-7:30 p.m. Cost: $85. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, 1 Elm St., Waterbury Village Historic District. Info: 203-4000700, sevendaystickets.com.

COOKING FOR THE CHINESE NEW YEAR: Vermont Chinese School is running a special cooking class to celebrate the upcoming Lunar New Year. We’ll be making jiaozi and sesame balls, staging a cooking demonstration and sampling of niangao, and offering an opportunity to learn basic traditional paper cutting. Sat., Jan.

FOCACCIA ART WORKSHOP: Tackle making focaccia bread dough and decorate it your own way with various herbs and veggies. You’ll go home with your own eight-inch square pan of focaccia art and the recipe to make it again on your own at home. u., Jan. 9, 6-7:30 p.m. Cost: $65. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, 1 Elm St., Waterbury Village Historic District. Info: 203-400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

dance

BURLESQUE 101: Six-week burlesque dance series introduces the art of the tease in a supportive environment. Learn to shimmy, bump and grind while discovering your unique voice. No prior dance experience is necessary. Together we will explore burlesque movements and tease concepts, culminating in a playful group choreography. Sun., Jan. 12-Feb. 16, 6-7 p.m. Cost: $12/1hour class. Location: RevolVT, 294

N. Winooski Ave. #125, Burlington. Info: Doctor Vu, 399-9804, thedoctorvu@gmail.com, greenmountaincabaret.com/ burlesqueclasses.

kids

SWIM LESSONS: e Vermont Swim School offers both youth and adult swimmers the opportunity to learn and develop aquatic skills in a nurturing and friendly environment. Lessons take place on Sundays in the University of Vermont athletic/rec complex, in the Forbush Natatorium. Group, private and semiprivate lessons offered. Cost varies. Location: Forbush Natatorium, 97 Spear St., Burlington. Info: 656-4483, campus.recreation@uvm.edu, uvmcampusrec.com/sports/ 2017/7/5/lesson-types.aspx.

language

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE WINTER

SESSION: e Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region offers French classes for adults from beginner through advanced levels. Classes begin Jan. 13, online or in person. Location: 43 King St., Burlington. Info: Marc Juneau, education@aﬂcr.org, aﬂcr.org.

JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSES: Interested in Japanese culture and/or travel to Japan? Love learning new languages? ree levels of interactive, online Japanese language classes will be offered in spring 2025, starting the week of Feb. 10. Join us for an introduction to speaking, listening, reading and writing Japanese, using everyday conversational patterns. 7-8:30 p.m. Level 1, Mon.; Level 2, Tue.; Level 3, Wed. Cost: $250/10 weekly 1.5-hour classes. Location: Zoom. Info: 825-8335, jasvlanguage@ gmail.com, jasv.org/language.

martial arts

ﬁnd resiliency, power and grace. Inclusive training, gender-neutral dressing room/bathrooms and a safe space for all. Visitors are always welcome to watch a class! Vermont’s only intensive aikido programs. Basic classes 5 days/week; introductory classes begin Jan. 14 at 6 p.m. Membership rates incl. unlimited classes 6 days/week. Contact us for info about membership rates for adults, youths & families.

Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: Benjamin Pincus, 951-8900, bpincus@burlingtonaikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

music

AIKIDO: THE WAY OF RESILIENCY: Cultivate core power, aerobic ﬁtness and resiliency. e dynamic, circular movements emphasize throws, joint locks and the development of internal energy. Join our community and

$72/person for Kids & Parents class. Location: Taiko Studio, 208 Flynn Ave., Burlington. Info: Stuart, 999-4255, classes@ burlingtontaiko.org.

sports

BIKE MECHANICS 101: Get yourself out of a jam in the woods or on the side of the road, prevent bike decay, and feel empowered to help a friend with their bike. In this six-week intro course, you’ll learn about the nuts and bolts of your ride, as well as how to ﬁx them. Wed., Jan. 15-Feb. 19, 6-8 p.m. Cost: $300. Location: Old Spokes Home, 331 North Winooski Ave., Burlington. Info: 863-4475, sevendaystickets.com

well-being

HIGH OCTAVE LIVING: is winter, work on life skills. Develop your most valuable personal strengths as you practice mindful living. Positive psychology has distilled the wisdom of the ages into a new language of human ﬂourishing. Learn the basics in this seven-week course and enjoy a richer life experience. 7 Tue. evenings starting Feb. 4, 7-9 p.m. Cost: $240; ﬂex pricing, $240 for 1, 2 or 3 persons; 7 x 2-hr. live group Zoom classes (max. 12 participants). Location: Zoom. Info: Werner John, 272-5397, werner@evolvetogether.net, evolvetogether.net.

TAIKO TUESDAYS, DJEMBE WEDNESDAYS!: Learn to drum with Stuart Paton! Session begins Jan 7. Drop-ins welcome. Tue.: Kids & Parents Taiko, 4-5:30 p.m.; Adult Intro Taiko, 5:30-7 p.m.; Accelerated Taiko, 7-8:30 p.m. Wed.: Intermediate Djembe, 5:30-7 p.m.; Beginner Djembe, 7-8:30 p.m. Drums provided. Cost: $92/4 weeks; 90-min classes;

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Linus

AGE/SEX: 2-year-old neutered male

ARRIVAL DATE: December 3, 2024

SUMMARY: Linus is a happy, energetic and loving gentleman who is ready to find his new home! He came into our care when his guardian’s lifestyle changed, and this sweet, goofy guy is sure to make a lucky adopter very happy. Linus is the very definition of a hound dog: He loves to explore the world with his super snoot, sniffing out every new scent and discovering new adventures. He’s affectionate and gentle with his people and always ready to share his happiness with anyone around him. If you’re looking for a loving companion who will keep you on your toes and fill your life with joy, come meet Linus at HSCC and see if he could be your new best friend.

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Linus is dog-social and has experience living with dog-savvy cats and children and enjoyed their company.

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 4 p.m. or Saturday from 12 to 4 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

DID YOU KNOW?

A “sniffari” walk is a great way for dogs to burn off excess energy! Dogs enjoy the freedom of getting to explore at their own pace and sniff all the wonderful smells they encounter — and it requires a lot of brainpower, which makes this activity a great option for mental exercise.

Humane Society of Chittenden County

Sponsored by:

CLASSIFIEDS

on the road

CARS/TRUCKS

2012 TOYOTA RAV4

Selling my mom’s 2012 Toyota RAV4. New tires, ready for winter. 95K miles, minor dings on the body, 4WD. $10,000/OBO. Call 917-494-6263.

2024 FORD MAVERICK

AWD XLT in terrain w/ sunroof. EcoBoost, AWD, 4K towing package. 1,600 miles. $38,150. Please have your ﬁ nancing in place. Located in southern Rutland County. Call 518-364-3786 or email jettaguy2@aol.com.

housing FOR RENT

1-BR APT. FOR RENT

HDWD w/ new carpet, new windows. Large fenced-in yard. Freshly painted. 2 enclosed porches. Basement w/ W/D, no coin op. 1 extra ofﬁ ce space or craft room. Garage. Very clean. For more info, call or text 802-355 4099 or email skyhorse205@ yahoo.com.

2-BR IN WINOOSKI

$1,800/mo. Beautiful, sunny, ultra-modern 2-BR, 2-ﬂ oors loft. Freshly painted, HDWD ﬂ oors throughout, W/D, natural gas heat, parking. NS, pets negotiable. Avail. Feb. 1. Call 802-425-2910.

CLASSIFIEDS KEY

appt. appointment

apt. apartment

BA bathroom

BR bedroom

DR dining room

DW dishwasher

HDWD hardwood

HW hot water

LR living room

NS no smoking

OBO or best offer refs. references

sec. dep. security deposit

W/D washer & dryer

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and similar Vermont statutes which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, handicap, presence of minor children in the family or receipt of public assistance, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or a discrimination. The newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate, which is in violation of the law. Our

housing ads: $25 (25 words) legals: 52¢/word buy this stuff: free online

HOUSEMATES

HOMESHARE IN THE SOUTH END

Share comfortable South End home in Burlington w/ professional in her 40s & elementary-age son. Seeking dog-friendly housemate to share chores & provide occasional childcare. $100/mo. Unfurnished BR, shared BA. Call 802-863-5625 or visit homesharevermont. org for application. Interview, refs., background checks req. EHO.

LIVE NEAR BASIN HARBOR

Enjoy living in Ferrisburgh close to Basin Harbor/Otter Creek w/ retired woman who seeks friendly companion. Assistance w/ household maintenance, light cleaning, snow shoveling. $200/ mo. incl. utils. Sweet indoor kitty. Call 802-863-5625 or visit homesharevermont. org for application. Interview, refs., background checks req. EHO.

SHARE SPACIOUS RANCH HOME

90+-year-old woman seeks help w/ housekeeping & friendly presence in her spacious 1-ﬂ oor house in Colchester w/ room for gardening. BR w/ private BA. Extended family in the wings. $150/mo. Call 802-863-5625 or visit homesharevermont. org for application. Interview, refs., background checks req. EHO.

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact: HUD Ofﬁce of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092 (617) 565-5309 — OR — Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633 1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

services: $12 (25 words) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x121

lost & found

LOST AND FOUND

LOST WEDDING RING OF 58 YEARS

Reward avail. Lost at school crossing guard post on Fri. afternoon, Jan. 3, at Railroad St. & Maple St. in Essex Jct. If found, please contact 802-879-2447 or tage@ ernevad.us.

ser vices

COUNSELING

TIRED OF THERAPY FOR YEARS?

Rapid Transformational erapy often brings major relief in 1-3 sessions. Upgrade your brain, upgrade your life! New Year’s Special: $250. Info, sandimeyler. com, 802-878-5169.

CREATIVE

PIERCED & PURIFIED SALE

Offering body-piercing services w/ 24 years of experience. Body jewelry, gems & minerals, hand-crafted items, metaphysical healing, & more. 59 Clinton St., Plattburgh, N.Y. Call 518-565-9341.

ENTERTAINMENT

DIGITIZE OLD VIDEO TAPES

I can transfer most types of photos & video into digital formats. Get in touch w/ me, & I can guide you through the process. Call 802-7542922 or email piettejp@ yahoo.com.

FINANCIAL/LEGAL

DISABILITY BENEFITS

You may qualify for disability beneﬁ ts if you are between 52-63 y/o & under a doctor’s care for a health condition that prevents you from working for a year or more. Call now! 1-877247-6750. (AAN CAN)

print deadline: Mondays at 3:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classiﬁeds questions? classiﬁeds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x115

(1587) SPECIAL HEATING SUPPLIES ONLINE AUCTION: WED., JAN. 15 @ 10AM PREVIEW: MON., JAN. 13 FROM 11AM-1PM 131 Dorset Lane, Williston, VT

WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION

A small amount of water can lead to major damage & mold growth in your home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your family & your home’s value! Call 24-7: 1-888-290-2264. Have zip code of service location ready when you call! (AAN CAN)

MOVING/HAULING

Info, Don Willis Antiques, 802-751-6138, montpelierantiques market.com.

HOUSEHOLD ITEMS

VANITY FOR HOME & BATHROOM

Bath vanity w/ marble sink & new faucet, 37 x 22 x 30 in. $99. Call or text 540-226-4478.

MISCELLANEOUS

MARKOSKI’S MOVE & HAUL

3 ESTATE PROPERTIES IN MORRISVILLE, VT 05661 OPEN HOUSE: THURS., JAN 9, 2025 FROM 11AM - 1PM 813 Elmore Street, Morrisville, VT High-end heating supply online auction featuring over 240 lots of excess heating system equipment. Highlights include: Hot Water Radiators, Tape Carton Sealer, Global Pallet Jack, Electric Towel Warmers AND MORE!

HEALTH/ WELLNESS

BIO HACK WELLNESS 2025!

You upgrade & update devices. What about your brain? Rapid Transformational erapy frees us from land mines in our heads! Interested? New Year’s Special: $250. Info, 802878-5169, sandimeyler. com.

HOME/GARDEN

24-7 LOCKSMITH

We are there when you need us for home & car lockouts. We’ll get you back up & running quickly! Also, key reproductions, lock installs & repairs, vehicle fobs. Call us for your home, commercial & auto locksmith needs! 1-833-237-1233. (AAN CAN)

AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM DAMAGE?

You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind its work. Fast, free estimate. Financing avail. Call

1-888-292-8225. Have the zip code of the property ready when calling! (AAN CAN)

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

In as little as 1 day! Affordable prices. No payments for 18 mos. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & military discounts avail. Call 1-866-370-2939. (AAN CAN)

NEED NEW WINDOWS?

Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energyefﬁ cient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & free quote today. 1-877248-9944. You will be asked for the zip code of the property when connecting. (AAN CAN)

PEST CONTROL

Protect your home from pests safely & affordably. Roaches, bedbugs, rodents, termites, spiders & other pests. Locally owned & affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-833-237-1199. (AAN CAN)

Markoski’s has established a local reputation for being a team of friendly professionals who treat their customers like family. Based out of Chittenden County, we go across Vermont & out of state. Contact Rick at rickmarkoski@gmail. com, & please browse our reviews & jobs on Facebook & Front Porch Forum.

PENSKE TRUCK RENTALS

Clark’s Rentals is your locally owned Penske truck rental agent, located in central VT at 3122 Airport Rd. in Berlin. Offering local & 1-way rentals. Personal & commercial. We provide Penske-maintained trucks, best in pricing & service. Call Kasey at 802-223-5434 or 24-7 at central: 802-479-7257.

buy this stuff

ANTIQUES/ COLLECTIBLES

TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS

1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromber, & Gibson mandolins/banjos. 877-589-0747. (AAN CAN)

ANTIQUES MARKET: SUN., JAN. 12

Jan. 12 & 26, Feb. 9 & 23, & Mar. 9 & 23, 8 a.m.-1 p.m., at the Canadian Club, 414 E. Montpelier Rd, Rte. 14, Barre, VT. Early buyers $5 (8 a.m.); general $2 (9 a.m.). Vendors offering antique, midcentury & vintage items in a ﬂ eamarket atmosphere.

ACORN STAIRLIFT

Acorn stairlift. Latest model. New condition, used only once. Asking $1,200. Call 802-229-0205 WANT

TO BUY

PAYING TOP CASH FOR MEN’S SPORT WATCHES Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner & Speedmaster. Call 888-320-1052. (AAN CAN)

BANDS/ MUSICIANS

QUARTET FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS e Hildegard String Quartet adds ambience to occasions across northern/central Vermont. Visit hildegardstringquartet. com & email hildegard stringquartet@yahoo. com to reserve our ensemble for your special event.

INSTRUCTION

DRUM LESSONS Snare, drum set & percussion lessons. $35 for 45 min. or $45 for 60 min. Experienced, well-versed & educated teacher. Contact Dave Pacheco, 802-3838048, teachdrums2u@ gmail.com.

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

Show and tell. View and post up to 6 photos per ad online.

Complete the following puzzle by using the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

Open 24/7/365. Post & browse ads at your convenience. Extra! Extra! There’s no limit to ad length online.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

Put your knowledge of Vermont news to the test. NEW ON FRIDAYS:

CALCOKU BY JOSH

REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. The numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A one-box cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

SUDOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HH

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers one to nine. The same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

ON P.62

ANSWERS ON P. 62 »

See how fast you can solve this weekly 10-word puzzle.

Legal Notices

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 24-PR-05483

In re ESTATE of Peter J. Barbor

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Peter J. Barbor, late of Colchester, Vermont.

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of this publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: December 17, 2024

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Frances A Panzo, Executrix c/o Harry C. Parker, Esq. 38 Community Lane South Hero, VT 05486 email: hparker@vtlawoffices.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days

Publication Date: 01/08/2025

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division

Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 24-PR-04977

In re ESTATE of Marilyn Van Graber

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Marilyn Van Graber, late of Burlington, Vermont.

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within

four (4) months of the date of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: December 17, 2024

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Katherine Murphy Duly Authorized Agent of Trust Company of Vermont

Executor/Administrator:

Trust Company of Vermont PO Box 1280, Brattleboro, VT 05302 phone: 802-923-2029

email: kate@tcvermont.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: January 8, 2025

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division

Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

IN ACCORDANCE WITH VT TITLE 9 COMMERCE AND TRADE CHAPTER 098: STORAGE UNITS 3905. ENFORCEMENT OF LIEN, CHAMPLAIN VALLEY SELF STORAGE, LLC SHALL HOST A PRIVATE AUCTION OF THE FOLLOWING UNITS ON OR AFTER 1/18/25:

Location: 2211 Main St. Colchester, VT

Contents: household goods

Donald Raab: # 572

Darrell Langworthy: # 561

Scott Breveleri: #969

Zachary Garvey: #657

Auction pre-registration is required, email info@ champlainvalleyselfstorage.com to register.

CITY OF BURLINGTON IN THE YEAR TWO THOUSAND TWENTY-FOUR AN ORDINANCE IN RELATION TO ENERGY BENCHMARKING OF SPACE HEATING IN CERTAIN COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES, BCO CHAPTER 8, ART. VII

Ordinance 8.8

Sponsor: TEUC Public Hearing Dates:

First reading: 10/28/24

Rules suspended and placed in all Stages of passage:

Second reading: 12/16/24

Action: adopted

Date: 12/16/24

Signed by Mayor: 12/18/24

Published: 01/08/25

Effective: 01/29/25

It is hereby Ordained by the City Council of the City of Burlington as follows: That Chapter 8, Buildings and Building Constructions, of the Code of Ordinances of the City of Burlington be and is hereby amended by the addition of Article VII, Energy Benchmarking, to read as follows:

ARTICLE VII. ENERGY BENCHMARKING

8-105 Purpose and Authority.

(a) Purpose. It is in the public interest and in the interest of public health and safety to achieve a high degree of conservation of energy and reduce emissions of greenhouse gases by requiring buildings to meet specified energy efficiency performance standards and maximum allowable heat loss standards.

(b) Authority. All provisions in this article relating to thermal energy systems are adopted pursuant to the authority and powers granted in accordance with section 48(66) of the City Charter and its provisions on the regulation of thermal energy systems in residential and commercial buildings for the purpose of reducing greenhouse gas emissions throughout the City. The provisions in this article are further adopted pursuant to the authority and powers granted by the Vermont Legislature in 24 V.S.A. § 3101 (Chapter 83. Building Inspectors and Regulation of Building; Bylaws and ordinances; penalties), as reasonably necessary to improve the health, safety, and welfare of the public from fuel leaks and explosions, and from air pollution, including that which is causing climate change and thereby threatens the City and its inhabitants

8-106 Definitions.

(a) ”Energy Benchmarking” shall mean the use of Energy Star Portfolio Manager, or an equivalent analytical tool or process if approved by the Department of Permitting and Inspections (DPI), by

which a building can measure and report accurately on its energy use for all space heating used on-site.

(b) “Covered Building” shall mean for the purpose of the requirements outlined in Section 8-107, a commercial property that is metered or sub-metered for thermal loads and which has space conditioned square footage of between 10,000 square feet and 49,999 square feet, excluding residential properties and all properties subject to the requirements of Chapter 18, Article 3, Division 7.

(c) “Building Without Direct Metering” shall mean for the purpose of the requirements outlined in Section 8-107, a commercial property which has space conditioned square footage of between 10,000 square feet and 49,999 square feet, excluding residential properties and all properties subject to the requirements of Chapter 18, Article 3, Division 7, which is part of a campus of a major higher education or health care institution within the city’s Institutional District as that term is defined in the Comprehensive Development Ordinance, that includes multiple buildings, and which lacks metering or sub-metering of thermal energy loads. On a campus in which buildings are part of a centrally-connected thermal system, only those buildings in that system that are not metered shall be considered a building that is not directly metered and those buildings with direct metering shall be subject to the requirements of this article

(d) “Space Conditioning Energy Use” shall mean the amount of British Thermal Units (BTU) per space conditioned square foot a Covered Building uses to provide space heating over a one year period. 8-107 Energy Benchmarking Requirements.

(a) Covered Buildings Requirements. All property owners of Covered Buildings shall, no earlier than the effective date of this ordinance and no later than three months thereafter, begin Energy Benchmarking of their property. Such Energy Benchmarking shall continue for no less than one full year from the date the property started Energy Benchmarking, and the monthly and annual data shall be made available to DPI no later than May 15, 2026. Beginning January 1, 2027, this benchmarking and reporting requirement shall continue for each subsequent 12 month (1 year) period until rescinded by amendment to this ordinance.The data may inform future compliance obligations with a Building Emissions Reduction Ordinance (BERO) that the City is considering adopting. To the extent necessary to effectuate the Energy Benchmarking, individually-metered tenant organizations or businesses in a Covered Building shall provide appropriate energy use data and information to the property owner, or in the alternative directly to DPI, for their space heating use.

(b) Buildings Without Direct Metering. Buildings Without Direct Metering are not subject to the Energy Benchmarking process, but may be required to conduct individual energy efficiency assessments with a building efficiency professional, submit those assessments to DPI, and make specific cost-effective efficiency improvements based on those assessments as part of compliance with a future BERO.

(c) Energy Benchmarking Compliance. DPI shall administer the Energy Benchmarking requirements, and non-compliance either due to failure to begin the process of Energy Benchmarking by the date provided or failure to provide data to DPI under subsection (a) by a Covered Building is subject to a civil penalty of up to five hundred dollars ($500.00) per violation. Each day the violation continues shall constitute a separate and distinct offense. DPI may grant a delay in the requirements of Energy Benchmarking under subsection (a) by up to 6 months if a Covered Building faces unique circumstances and an undue burden in seeking to comply.

(d) Covered Buildings shall not be constructed after the effective date of this ordinance that cannot measure the thermal usage of the building, by metering or other effective alternative measure. Institutions with buildings without direct metering shall provide an inventory of those buildings to the Department of Permitting and Inspections and the Burlington Electric Department within six (6) months of the effective date of this ordinance, with such inventory to include the location of the

the

of the

of the centrally-connected thermal system of which it is a part.

8-108 Reporting Requirement.

The Department of Permitting and Inspections shall maintain records on the data submitted by Covered Buildings to support future compliance with a Building Emission Reduction Ordinance if one is enacted.

* Material stricken out deleted.

** Material underlined added.

DS/ks/Ordinances 2024/Energy Benchmarking of Space Heating in Certain Commercial Properties BCO Ch. 8, Art. VII 12/16/2024

CHITTENDEN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

A Public Hearing will be held at 6:00 pm on January 22, 2025 at the Chittenden Solid Waste District Administration Office at 19 Gregory Drive in South Burlington, Vermont or via Zoom conference online. Registration is available in advance of the hearing on our website. A hearing is scheduled for the purpose of reviewing the Preliminary FY26 Budget for the Chittenden Solid Waste District (CSWD). Copies of the preliminary draft budget are available at the CSWD Administration Office.

preliminary approval for a proposed two lot subdivision that will create two new lots, Parcel 3 and Parcel 5. Parcel 3 of this proposed subdivision is 168.7 acres and will be improved with a singlefamily residence. Parcel 5 is 2.57 acres and will be improved with a single-family residence.

2. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest or ex parte communication.

Item 2.

SP2025-01 Town of Richmond Parcel ID#BC0058

Project Location: 58 Browns Court

1. Project Description: The Applicants, are seeking Site Plan Review to amend the site plan for the preexisting outdoor recreation facility located at Browns Court. The Applicants are looking to make the following changes to the site: improving the parking area, adding a new storage shed, adding a bocce court, improving the existing baseball field, adding pickleball courts, and landscaping changes. 2. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest or ex parte communication.

CITY OF WINOOSKI

PUBLIC HEARING

WINOOSKI DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

A public hearing will be held by the Winooski Development Review Board on Thursday, January 16, 2025 beginning at 6:30 p.m. to consider the following:

Planned Unit Development Review – 55 St. Peter St.

Applicant has submitted a request to establish a dwelling unit in an existing accessory structure. If approved, this property would host three dwelling units in three different structures on the same lot. This property is located in the City’s Residential C (R-C) Zoning District. Planned Unit Development review under Section 6.3 of the ULUDR is required for creating multiple principal structures on a lot.

This hearing will begin at 6:30pm. Members of the public that are interested in participating in this hearing can do so by attending in person at Winooski City Hall, 27 West Allen Street, Winooski, VT; or electronically by visiting https://us06web. zoom.us/j/82129899225 or by calling (301) 715 8592 and using Webinar ID: 821 2989 9225. Toll charges may apply.

Members of the public interested in participating in the above captioned hearing are requested, but not required to make their intentions known by completing the public comment request form located on the City’s website at https://www. winooskivt.gov/FormCenter/Human-Resources-6/ Public-Comment-Request-Form-61 at least 24 hours in advance to ensure this information is included in the record of the hearing. This will also allow the chair to recognize participants to provide testimony at the appropriate time during the hearing.

calling (646) 558 8656 and using Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328. Toll charges may apply.

Amendments to the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations

• Section 4.12 – Parking Requirements

• Section 5.10 - Protected Uses, Public Facility

• Article VIII - Administration

Statement of Purpose: The purpose of these amendments are as follows:

Section 4.12 – Allows for parking spaces in an adjacent or nearby lot to count toward the parking requirements of a residential use

Section 5.10 – Acknowledges that for conversions of hotels and motels into permanently affordable housing, the Unified Land Use and Development Regulations cannot interfere with the functioning of the use

Article VIII – Updates the public noticing requirements to align with the recent changes to 24 V.S.A. §4464

Geographic Area Affected: The proposed amendments will apply to the entire City including all zoning districts.

Section Headings Impacted: The following specific updates are included with these amendments:

Section 4.12 – Removes a clause under subsection D.2 to allow for residential uses in the City’s residential districts to allow off-site parking to fulfill a portion of the parking requirements.

Section 5.10 – Adds “Hotels and motels converted to permanently affordable housing developments” to subsection A.

Article VIII – Modifies statutory reference to indicate that adherence to the entirety of §4464 is required.

The full text of these amendments is available at the Winooski City Hall, 27 West Allen Street, during normal business hours or by contacting Ravi Venkataraman, AICP CFM, Director of City Planning by calling 802.655.6410 or rvenkataraman@ winooskivt.gov.

BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD TUESDAY, JANUARY 21, 2025, 5:00 PM AMENDED PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Hybrid & In Person (at 645 Pine Street) Meeting Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83225696227? pwd=SGQ0bTdnS000Wkc3c2J4WWw1dzMxUT09 Webinar ID: 832 2569 6227

Passcode: 969186

Telephone: US +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799

status or genetic information. The City is also committed to providing proper access to services, facilities, and employment opportunities. For accessibility information or alternative formats, please contact Human Resources Department at (802) 540-2505.

NOTICE OF FIRST & SECOND PUBLIC HEARING ON PROPOSED CHARTER CHANGE FOR MARCH 4, 2025

City of Winooski

Attend in person: Winooski City Hall (27 W Allen St) Attend on-line: https://us06web.zoom. us/j/84364849328

Attend by phone: 1 646 558 8656

Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328

Due to State Law (17 V.S.A §2645) two public hearings will be held so residents can learn more about the voter-backed petition below that may result in a change to the Winooski’s City Charter. These meetings are open to all.

• Monday, January 27, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at Claire Burke Council Chambers- Remote and In-Person

• Monday, February 3, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. at Claire Burke Council Chambers- Remote and In-Person

WIINOOSKI JUST CAUSE EVICTION CHARTER CHANGE- VOTER BACKED PETITION - 3/4/2025

Shall the Charter of the City of Winooski, Acts of 2013, No. M-9, as amended, be further amended to give the City Council the power to provide by ordinance protections for residential tenants from evictions without ‘just cause’ by adopting and adding a new subsection 304 (b)(13) to read as follows:

“304 (b)(13)(A) To provide by ordinance protections for residential tenants, as defined in Vermont Statutes Annotated Chapter 137 of Title 9 from eviction without ‘just cause’ where just cause shall include, but is not limited to:

1. a tenant’s material breach of a written rental agreement

2. a tenant’s violation of state statutes regulating tenant obligations in residential rental agreements.

3. non-payment of rent, and

4. a tenant’s failure to accept written, reasonable, good faith renewal terms.

(B) Such ordinance shall exclude from ‘just cause’ the expiration of a rental agreement as sole grounds for termination of tenancy. In addition to the exemptions in Chapter 137 of Title 9, the ordinance shall exempt from this provision, subject to mitigation provisions, sublets and in-unit rentals as well as the following properties but not limited to:

TOWN OF RICHMOND

DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA

JANUARY 8, 2025, AT 7:00 PM

Location: 3rd floor meeting room Richmond Town Offices, 203 Bridge Street Richmond VT, 05477 Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom. us/j/89057870483

Meeting ID: 890 5787 0483

Call-in: +1 929 205 6099 US (New York)

Application materials may be viewed at http://www.richmondvt.gov/boardsminutes/ development-review-board/ before the meeting. Please call Tyler Machia, Zoning Administrator, at 802-434-2430 or email tmachia@richmondvt.gov with any questions.

Public Hearing

Item 1.

PRESUB2025-01 David Sunshine & Carol B. Jordan

Parcel ID#JR1582

Project Location: 1582 Jericho Rd

1. Project Description: The Applicants are seeking

The Development Review Board will hold a public hearing on this matter before rendering a decision. Decisions of the Development Review Board can be appealed by “interested persons” (as defined by 24 V.S.A. § 4465) to the Environmental Division of the Vermont Superior Court.

Questions or comments on this matter can be directed to Ravi Venkataraman, AICP, CFM, Director of City Planning by calling 802.655.6410 or visiting Winooski City Hall at 27 West Allen Street during normal business hours. Information related to this matter will also be available on the City’s website at https://www.winooskivt.gov/229/ Development-Review-Board.

CITY OF WINOOSKI

PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

AMENDMENTS TO THE CITY OF WINOOSKI UNIFIED LAND USE AND DEVELOPMENT REGULATIONS

In accordance with 24 V.S.A § 4441 and § 4444, the City of Winooski’s City Council will hold a public hearing on Monday, January 27, 2025 beginning at 6:00 p.m. Members of the public interested in participating in this hearing can do so by attending in person at Winooski City Hall, 27 West Allen Street, Winooski VT; or electronically by visiting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84364849328; or by

1. ZP-24-507; 50 Mansfield Avenue (I, Ward 1) Mater Christi Elementary School / Taryn Barrett Proposed school renovation including construction of an addition and associated site improvements. (Project Manager, Garret King) Recommended for deferral to February 4, 2025 due to public notice error.

2. ZP-20-712; 362 Riverside Avenue (NAC-R, Ward 1) Douglas Boyden / Benjamin Avery Time extension request for proposed senior housing development.

Plans may be viewed upon request by contacting the Department of Permitting & Inspections between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Participation in the DRB proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. Please note that ANYTHING submitted to the Zoning office is considered public and cannot be kept confidential. This may not be the final order in which items will be heard. Please view final Agenda, at www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpi/drb/agendas or the office notice board, one week before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard.

The City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime victim

1. owner-occupied duplexes, and triplexes; 2. those being withdrawn from the rental market, including properties to be occupied by the owner or an immediate family members as a primary residence; and

3. those in need of substantial renovations which preclude occupancy.

1. mitigate potential negative impacts on tenants and other property owners, including but not limited to requirements of adequate notice and reasonable relocation expenses,

2. provide for a reasonable probationary period after initial occupancy, and

3. limit unreasonable rent increases to prevent de facto evictions or nonrenewal, although this shall not be construed to limit rents beyond the purpose of preventing individual evictions.

(D) The ordinance shall define what is ‘reasonable’ and ‘adequate notice’ in defining just cause and shall require that landlords provide notice of just cause and other legal requirements as part of the rental agreement.”?

Filed on December 27, 2024 at Winooski City Clerk’s Office.

Attest: Jennifer Willingham, City Clerk

LAMOILLE NORTH SUPERVISORY UNION FOR CAMBRIDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

The Board of School Directors of the Cambridge Elementary School District invites sealed proposals for the lease or purchase of one new 77-81

Legal Notices

passenger school bus in 2025, preferred delivery by May 20, 2025.

For more information and to receive a full copy of the proposal request, please email dclark@lnsd. org, or call (802) 851-1161.

Lamoille North Supervisory Union is an Equal Opportunity Employer

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 01-04902,

Located at 28 Adams Drive Williston, VT, 05495 Will be sold on or about the 23rd of January 2025 to satisfy the debt of Abdi Dhere. Any person claiming a right to the goods may pay the amount claimed due and reasonable expenses before the sale, in which case the sale may not occur.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 24-PR-06934

In re ESTATE of Steven Rising NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Steven Rising, late of Burlington, Vermont.

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: December 31, 2024

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Suzanna Miller, Esq.

Executor/Administrator: Suzanna Miller, Esq., PO Box 220, North Ferrisburgh, VT 05473 Phone: 802-777-8297

Email: smiller@millerestatelaw.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 01/08/2025

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division

Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street , Burlington, VT 05401 which case the sale may not occur.

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF HORRY IN THE FAMILY COURT JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

DOCKET NO. 2023-DR-261995

Vivienne Morales, Plaintiff, vs. Eric Morales Defendant.

To the Defendant above-named: Eric Morales

You are hereby notified that a hearing has been scheduled for March 21, 2025, at 9:30 am in Horry County Family Court, 1301 2nd Avenue, Conway, South Carolina 29526.

Docket number: 2023-DR-261995.

SUMMONS FOR DIVORCE (One Year Continuous Separation)

Docket No. 2023-DR-261995

Vivienne Morales, Plaintiff, vs. Eric Morales Defendant.

To the DEFENDANT Above-Named: Eric Morales

YOU ARE HEREBY NOTIFIED that you have been sued by the Plaintiff for DIVORCE in the Court indicated above.

You must respond in writing to the attached Complaint for Divorce and serve a copy of your Answer on the Plaintiff at the address below within thirty (30) days after the service of this

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 142.

Summons upon you, not counting the day of service, or thirty-five (35) days if you were served by certified mail, restricted delivery, return receipt requested.

If you wish to retain an attorney to represent you in this matter, it is advisable to do so before submitting your Answer to the Plaintiff.

If you do not answer the Complaint within the required thirty (30) days, the Court may grant a DIVORCE and grant the Plaintiff the relief requested in the Complaint.

Date: 8/30/2023

Plaintiff’s Signature: /s/ Vivienne Morales Myrtle Beach, S.C.

Address: Vivienne Morales, P.O. Box 51242 Myrtle Beach S.C. 29579

FINAL HEARING Ordered to Appear March 21, 2025, 9:30am

STATE OF SOUTH CAROLINA COUNTY OF HORRY IN THE FAMILY COURT JUDICIAL CIRCUIT

COMPLAINT FOR DIVORCE (One Year Continuous Separation)

Docket No. 2023-DR-261995

Vivienne Morales, Plaintiff, vs. Eric Morales Defendant.

Plaintiff, Vivienne Morales, would respectfully show this Court the following:

1. Plaintiff is a resident of Horry County, State of South Carolina.

2. Upon information and belief, Defendant is a resident of Chittenden County, State of Vermont.

3. Plaintiff and Defendant last shared a residence in Chittenden County, State of Vermont.

4. Subject matter jurisdiction: Plaintiff has lived in South Carolina for over one year prior to the start of this action.

5. Plaintiff is informed and believes this Court has subject matter jurisdiction over the issues and personal jurisdiction over the parties in this action.

6. Plaintiff and Defendant were married to each other on December 3, 2016 in Horry County; City of Myrtle Beach in the State of South Carolina.

7. Plaintiff and Defendant separated on or about November 3, 2020. The parties have remained living separate and apart from each other without cohabitation for more than one (1) continuous year prior to filing this action.

BID SOLICITATION

On behalf of the Owner, J.A. Morrissey, Inc. is soliciting bids from qualified subcontractors for renovation work at Whitcomb Woods for Cathedral Square, located at 128 West Street in Essex Junction. The campus is an existing series of one- and two-story buildings built on grade with connecting hallways between. Work is generally limited to the residential buildings with some minor connecting work in the community building.

The contract documents contain the provisions required for the construction of the project.

Specific trades include, but are not limited to the following: general site work, landscaping, site concrete, waterproofing, limited wood framing, exterior envelope including foam, rainscreen, wood siding, synthetic siding and trim, interior casework, cellulose insulation and other building insulation, air sealing, doors, frames, hardware, GWB, taping, painting, carpet flooring, resilient flooring, ACT ceilings, specialties, plumbing, mechanical, electrical and fire alarm.

All pre-bid, contract and construction questions should be directed to Jeff Coons (JCoons@ JAMTeam.com) via email and should be submitted no later than Friday January 24th by 5pm.

A walk-through for interested sub-contractors is tentatively scheduled for Thursday January 16th

at 10am at the site. Attendees shall meet at 128 West Street community Building.

Bids are due to J.A. Morrissey, Inc. by 3 PM EST on Tuesday February 4th, 2025. Bids can be delivered to the office at 464 Shunpike Road in Williston, emailed to JCoons@jamteam.com, or faxed to 802-865-6906. Any bid received after the aforementioned time will be rejected. The project is expected to start in June 2025 with substantial completion within 18 months.

The Owner and CM reserve the right to reject any or all bids.

Minority owned, women owned and locally owned businesses are strongly encouraged to submit proposals.

Plans and specifications are anticipated to be available for purchase at Blueprints ETC. in So. Burlington on Friday January 10th and will also be available for download on the JAM PROCORE site at that time. If you wish to receive an invitation to the PROCORE site, please contact Karen Bisbee (Karen@jamteam.com).

TOWN OF JERICHO PUBLIC HEARING ON CAPITAL BUDGET AND FIVE-YEAR PLAN

On Thursday, January 16th, 2025, at 6:30 pm at the Jericho Town Hall, 67 Vermont Route 15, Jericho, Vermont, the Town of Jericho Selectboard will hold a public hearing to solicit comments on a proposed FY 2026 Capital Budget and Five-Year Plan draft. The public is invited to attend and offer comments on the proposed budget and plan. Copies may be obtained from the Town Administrator’s Office between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. or at www.jerichovt.org.

TOWN OF BOLTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD AGENDA THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 2025 6:30 PM – 9:30 PM

The DRB for the Town of Bolton will meet at 3045 Theodore Roosevelt Hwy on January 23, 2025. The meeting will commence at 6:30pm at the Bolton Clerks’ Office. The meeting will also be accessible remotely by electronic means. Please join the meeting on your computer, tablet or smart phone: Town of Bolton is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Bolton DRB Hybrid Meeting

Time: January 23, 2025 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Town of Bolton is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: DRB Hybrid Meeting

Time: Jan 23, 2025 06:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87853358647?pwd= HZOfZZrgmMY9BqNTywI7oQNYeb0iLH.1 Meeting ID: 878 5335 8647 Passcode: 948603 One tap mobile +16469313860,,87853358647#,,,,*948603# US +13017158592,,87853358647#,*948603# US (Washington DC)

6:30 PM Introductions, Adjustments to Agenda & Public Comment

6:35 PM Warned Public Hearings:

6:35 PM 2024-16-DRB; FINAL SUBDIVISION

REVIEW Applicant & Property Owner: James, Kim & Jacob Kilpeck; 895 Duxbury Road., A three-lot subdivision. (Parcel #1-036.000)

7:10 PM 2024-15-DRB; FINAL MAJOR SUBDIVISION

REVIEW Applicant & Property Owner: Bolton Valley Resort, 4302 Bolton Valley Access Road. A five-lot Planned Unit Development Major Subdivision with a total of 48 residential units.

8:00 PM 2024-11-DRB; FINAL SUBDIVISION

REVIEW Applicant & Property Owner: John Devine, 4387 Notch Rd., Subdivide a +/-2.11 acre parcel, Proposed Lot #4, from an existing +/-56.07 acre parcel known as Lot #1. Two parcels were previously subdivided from Lot #1; +/-2.02 acres (Lot #2) and +/-2.00 acres (Lot #3). Lot #1 contains an existing single family home with accessory

buildings and Lot #4 is being proposed with a single family home, on-site septic and drilled supply well. (Tax Map #1-0044387)

8:40 PM Zoning Administrator’s Report

8:45 PM Meeting Minutes: Review & approve draft minutes November 14, 2024, December 12, 2024.

9:00 PM Adjourn

Spencer Nowak, DRB Chair

Please Note: Application materials for items on this agenda can be reviewed in advance of the meeting upon request. To obtain a copy of these materials via email, contact Zoning Administrator Kelly Diglio: phone (802) 434-3064 x225 or via email at: zoningbolton@gmavt.net.

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

The Burlington Housing Authority is preparing its Annual Plan for the fiscal year July 1, 2025 -June 30, 2026 and the 5-Year Plan for FY2026-FY2030 A public hearing to obtain comments regarding the proposed Annual Plan will be held on Tuesday, March 12th, 2025 on Zoom at 3:00 PM. Details will be available at www.burlingtonhousing.org

Written comments should be sent to:

Steven Murray, Executive Director Burlington Housing Authority 65 Main Street, Suite 101 Burlington, Vermont 05401

Copies of the proposed plan will be available at BHA’s 65 Main Street office on January 24, 2025. Supporting documents will also be available for review.

Equal Housing Opportunity

Senior Full Stack Software Engineer

The engineering team at Accessible Web is responsible for building & maintaining our RAMP platform and tools, as well as supporting the business needs of various departments with relation to our products. As a Senior Full Stack Software Engineer, you will be expected to live up to this expectation.

Full description and to apply: accessibleweb.com/careers/seniorfull-stack-software-engineer

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT: JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

2h-MercyConnections010825 1

Program Manager:

Energy and Forest Business Accelerators

Join our team to support sustainable economic development by managing DeltaClimeVT, our energy business accelerator and a new forest business accelerator. Both programs provide startup support, business planning, mentorship, and access to capital for climate economy and forest economy entrepreneurs.

FT salary between $70-75k, great beneﬁts, casual but professional hybrid work environment, and an organizational culture where people feel valued, are energized, and can support forward-thinking solutions to our food system and climate challenges.

VSJF is an E.O.E. committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging in the workplace.

PLEASE READ full job description here: vsjf.org/about-vsjfvermont/job-openings

Send cover letter & resume to jobs@vsjf.org by 5pm 1/13/25

apply.

Financial & Office Administrator

The City of Newport is accepting applications for a full-time Financial and Office Administrator. This position is temporary but has the potential to become permanent. The Financial and Office Administrator is responsible for recommending and (if approved by Council) implementing strong financial controls, providing a first point of contact for the general public, supporting the Mayor and Council, Department Heads, and Chairs of City Commissions with timely financial reports and support with budgeting, creating efficient practices for the day to day administration of the City Office, and ensuring that required public warnings and records of all meetings are appropriately posted.

A Newport City job application, cover letter, and resume are required as part of the application process. Applications can be found at: newportvermont.org/city-information/jobs

The salary range for this position is $60,000 to $70,000 based on experience. The City of Newport offers an excellent benefits package including sick & vacation leave accumulations, paid holidays, retirement and medical, dental and eye insurance. We are an E.O.E. Apply directly by email to: City of Newport, Mayor Linda Sullivan Mayor.sullivan@newportvermont.org

Council Member Rick Ufford-Chase: rick.uffordchase@newportvermont.org

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Now Hiring!

NATIONAL SALES MANAGER

We are excited to announce that we are looking for a dynamic, results-driven National Sales Manager to execute our sales strategy in the specialty food and gifting sector. This role requires a skilled leader with a deep understanding of the specialty food industry, strong relationship-building abilities, and a proven track record in driving sales growth through a variety of channels including regional and national food retailers, independent specialty food, gift, coffee shops, online retailers, and third-party distributors, such as UNFI. The National Sales Manager will build partnerships with key retailers, distributors, and stakeholders, and execute strategies to grow market share and brand presence. Join us at Lake Champlain Chocolates and help us share our passion for chocolate with the world!

Ready to apply?

Visit LakeChamplainChocolates.com/careers for additional job details and to submit your application.

Central Clinical Educator (CCE)

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) in St. Johnsbury is looking for a Central Clinical Educator (CCE) to help us elevate our nursing education. We want to hear from you if you’re passionate about mentoring and supporting healthcare professionals.

Champlain Housing Trust is growing and we need great people to join our team. One of Vermont’s Best Places to Work in 2024, CHT is a socially responsible employer offering an inclusive, friendly work environment and competitive pay commensurate with experience.

Our excellent benefit package includes a generous health insurance plan, three weeks of paid vacation, 14 paid holidays, sick leave, 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution after one year, disability and life insurance, and more.

Current openings include:

Custodian

Property Manager

Service Coordinator

For additional details regarding these positions or to apply, please visit our career page: getahome.org/career. Equal Opportunity Employer - CHT is committed to a diverse workplace and highly encourages women, persons with disabilities, Section 3 low income residents, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to apply.

What You’ll Do: Manage our mandatory education programs and nursing orientation. Ensure compliance with training requirements. What We’re Looking For: An RN graduate (BSN required/MSN preferred) with at least 3 years of nursing experience. We offer competitive pay and excellent benefits, such as student loan repayment, and generous paid time off. If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact in your community, apply today! We can’t wait to welcome you to our team!

Apply now at www.nvrh.org/careers.

Customer Service Representative

Julbo Eyewear is hiring a full-time Customer Service Representative to work out of our office located at Hula Lakeside.

To view the full job description and application instructions, please visit: julbo.us/pages/careers

When you work for the State of Vermont, you and your work matter. A career with the State puts you on a rich and rewarding professional path. You’ll find jobs in dozens of fields – not to mention an outstanding total compensation package.

The Office of Public Guardian seeks an independent, energetic and organized person to protect and monitor the legal and human rights of individuals under court-ordered guardianship. This position covers a caseload of individuals with developmental disabilities and age-related cognitive impairments who lack decision making capacity in Lamoille, Washington, Caledonia, Orleans and neighboring counties. This position requires frequent travel and some work outside of normal office hours. For more information, contact Maryann Willson at maryann.willson@vermont.gov. Department: Disabilities Aging & Independent Living. Location: Hyde Park. Status: Full Time. Job ID #51408. Application Deadline: January 15, 2025.

PUBLIC GUARDIAN – HYDE PARK

Hiring Licensed Nursing Assistants (LNAs)!

$5,000 sign-on bonus

Wake Robin in Shelburne, VT wants to support you in your career growth while working with older adults! We offer scholarships and loan forgiveness programs as well as great benefits, a pristine working environment, work/life balance, and an opportunity to build strong relationships with staff and residents in a dynamic community setting. We are currently hiring for all shifts. Pay starts at $23.50 and increases with experience!

Apply online at wakerobin.com or call 802-861-1872 to learn more! Wake Robin is an E.O.E.

MERCHANDISER

& job description:

Friday, Sunday) and flexible job, ikes to work

number below:

Floral Associate

Employment Specialist

Join our award-winning supported employment program and work with individuals to develop career goals, seek and secure employment, and build partnerships with local businesses for long term employment. The ideal candidate will have strong communication skills, enjoy working in a collaborative environment and have the desire to make an impact on their community.

This is an excellent position for someone who is looking for the next step in their career or to continue their work in this field.

Compensation is $21 per hour plus $1,000 sign on bonus. Benefit package includes comprehensive and affordable health insurance, 29 paid days off in the first year, retirement match, tuition reimbursement and so much more.

And that’s on top of working at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont” for six years running.

Why not have a job you love? Make a career making a difference and apply today. Send resume to staff@ccs-vt.org.

Visit our website for more information: ccs-vt.org.

Regulatory Specialist

THE VERMONT PUBLIC POWER SUPPLY AUTHORITY, located in Waterbury Center, Vermont is seeking a Regulatory Specialist to join our team. This position is responsible for developing, advancing and representing the Authority’s interests in regulatory proceedings. In collaboration with the Finance and Power Services Dept. the Regulatory Specialist has a critical role in implementation of the Authority’s Renewable Energy Standard compliance programs.

Essential functions include but are not limited to:

7/12/21 6:20 PM

Unique opportunity! SimplyReady, a division of the Bill Doran Company, is looking for a Floral Associate in Burlington, VT. Days of service are Tuesday, Friday and Sunday mornings. Hours vary per week depending on seasonal volume. Ideal candidate will have some working knowledge of both cut flowers and plants, as well as a solid work history that includes at least 5 years of sales, merchandising or retail experience.

Job entails walking, pushing, and repetitive lifting of up to 30lbs. Reply to: cparizo@billdoran.com

• Identify, analyze, current and proposed regulatory policies.

• Develop, design and advocate for the Authority’s policy positions.

• Monitor industry trends, ISO New England market rules, and market participant related activities.

• Assist with development of legislative and regulatory compliance reports.

Duties require a combination of knowledge and experience related to regulatory rulemaking and policy proceedings equivalent to a bachelor’s degree, preferably as it relates to fully regulated electric utilities. 2+ years of experience in energy, utilities or related field. 2+ years of paralegal experience, regulatory policy and/or compliance function experience desired.

VPPSA is building a team of professionals who are passionate about helping Vermont towns meet their energy needs. If you are a team player and enjoy a fast-paced collaborative environment we want to hear from you.

Please send resume and salary requirements to: Vermont Public Power Supply Authority, PO Box 126, Waterbury Ctr., Vermont 05677 Attn: Amy Parah, or email to: aparah@vppsa.com with the subject: Regulatory Specialist.

Position open until filled. Full job description at: vppsa.com

DENTAL HYGIENIST

We are searching for a REGISTERED DENTAL HYGIENIST for our thriving practice in the quintessential Vermont town. Join us in caring for our community in a place where quality of life is unparalleled! We are looking for the right person to support our relationship-based practice. Our hygienists partner with each other, Dr. Knott, and our administrative team to ensure the best possible experience for our patients. Truly a positive, team-oriented environment.

Hours: 7:45-5:00 Monday through Thursday. Need a part time/ flexible schedule? Let's discuss!

Salary: Commensurate with Experience. Generous Benefits Package: Health, Dental, PTO, Retirement Send resume and a cover letter outlining why you are the right person for our patients: dentalapptcoord@gmail.com Applications will be held in confidence. Find out more about us here: woodstockdentistry.com

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Bookkeeper

Join VLT as our next Bookkeeper. Help us protect, care for, and connect people to the home we share using your love of numbers and exceptional attention to detail.

Development Coordinator

Our ideal candidates will advance our fiscal health through:

• Sound bookkeeping and payroll experience

• Excellent attention to detail and accuracy

• Proven ability to serve internal partners and collaborate

The annual starting salary is $60,000, plus a generous benefits package to cover the cost of health insurance. We also provide 6 weeks of time off plus sick time, a 403(b) retirement plan with match, and flexible and hybrid work schedules.

Learn more and apply at vlt.org/employment. This position will remain open until February 3, 2025.

The Vermont Land Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We honor and invite people of all backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) is hiring:

Student Outreach Counselors

Are you dedicated to supporting young people in achieving their dreams? Do you want to work for an organization that values your work-life balance and well-being? How about summers off? Consider joining the VSAC team! You’ll join a team of highly committed, collaborative, and supportive colleagues who are dedicated to student success. We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

GEAR UP Outreach Counselor

Richford Middle and High School: This position works with middle through first year after high school students and their families to provide education, career, and financial aid information and counseling in support of postsecondary education goals. This position will also support students through the transition process from high school into and through their first year of postsecondary education. ($50,000 - $52,000 + comprehensive benefits package + PTO including 5-week summer vacation!)

Pre-Education and Training Services (Pre-ETS) Outreach Counselor

In Southern/South-Central Vermont to develop and facilitate post-high school planning workshops for students with disabilities. The goal of this program is to provide postsecondary education and training focused learning activities that relate to career exploration, postsecondary education, employability skills, and financial aid and literacy. ($43,000 - $47,000 + comprehensive benefits package + PTO including 9-week summer vacation!)

Visit VSAC.org/Careers for full job descriptions and to apply today.

The Development Coordinator implements and anchors the systems and processes that drive our fundraising program forward in service of building a Vermont where all LGBTQ+ youth have hope, equity, and power.

Compensation and Beneﬁts:

• Salary range: $65,250 to $69,625. This is a full time, salaried position based on a 35-hour work week.

• This position can offer a hybrid schedule, with some mandatory weekly days in our Burlington ofﬁce. Some evening and weekend hours may be required around key events and campaigns.

Applications accepted through Sunday, January 26, 2025.

Scan here for full details on the position and hiring process and to apply: QR CODE attached.

Associate Engineer

The Town of Essex is receiving applications for full time employment as an Associate Engineer. This is an excellent opportunity to join an experienced and dedicated Public Works team. The Town of Essex currently has two Professional Engineers on staff who have extensive experience in areas such as stormwater, water/sewer, water distribution, bridge and road maintenance, construction management, engineering design and planning and much more. This is an excellent opportunity to gain experience and knowledge in a large variety of areas within the engineering field.

This position provides technical support to the Public Works Department covering all aspects of civil and municipal engineering, infrastructure data collection, management and construction inspection, plan review, managing the execution of small projects not requiring a Professional Engineer’s license, contract preparation review and oversight, computer literacy associated with technical engineering support all within the context of using good verbal and written communication skills.

The qualified candidate should have either a two-year technical degree or associate degree in a directly related field, (civil or environmental engineering) with at least four years of related experience OR a four-year bachelor’s degree in civil or environmental Engineering with at least two years of related experience. The Town will consider an Engineering Intern certification in lieu of these experience requirements. A full list of essential functions and job requirements can be found in the job description linked below.

The full job posting, job description and benefits can be found online at: https://essexvt.bamboohr.com/careers/135

The Town of Essex is an equal opportunity employer.

NOW HIRING Apply today!

Currently accepting applications in our OR & PACU:

• Nurse Manager

• Registered Nurses

• Surgical Technologists

• Central Sterile Reprocessing Technician

Full-time, part-time, and per diem options available.

For more information visit copleyvt.org/careers or contact Kaitlyn Shannon, Recruiter, at 802-888-8144 or kshannon@chsi.org.

EVENTS COORDINATOR – Part-Time

Artistree, a nonprofit community arts center in South Pomfret, VT, seeks a part-time Events Coordinator to handle private event logistics, assist with concerts, manage community and donor events, and oversee guest space scheduling. This role involves coordinating inquiries for events such as birthday parties and celebrations, managing calendars for Artistree’s overnight guest spaces, and supporting various organizational functions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Coordinate logistics for private events at Artistree.

• Assist with door management at concerts.

• Plan and execute annual community and donor events.

• Manage scheduling and interactions for overnight guest spaces.

• Collaborate with staff on event planning and execution.

Schedule and Compensation:

• Approximately 24 hours/week, $20–$22/hour based on experience.

• Variable hours based on events, with occasional evenings/ weekends.

Qualifications:

• 2+ years of event coordination or similar experience.

• Strong organizational, communication & problem-solving skills.

• Enthusiastic, adaptable, and people-oriented with a passion for the arts.

• Proficiency with office technology; CPR/AED/First Aid certification preferred.

Learn more about Artistree at artistreevt.org. To apply, send a resume, cover letter, and references to info@artistreevt.org

Programmer/Analyst, Enterprise Systems & Solutions

Visit jobs.plattsburgh.edu & select “View Current Openings”

SUNY Plattsburgh is an AA/EEO/ADA/VEVRAA committed to excellence through diversity and supporting an inclusive environment for all.

Programming Director

Artistree, a nonproﬁt community arts center located in South Pomfret, VT, is looking for a Programming Director to develop and ensure the e ective delivery of a diverse variety of year-round multi-disciplinary adult and children's arts programs. This role deploys a collaborative approach to program planning and management, bringing together all of Artistree's programs to advance community engagement and student learning. The ideal Programming Director will operate as a collaborative leader, be responsive to the needs of all constituents, and have strong ﬁnancial and management capability and experience.

The Programming Director role is a full-time salaried position at our South Pomfret, VT campus, reporting to our Executive Director. The role is typically Monday through Friday during business hours, with some weekend and evening activities as required.

General Responsibilities:

• Develop and plan the Artistree annual programming and operational calendar, aligned to community and market interests

• Work with marketing sta and o ce manager to ensure that classes are fully subscribed

• Ensure that Artistree facilities are fully utilized throughout the year

• Plan and manage all daily program operations

• Manage program-related interactions and correspondence with public, sta and other stakeholders in a timely and professional manner

• Curate and produce special projects and events as needed

• Maintain and analyze annual program data and evaluations; propose changes to programming based on available data and patron feedback

• Develop and manage programming budgets

• Act as a liaison between Artistree, schools, and community organizations

Qualiﬁcations:

• Bachelor's Degree plus significant relevant professional experience in a related field (arts programming, arts administration, performing arts management), including five or more years in a leadership capacity;

• Strong team leader with excellent interpersonal and relationship building skills; a demonstrated team-based, consultative approach to sta management; experience in managing direct reports as well as in collaborating with a variety of stakeholders

• Strong ﬁnancial management; experience developing and managing budgets

• Strong oral and written communication skill; skill and experience in public speaking

• Ability to prioritize tasks to work e ectively in a collaborative setting

• Have strong organizational skills, a ﬂexible attitude, and a good sense of humor

Please send an application, including resume, cover letter, and contact information for three professional references to info@artistreevt.org Please visit our website at artistreevt.org to learn more about us.

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Power Analyst

The Vermont Public Power Supply Authority, located in Waterbury Center, Vermont is seeking a Power Analyst to join our team. Under the direction of the Manager of Power Resources, this position shall manage and coordinate incoming and outgoing information for the power supply dept., work with databases, develop and perform electric power supply simulations for VPPSA members to support sales, power supply planning and analysis.

• Conduct data exchanges with VELCO, ISO New England and other business entities.

• Participating in negotiations for long term power purchase agreements and physical resources.

• Performing complex technical and analytical work primarily relating to resource, rate and cost-of-service activities.

• Conducting analyses and assisting with management of the Authority’s Renewable Energy Standard (RES) program.

• Implementing hedging strategies to manage ongoing electricity market positions.

• Maintaining an understanding of wholesale electricity markets including but not limited to understanding rules of the Independent System Operator in New England (ISO-NE).

Duties require knowledge of the New England power market, Vermont regulatory process, and knowledge in mathematical and economic modeling, or comparable education and experience equivalent to completion of four years of college.

Three or more years of experience in energy, R programming language, utilities or related field are preferred. VPPSA is building a team of professionals who are passionate about helping Vermont towns meet their energy needs. If you are a team player and enjoy a fast-paced collaborative environment we want to hear from you.

Position open until filled. Full job description at: vppsa.com

FULFILLMENT TECHNICIAN, FT

Shelburne, VT

Qualiﬁcations:

• Process driven, attention to detail

• Able to lift up to 25lbs, team player

Job Summary:

The prospective candidate will be responsible for picking and packing orders. Other responsibilities may include but are not limited to cycle counting inventory, data entry, and other administrative tasks. Hours: Monday-Friday, 7:30 am to 4 pm.

Beneﬁts:

• Pay: $19.50 per hour (Hourly wage will be increased to $20.00 after probation period of 5 months)

• 401(k), Life insurance, Medical, Dental & Vision insurance

• Employee discount & monthly gratis product, Paid time o Send resume to amy@tataharper.com

Woodworks

Finish Applicator

Silver Maple Construction seeks a reliable, self-motivated cabinetry finisher to join our dynamic team. We offer a diverse range of custom products, from cabinetry and millwork to architectural masterpieces, and we are always seeking new processes, materials, and better methods to meet and exceed our clients’ expectations.

Shared-Living Provider

Join Home Base Inc. in supporting an older woman with developmental disabilities as a Shared-Living Provider. We are seeking someone who owns a home (preferably in/ around Burlington/Shelburne area) with an extra bedroom on the first floor. This woman lives semi-independently (can be alone for up to 3 hours at a time) and receives community supports from Home Base staff. At home, she enjoys relaxing and keeping to herself but also values company and conversation. Provide assistance with grocery shopping, meal & medication prep, home care. Generous tax-exempt monthly stipend and room and board payment for opening your home and providing care for this woman. Training and ongoing support provided. Send resumes to: rachel@homebasevt.org

You’re in good hands with...

We are searching for an independent self-starter who thrives with minimal supervision. If you believe you are the right fit, we invite you to embrace the opportunity to join us on our journey toward excellence and innovation.

Total Rewards:

• Competitive Weekly Pay (based on experience)

• Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans

• Life, Disability, Accident and EAP

• 401k Retirement Plan + Company Match

• 15 days Paid Time Off, 7 Paid Holidays

• Paid Parental Leave And MORE!

To learn more, please visit silvermapleconstruction.com, email hr@silvermapleconstruction.com, or call our office (802) 989-7677

“Seven Days sales rep Michelle Brown is amazing! She’s extremely responsive, and I always feel so taken care of.”

CAROLYN ZELLER Intervale Center, Burlington

Get a quote when posting online. Contact Michelle Brown at 865-1020, ext. 121, michelle@sevendaysvt.com

Carpenter

New Frameworks, a worker-owned cooperative design and construction company, is hiring a Carpenter to add to our team. We are a busy, fun, egalitarian-yet-structured, creative, kind, and mission-driven group of people working together towards the goal of developing ecological and social climate justice and regeneration practices in the building and design trades.

Our ideal candidate has 8+ yrs’ experience in construction, renovation, trades and/or energy & weatherization work, and at least 2 years’ experience managing a crew. If you’ve been looking for a way to use your carpentry skills to advance climate change response through the built environment; build with natural, local, and plant-based materials; and be an integral part of an equitable, intersectional feminist workplace with a strong team culture, we welcome you! This position is based in Essex Junction, Vermont, but we travel to job sites across northern and central Vermont. $26-30/hr depending on experience, plus paid time off, benefits, education, and profit sharing.

To apply, please submit a letter of interest and resume via email to info@newframeworks.com. People of color, trans and gender-nonconforming people, people from poor and working-class backgrounds, queer people, and women are encouraged to apply.

Director of Accounting

Join VLT as our next Director of Accounting. Help us protect, care for, and connect people to the home we share using your love of numbers and passion for accuracy and integrity.

Our ideal candidates will advance our fiscal health through:

• Sound budgeting, bookkeeping, and financial management

• Strong attention to detail

• Proven ability to lead, serve internal partners, and collaborate

The annual starting salary is $94,411, plus a generous benefits package to cover the cost of health insurance. We also provide 6 weeks of time off plus sick time, a 403(b) retirement plan with match, and flexible and hybrid work schedules.

Learn more and apply at vlt.org/employment. This position will remain open until February 3, 2025.

The Vermont Land Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We honor and invite people of all backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Burlington Housing Authority (BHA)

Are you interested in a job that helps your community and makes a difference in people’s lives every day? Consider joining Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) in Burlington, VT to continue BHA’s success in promoting innovative solutions that address housing instability challenges facing our diverse population of low-income families and individuals.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

Building Operations Technician:

Performs general maintenance work in BHA owned and managed properties. This includes building exteriors, common areas, apartments, building systems, fixtures, and grounds. Our Building Operations Techs are required to participate in the on-call rotation, which covers night and weekend emergencies.

Offender Re-entry Housing Specialist: Provides support to men and women under the VT Department of Corrections supervision from prison back to Chittenden County. The ORHS focuses on high-risk men and women who are being released from jail and graduating transitional housing programs and in need of permanent housing. The ORHS provides intensive retention and eviction prevention services and works collaboratively with the Burlington Probation and Parole Office. Additionally, the ORHS works with various case workers, Re-Entry staff and the Administrative Staff from the VT Department of Corrections and the broad network of COSA staff as necessary throughout Chittenden County.

Resident Manager at South Square: Attends to various resident requests, assisting with emergency service, and light cleaning duties. The Resident Manager is required to live on property. The Resident Manager is provided with an apartment and along with free utilities in exchange for being on call after BHA business hours and on weekends.

*BHA serves a diverse population of tenants and partners with a variety of community agencies. To most effectively carry out our vision of delivering safe

and affordable housing to all, we are committed to cultivating a staff that reflects varied lived experiences, viewpoints, and educational histories. Therefore, we strongly encourage candidates from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, and women to apply. Multilingualism is a plus!

Find more about these career opportunities: burlingtonhousing.org

Our robust benefit package includes premium medical insurance with a health reimbursement account, dental, vision, short & long term disability, 10% employer funded retirement plan, 457 retirement plan, accident insurance, life insurance, cancer & critical illness insurance.

We provide a generous time off policy including 12 days of paid time off and 12 days of sick time in the first year. In addition to the paid time off, BHA recognizes 13 (paid) holidays and 2 (paid) floating cultural holidays.

Interested in this opportunity? Send cover letter/resume to: humanresources@ burlingtonhousing.org

Human Resources

Burlington Housing Authority 65 Main Street, Suite 101 Burlington, VT 05401 BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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Seven Days on the press in Mirabel, Québec

fun stuff

JEN SORENSEN

HARRY BLISS

RACHEL LINDSAY

JOHN KLOSSNER

CAPRICORN

(DEC. 22-JAN. 19)

Astrologers in ancient China had the appalling view that more than two-thirds of all omens are negative, threatening or scary. I haven’t seen formal research into the biases of modern Western stargazers, but my anecdotal evidence suggests they tend to be equally pessimistic. I regard this as an unjustified travesty. My studies have shown that there is no such thing as an inherently ominous astrological configuration. All portents are revelations about how to successfully wrangle with our problems, perpetrate liberation, ameliorate suffering, find redemption and perform ingenious tweaks that liberate us from our mind-forged manacles. They always have the potential to help us discover the deeper meanings beneath our experiences. Everything I just said is essential for you to keep in mind during 2025.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): Aries poet Charles Baudelaire said if you want to fully activate your personal genius, you will reclaim and restore the intelligence you had as a child. You will empower it anew with all the capacities you have developed as an adult. I believe this is sensational advice for you in 2025. In my understanding of the astrological omens, you

will have an extraordinary potential to use your mature faculties to beautifully express the wise innocence and lucid perceptions you were blessed with when you were young.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): In many Asian myths, birds and snakes are depicted as adversaries. Their conflict symbolizes humanity’s problems in coordinating the concerns of earth and heaven. Desire may be at odds with morality. Unconscious motivations can be opposed to good intentions. Pride, self-interest and ambition might seem incompatible with spiritual aspirations, high-minded ideals and the quest to transcend suffering. But here’s the good news for you, Taurus: In 2025, I suspect that birds and snakes will cooperate rather harmoniously. You and they will have stirring, provocative adventures together.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): Using a fork to eat food was slow to gain acceptance in the Western world. Upper-class Europeans began to make it a habit in the 11th century, but most common folk regarded it as a pretentious irrelevancy for hundreds of years. Grabbing grub with the fingers was perfectly acceptable. I suspect this scenario might serve as an apt metaphor for you in 2025. You are primed to be an early adapter who launches trends. You will be the first to try novel approaches and experiment with variations in how things have always been done. Enjoy your special capacity, Gemini. Be bold in generating innovations.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Psychologist Abraham Maslow defined “peak experiences” as “rare, exciting, oceanic, deeply moving, exhilarating, elevating experiences that generate an advanced form of perceiving reality, and are even mystic and magical in their effect upon the experimenter.” The moment of falling in love is one example. Another may happen when a creative artist makes an inspiring breakthrough in their work. These transcendent interludes may also come from dreamwork, exciting teachings, walks in nature and responsible drug use. (Read more here: tinyurl.com/peakinterludes.) I bring these ideas to your attention, Cancerian, because I believe the months ahead will be prime time for you to cultivate and attract peak experiences.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): According to my analysis of the astrological omens, your life in 2025 will be pretty free of grueling karmic necessity. You will be granted exemptions from cosmic compulsion. You won’t be stymied by the oppressive inertia of the past. To state this happy turn of events more positively, you will have clearance to move and groove with daring expansiveness. Obligations and duties won’t disappear, but they’re more likely to be interesting than boring and arduous. Special dispensations and kind favors will flow more abundantly than they have in a long time.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): One of my most enjoyable goals in life has been to expunge my “isms.” I’m pleased that I have made dramatic progress in liquidating much of the perverse cultural conditioning that imprinted me as I was growing up. I’ve largely liberated myself from racism, sexism, classism, ableism, heteronormativity, looksism and even egotism. How are you doing with that stuff, Virgo? The coming months will be a favorable time to work on this honorable task. What habits of mind and feeling have you absorbed from the world that are not in sync with your highest ideals?

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): Here’s one of my predictions for you in 2025, Libra: You will reach the outer limits of your domain and then push on to explore beyond those limits. Here’s another prediction: You will realize with a pleasant shock that some old expectations about your destiny are too small, and soon you will be expanding those expectations. Can you handle one further mind-opening, soulstretching prophecy? You will demolish at least one mental block, break at least one taboo, and dismantle an old wall that has interfered with your ability to give and receive love.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): If you’re not married and would like to be, 2025 might be your best chance in years to find wedded bliss. If an existing intimate bond is less than optimal, the coming months will bring inspiration and breakthroughs to improve it. Let’s think even bigger and stronger, Scorpio, and speculate that you could be on the verge of all kinds of enhanced synergetic connections. I bet business and artistic partnerships will thrive if you decide you want them to. Links

to valuable resources will be extra available if you work to refine your skills at collaboration and togetherness.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): I wonder how you will feel about the fact that I’m declaring 2025 to be the Year of the Muses for you Sagittarians. Will you be happy that I expect you to be flooded with provocative clues from inspiring influences? Or will you regard the influx of teachings and revelations as chaotic, confusing or inconvenient? In the hope you adopt my view, I urge you to expand your understanding of the nature of muses. They may be intriguing people and might also take the form of voices in your head, ancestral mentors, beloved animals, famous creators or spirit guides.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Over the years, a few people who don’t know me well have accused me of “thinking too much” or “overthinking.” They are wrong. While I aspire to always be open to constructive criticism, I am sure that I don’t think too much. Not all my thoughts are magnificent, original and high quality, of course; some are generated by fear and habit. However, I meticulously monitor the flow of all my thoughts and am skilled at knowing which ones I should question or not take seriously. The popular adage, “Don’t believe everything you think” is one of my axioms. In 2025, I invite you Aquarians to adopt my approach. Go right ahead and think as much as you want, even as you heighten your awareness of which of your thoughts are excellent and which are not.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): I’m pleased, bordering on gleeful, that your homecoming is well under way. All the signs suggest that as 2025 unfolds, you will ripen the processes of deepening your roots and building a stronger foundation. As a result, I expect and predict that your levels of domestic bliss will reach unprecedented heights. You may even create a deeply fulfilled sense of loving yourself exactly as you are and feeling like you truly belong to the world you are surrounded by. Dear Pisces, I dare you to cultivate more peace of mind than you have ever managed to arouse. I double dare you to update traditions whose emotional potency has waned.

Knitwear designer Ona Wöldten teamed up with Junction Fiber Mill to create knitting patterns using its wool yarns. Wöldten launched her Lindal sweater pattern before the 2024 New York State Sheep & Wool Festival, where attendees wore handmade versions of her sweater. Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger traveled to White River Junction to meet the ﬁber artist.

Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com

WOMEN seeking...

ARE YOU MY MOUNTAIN MAN?

I live north of St. J, east of I-91. Exploring: friends, maybe LTR. My special guy thrives in his fire, adores my fire, is looking for mutual ignition of body, mind, heart and soul. Me: both contrast and contradiction. Dusty hiker, lover of creature comforts. Metaphysics, quantum physics. Stars in your eyes, stars in the sky. I love to understand why. BrightWaters, 65, seeking: M, l

MISSING SOMETHING

53, female. I was good-looking in my thirties; not sure men find anything attractive after you hit 50. Avid gardener, baker of pies, canner of jams, rescuer of dogs. Looking for kind, relatively active man for conversation, playtime and company. Don’t need your money. Looking to downsize in stuff and upsize in nature and fun.

Heymanniceshot 53, seeking: M, l

INTIMIDATING GODDESS — MADE YOU LOOK!

I’m passionate about my work, my writing, and living a life of connection, learning and adventure. I’m seeking a man who is comfortable with himself and knows what he wants. I bike/hike/paddleboard, camp and would be interested in company on almost any outdoor activity. I appreciate good conversation and comfortable silence, different perspectives and anyone who can make me laugh. AuntieNunga 60, seeking: M, l

WANT TO RESPOND?

You read Seven Days, these people read Seven Days — you already have at least one thing in common!

All the action is online. Create an account or login to browse hundreds of singles with profiles including photos, habits, desires, views and more. It’s free to place your own profile online.

l See photos of this person online.

W = Women

M = Men

TW = Trans women

TM = Trans men

Q = Genderqueer people

NBP = Nonbinary people

NC = Gender nonconformists

Cp = Couples

Gp = Groups

GRATEFUL

I am fun-loving and interested in exploring the world, close by or far away. I enjoy interesting conversations. I am physically active. Long walks, hiking, yoga are some of my favorite pastimes. I am looking for a kind, educated and supportive man with a great sense of humor. I take good care of myself. manderine20 67, seeking: M, l

INSATIABLY CURIOUS TREKKIE

I’m not sure what I’m even looking for. But I do know that I miss having someone to snuggle up to on movie night and to hold hands with on a road trip. The last few years have me feeling more and more radicalized. If you wear a red hat, please just move on. I’m not your kind of girl. Lillian_ Mountweazel 54 seeking: M, l

SWEET FRIEND FOR YOU

I’m kind, honest and (my friends think) pretty funny. I’m looking for a long-term relationship with someone hardworking and creative like me. I enjoy the outdoors and love to dance. I’m a great listener and loyal to those I care about. VanityFair 43, seeking: M, W, l

EASYGOING

Lonely widow, outgoing. I like helping others, sometimes too much. Honesty is important to me. Physically, I am in pretty good condition. Looking for balance in my life and having a friend to share my day and goals with. Wishing 74, seeking: M, l

KIND HEART OPEN TO CONSCIOUS CONNECTION

Awakened heart aims to meet adventure, compassion, culture, creating comrades to grow chosen family. Nurture ecosystem resilience, grow/gather medicine, tend home hearth, venture into wild, play music, craft. Let’s drink tea, read poetry, cook, write songs, paddle, skin up a mountain, cuddle by a fire, tree climb, dance, practice Spanish and French. Conscious communication, friends first. Grow connection at trust speed. youthfuloldsoul 49, seeking: M, l

INTERESTING, LIVELY, THOUGHTFUL

I’m smart, considerate, generous and with-it, in good shape and not oldfashioned. I’m looking for a man who is smart, kind, attentive, affectionate and well groomed, for companionship and closeness. Ellie 73, seeking: M, l

ACTIVE HANDY LEFTY DREAMER

Active person who enjoys travel, hiking, skiing, mountain biking, pickleball. Most often found outdoors being active or caring for animals. The past couple years have been spent renovating a historic home. I have most enjoyed building on the home’s character and transitioning it into a functional, warm, cozy space. Interested in meeting people with similar interests and values. Built_For_Adventure 52, seeking: W, l

SEEKING AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION

I thrive on collaboration, creativity and making things work. I’m a beginner viola player exploring music’s emotional power and love sailing for balance. When not practicing or on the water, I’m coding and solving problems. Recently out of a long relationship. I’m looking for someone who values deep connections and authenticity and understands that my kids come first. learningviola, 46, seeking: W, l

EASYGOING HARD WORKER

HEART, SOUL, WATER AND EARTH

Settled, strong, self-sufficient woman seeks life partner. I enjoy my job and also love being outside playing in the dirt. I’m looking for someone who enjoys rambling conversations and long walks, is emotionally intelligent with a good sense of humor and willing to build a solid relationship. Active interests in regenerative agriculture, critters, playing music and chess a plus. Greener, 62, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, NBP, l

KINDHEARTED AND TRULY HAPPY

I am new to the area and looking for male companionship. Someone to laugh with, go to the movies with, hang out with. I am funny, happy and for the most part quite content with my life. But I am lonely and want to find someone with whom I can connect. Chemistry is more important than looks. Sharilynn, 66, seeking: M, l

INDEPENDENT BUT LOYAL

Friendly, sociable. Love solitude and nature but equally enjoy people. Needing balance in a relationship: independence, but seeking companionship. Is finding both a friend and a lover too much to ask? I’m a romantic but don’t require traditional gestures: A note with an offer of late-night cuddles is as good as a bejeweled offering. Seeking the unexpected. Naturewoman 61, seeking: M

KIND, LOVES LAUGHTER & SINCERITY

I am a caring, thoughtful, happy independent woman. I am also known to be extremely loyal and attentive. I enjoy reading, live theater, community events, exploring and dining out. Also, long walks are always a plus! Seeking a gentlemanly companion to share good conversations and fun activities. Pretty_In_Pink, 71, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

WHERE IS MY FEMALE HALF?

I want to find my female half for an eternal, loving relationship. I am open to getting married. RoiDeFrance, 49, seeking: W, l

LIFELONG LEARNER

These are a few of my favorite things: learning, reading, humor, bicycling, deep conversation, humor, building things, fixing things and last — but not least — humor. Any day I learn something new is a good day. In conversation, my default mode is listening. Listening to someone and truly hearing them is such a simple gift we can give. Kendallrnh 61, seeking: W, l

VERMONTER TO THE CORE

I’m a creative, outdoor-loving man in a marriage totally lacking intimacy (of mind, soul and body). I often go to the forest. I adore Vermont. I feel mostly content and grounded. It’s time for me to gracefully transition to increased spiritual connection and intimacy. I’m hoping you are open to tenderness and playful exploration. GrnMtn64 64, seeking: W, l

CARING, COMPASSIONATE, ENERGETIC, PEACEFUL, STABLE

Hey there. I hope to find a person who is mindful, present in the moment, happy being herself, radiates wholesomeness, has her own personal future plans, is affectionate, expressive, caring, gentle, kind, realizes the joy of living with someone who truly cares, is lifenourishing and priceless. Just ask a child: They know! CEF 77, seeking: W, l

LET’S MAKE EACH OTHER SMILE

I am an easygoing guy — a little shy at first, but once I get to know you I will talk about anything. I am looking for someone to have conversations with, get me out of the house on a Saturday night, and someone to laugh with or cry at a tearjerker. Mechanicinvt 52, seeking: W, l

BUILDING BLOCKS

Searching for chemistry and attraction, true friendship and companionship, laughter, and love (not necessarily in that order). Tiberius 61, seeking: W, l

LET’S MEET

Looking for creative, multitalented, intelligent man for LTR/open to marriage. I put my order in with the agency so apply to heaven and they will match us up. Ask for money and it’s over. ThomThomCS135, 71, seeking: M, Cp, Gp, l

YOGI, PLANT LOVER, SEEKING

Seeking a connection. I never realized that I have been working my whole life on being the weird uncle with good stories. I am very Instagrammable. Into all the current trends. Chef, baker, former roadie and expert houseplanter. Daily yogi. Looking for something real. Old enough to know better, not old enough to have it all figured out. Seanfoleyr, 42, seeking: W, l

LET’S SUCK EACH OTHER’S COCK

Bi-curious man, currently in committed relationship with a woman who wants me to explore fantasies that she can’t fulfill. Seeking a new friend who is interested in guiding my exploration. Casual and discrete. Let’s chat. VTPolarBear, 51, seeking: M

CURIOUS, SOCIAL, LAID-BACK

Divorced seven years and ready to move on. I am a 50+ male who passes for early forties (or so I’m told). I am at a point in my life where I want someone to share experiences of all kinds together. I am curious about life in general but history and nature in particular. Looking for a woman who wants to go out and adventure or stay in and cuddle, depending on the mood. Man_ Seeking_Contact 59, seeking: W, l

SPIRITUAL, CREATIVE, FUNNY, LIBERAL NATURE-LOVER

Greetings! Some interests we may share include love of sunshine, Vermont, creativity, children, Bread and Puppet, hiking, kayaking, music, road trips, baking, physical affection, and deep conversations on psychology and relationships, writing and ideas, Buddhism and spirituality, hiking and nature, and the meaning of love and life. I would describe myself as kind, outdoorsy, open-minded, endlessly curious, funny, talkative, introspective, affectionate, always seeking and searching, sometimes wise, adventurous, extroverted, and introverted. Together, let’s be best friends who understand and adore each other. thatsimplelight, 57, seeking: W, l

Want to spend some time with someone who wants nothing more than to make you feel good and be happy? Let me know if you are interested, and I’ll happily send pictures. Symbioticplease, 54, seeking: W

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

COMMUNITY-MINDED AND INDEFENSIBLY JOYFUL

I love writing, dancing, making music and meaningful action. My favorite conversations are about people’s passions. I like hiking, biking and paddling, but I spend a lot of time happily indoors being social or creative or productive. I’m interested in people of all genders and am seeking a connection that generates joy every day for us both. Sylph 56 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

TRANS MEN seeking...

INDUSTRIOUS, NERDY, PURSUING KNOWLEDGE

Student and professional artist constantly pursuing new hobbies and studies. Looking for friends to tinker and hang with or a partner for more or less the same. Friendly and open-minded but shy to start. Still wears a mask in crowds. grimblegromble 23, seeking: W, TW, l

GENDERQUEER PEOPLE seeking...

GENDERQUEER, SINGER-SONGWRITER, INTERFAITH MINISTER

It’s me, from the “Cherie & Yolanda” show in the ’90s. Moved to NYC in 2001; met my husband, Glen; together 20 years; now in Vermont after his death. I am a transfemme genderqueer singer-songwriter and interfaith minister. Youthful looks and attitude, long gray hair, stocky build, funny, compassionate. Looking for a cisgender man who appreciates the femininity and spirituality in me. RevYolanda 28 seeking: M, l

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking...

LOOKING FOR OUTDOORSY

I’m very creative and open-minded. Spend my days foraging in the forest and gardening, working at a greenhouse days in the summer. I’m intersex, born with both male and female genitalia. Looking for a man interested in connecting with my female side to date and form a long-term relationship with. Dajag181 29, seeking: M, l

COUPLES seeking...

ENJOYING LIFE

We are an attractive, fun-loving, professional couple enjoying life together in Vermont (she, 49; he, 51). Looking for couples or the occasional single guy for fun experiences in and out of the bedroom. Onlylivingonce, 50, seeking: M, Cp, Gp, l

KENTUCKY CUTIE

I gave you a hot tip on where to ﬁnd your favorite bourbon in town. Maybe we can share a whiskey sometime. Rocks or neat? When: Friday, January 3, 2025. Where: Burlington. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916232

START MAKING SENSE

Hey, Ben — lost track of you at the show. I had such an awesome time dancing next to you and felt a connection through the music, for sure. I wanted to ﬁnd you to see about meeting for more local music. When: Tuesday, December 31, 2024. Where: Higher Ground. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916231

J, MORE MUSIC PLEASE

Hi, J! We get to talk about music once or twice a month, and it makes me so so happy. e last album you recommended to me is amazing! Do you want to listen to music together sometime? When: Friday, December 20, 2024. Where: A place for music. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916230

STYLE COMMENTATOR AT TRADER JOE’S

I was in the wine aisle when you came over and complimented my sense of style. A friend says you were ﬂirting, which I didn’t pick up on, so I simply said thank you and kept selecting my wine. Were you ﬂirting? Or do you just have great taste? When: Monday, December 23, 2024. Where: Trader Joe’s. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916229

LONGHORN LUNCH

I met you at noon, sitting at the bar. We talked about your dragon fruit margarita. en we started talking about your family Christmas get-together for the next day. Really enjoyed talking with you; would like to meet you and chat again. When: Friday, December 20, 2024. Where: Longhorn, Williston. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916227

SOY MILK IN RICHMOND

You and your grandpa offered me a ride home from the Richmond Market, to the trail that cuts through to my road. ank you! It saved me some sketchy roadside walking in the snow. I was left with lingering questions about soy milk and would’ve liked to continue that conversation. When: Saturday, December 21, 2024. Where: Richmond. You: Group. Me: Woman. #916228

BLONDIE, I’M BEGGING

KT, I can’t hide it anymore. When you wear that blue jacket with the shoulder pads, it ignites a ﬁre in me that cannot be extinguished. If you feel the same, meet me under the disco ball at the next Shrek rave at the stroke of midnight. I’ll be dressed as the ugly stepsister. When: Saturday, December 21, 2024. Where: Bustling Brewery. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916226

MOUSTACHE MAN

I spy, with my little eye, the cutest guy. Better femme-y than phlegm-y, I always say. You can add “cryptic” to the list. When: ursday, December 19, 2024. Where: A valley. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916225

DECOROUS INGÉNUE

Showed you my body without armoire. Duvet lozenge ornate mirror wardrobe — Brassica capsaicin regalia soporiﬁc ululation — Sappho, fried chicken, grandfather’s truck, blistered soul, ball game, crushed-up receipts — sturgeon, tumultuous frenetic vivisect — like worn-out shoes and my love for you. Wikipedia cannot be sold. Dribble gravy, eyes a haunt for vulture pigeons. Carrion wayward skunk, there’ll be peas before you’re dung. When: Friday, December 20, 2024. Where: Wandering. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916224

Everyone I know has already taken down their Christmas tree, but mine is still up. It’s a real tree, but it looks great and smells absolutely fantastic. I kind of feel like I should take it down, but I don’t really want to. How long is too long to keep a Christmas tree?

HUNGER MOUNTAIN PARKING LOT

is was a few weeks ago, but I was walking to my car and I think we noticed each other. Not much more to go on, but I was holding soup. When: Sunday, December 1, 2024. Where: Montpelier. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916223

YOUR NAME IS DAVE

You’re a night manager at a grocery store. You got blood drawn, and you asked me about my mittens. We chatted while waiting. Would love to chat again over coffee. When: Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Where: Waiting area for blood lab. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916222

CHEESECAKE LOVE TRIANGLE

Me, when I’m buying cheese, and you’re like, “Look at me, Miss I-got-a-degreeI-know-how-to-use-words, and Mr. Got-a-degree-I-draw-cute-characters, deﬁnitely can’t forget Ms. I-got-a-degreeand-can-color-a-cake,” but you guys are absolutely amazing. It was amazing to see how amazing you are! When: Monday, December 16, 2024. Where: Work. You: Group. Me: Man. #916221

LOVELY WOMAN AT CHECKOUT

We chatted eagerly at the checkout of a grocery store in the evening. You had a lovely smile and asked me questions about my recent “bright-eyed” move to Vermont. I asked about your studies (bio and computer-related). After you left, my heart felt buoyed by the connection! Lunch sometime? When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Where: South Burlington grocery store. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916220

POOL TABLE MISHAP

I’ve been bothered for weeks now that you brought your small child in to play a round of pool and it was ruined by a rude comment. I applaud you for turning right around and would like to ask that you try again. When: Sunday, November 10, 2024. Where: Monkey. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916219

CHEEZ WHIZ WOMAN

I was shopping, and from across the aisle, I saw her slicing meats. She was with a man who smelt like bad provolone, but she smelled like a delicious Cheez Whiz with her pretty eyes and amazing bun. I wish she could be mine, with those cheesy little slicing ﬁngers. When: Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Where: Shaws. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916218

SKATING AT GIORGETTI

Monday afternoon public skating. I loved watching how graceful you were, practicing and circling, gliding backwards, all the while keeping an eye on your young companion. You had on a vest of some bright color, maybe magenta, and while lacing up I overheard you talking to a colleague about the Grand Tetons. Anyway, you made it look easy — and fun! When: Wednesday, December 18, 2024. Where: Giorgetti Arena, Rutland. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916217

TO MY BELOVED

Happy 21st anniversary! ank you for making every day better than the last. Home will always be with you. Come grow old with me — the best is yet to be. When: Wednesday, December 20, 2023. Where: Once upon a dream. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916216

MONTGOMERY WEED SHOP

We walked in at the same time, and you thought you recognized me from somewhere. You were browsing the choices with your partner, inside. I smiled a goodbye when I left. I’m intrigued and curious about the recognition. With full respect to your attached status, should we try to ﬁgure it out? When: Monday, December 16, 2024. Where: Mary Jane shop in Montgomery. You: Couple. Me: Man. #916215

RE: BE HONEST

She is who she is. Clearly she has no interest in respecting you. Don’t you think you deserve better? When: Monday, December 16, 2024. Where: I Spy. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916213

THE DELI MAN

ick curls, gorgeous beard, a cute little laugh; I’m crazy about you. I saw that short woman next to you, slicing a block of provolone. I bet you think she’s the love of your life. She smells like cheese wind. Whatever. Maybe when you ﬁnally come to your senses we can have a beautiful life, just us guys. When: Sunday, December 15, 2024. Where: e Deli. You: Man. Me: Man. #916212

ELIZA THE COLD PLUNGE HOTTIE

We chatted brieﬂy after both emerging from the frigid lake at sunset. You had a big smile that warmed me right up. Want to meet for another dip? When: ursday, October 31, 2024. Where: Texaco Beach. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916211

STANDING IN THE SNACK

AISLE

I was standing in the snack aisle holding a coffee. You approached me and said I have a great vibe. I thought you had a great vibe too, but my mind was too slow to say it! Very kind of you to say, and I’d love to chat more. I promise I’ll be more talkative. When: Saturday, December 14, 2024. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916210

SLAP AND TICKLE

Trying to teach someone a lesson when you have yet to learn yours is entertaining. Domination and manipulation were always the wrong way to go about things. e only way, it seems, to ﬁnd peace is to ﬁrst cause chaos. Only after the dust settles will we see who truly led with love and who led with lust and lost. When: Friday, December 6, 2024. Where: Everywhere I go. You: Group. Me: Woman. #916209

DESMOND DAN

I saw you in the Desmond Cheese aisle at the Steely Dan store. Hot! When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Where: Gnarnia. You: Group. Me: Man. #916208

EXITING THE INDIGO GIRLS

CONCERT

Green cargo jumpsuit, leather jacket, white Docs. Hair’s dark, curly, Mohawked. While exiting, you overheard me talking. We laughed and carried on. en you bumped into another stranger. I exclaimed “Hey, you’re supposed to bump into me!” and you playfully did. en it ended — lost in the crowd. I’m tall, queer, short brown hair, large glasses, in black jeans and gray coat. When: Monday, December 9, 2024. Where: Flynn eatre. You: Nonbinary person. Me: Woman. #916207

OLD FRIENDS, ENOSBURG TO SALISBURY

inking of some friends from some years back, whose company I enjoyed very much (about 15 years ago!). I believe the feeling was mutual. I’ve reconnected with one of you, and I’d love to get back in touch with the female half of the couple. Ja*na, how are you? Last we talked, I told you I’m up in Montgomery these days. When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Where: Enosburg. You: Couple. Me: Man. #916206

De Joey Noelle,

One of the saddest sights to me is a Christmas tree on the side of the road on December 26. But to each their own.

Some people think it’s bad luck to take down your tree before the 12 days of Christmas are over on January 6. While that date has gotten a bad insurrection rap of late, it’s also known as the Epiphany, Little Christmas or ree Kings Day. Other people believe you need to take down your tree before New Year’s Eve or else you’ll carry baggage from the previous year into the new one.

the origins of Groundhog Day — but I’ll save that story for another time. Aside from taking down Christmas decorations, Candlemas traditions include eating pancakes, singing, lighting all the candles in the house and making bonﬁres. ose who celebrate are my kind of people.

If you want to get technical, the Christmas season isn’t ofﬁcially over until Candlemas, which falls on February 2 and actually does have to do with

I like to say I take my tree down just before it bursts into flames, and I’m only half joking. Of course, safety comes first, and nobody needs a fire hazard in the living room. When your tree starts to turn brown, drops needles at the slightest touch or feels really brittle, it’s time for it to check out of the inn.

Until then, as long as it makes you happy and brings light into the darkness of winter, your tree is still doing its job.

Good luck and God bless,

Noelle

SWF (50) seeking a SWM (48 to 58) to homestead and live a quiet life. I am sincere, ready to settle down, artistic and love dogs. #L1818

I’m a 60-y/o SWF seeking a 55-70-y/o SM. Retired, healthy, ﬁt and outdoorsy. ISO a kindred spirit with whom to share Vermont’s trails. I enjoy mountain and gravel biking, cross-country skiing, and yearround hiking, as well as a good Vermont brew, current events, reading and eating as locally as possible. Self-deprecating sense of humor a plus! #L1816

CD into fetish? Tight and shiny clothing? #L1814

I am an 80-y/o woman seeking an 80-y/o man. I am a widow, have a son and am retired. I like going out to eat and riding around. I am looking for a very good relationship as well as companionship. #L1817

I’m a SWF, 71 y/o, seeking a white or Black man 50-70 y/o. I want companionship/sex, movies, warmth; I love music. Phone calls only. #L1815

GM looking for a man or men for mutual pleasure. Maybe develop into LTR or FWB. Would like regular or semiregular visits. Fun and adventurous. #L1812

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1 Submit your FREE message at sevendaysvt.com/loveletters or use the handy form at right.

We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above. 2

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required! 3

Single woman, 59. Wise, mindful. Seeking tight unit with man, friend, love. Country living, gardens, land to play on. Emotionally, intellectually engaged. Lasting chats. Appreciation for past experience. Please be kind, stable and well established. Phone number, please. #L1813

I’m an 80-y/o man in good health. I own a ranch house on Route 110 in Tunbridge, south of fairgrounds. Never married. No children, retired. Like going out to eat and riding around. Looking for a nice lady for a long-term relationship. #L1810

I miss the touch, the ﬂirting, the taste, the smell of a woman. I’m 69, retired and disabled. I also have many facets that make me up. NEK please, thanks. #L1811

SWM, bi, seeking guys for fun. Any race. I’m 6’1, 175 pounds. Clean, safe and discreet. Love being a bottom. Respond with a phone number. #L1804

58-y/o enjoys the simple things: walks with my dogs, candlelit evenings, window shopping. I don’t have to have someone to complete me but would love to share the beauty of life with a man who also is ready to dance like nobody’s watching. #L1808

Int net-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

T-girl? Transgender? CD? Gay? I’m a dom, so looking for subs. anks. #L1799

76-y/o male seeking a female. Widower, Burlington resident, gardener, ﬁsherman and writer wants to meet you for dinner, movies, events and conversation. You: old, kind, no issues. Possible friendship, LTR. I don’t watch football. #L1807

I’m a sweet, ﬁt, busy 48y/o DILF type seeking a 28- to 68-y/o-ish woman who wants some more affection in her life. Let’s have a great evening together every month and share good memories and joyful anticipation in between. #L1806

Handsome SWM, young-looking 60, yearning for a woman’s connection and intimacy. Seeking friendly relations with slim-average 45- to 60-y/o, kind, smart, respectful, humorous, playful. Activities indoors and outdoors — dinners, talks, walks, nature, TV, entertainment, day trips, overnights, spontaneity, hobbies, more. #L1803

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below: (OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.)

I’m a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL) seeking a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

I’m a SWM seeking a Black couple, both bi. I’m clean, a nonsmoker and don’t drink. Would like a weekly meet, on weekends. My place is private. I only date Black men and women. Age no problem. Phone. Serious. #L1802

Mid-60s, SWM, 6’, 175 pounds. Looking for a forever romance, but just meeting with new friends can work, too! Extremely romantic and passionate! I stay active as I run, hike, bike; play golf, tennis and pickleball; and work out at the Edge. Full of spontaneity and love dancing, travel. I will love you snuggling in my arms always as I shower you with love and romance! #L1801

I’m a 54-y/o male seeking a 50- to 60-y/o female. Looking for an honest person. Sex is less important. I enjoy taking walks, soft rock and movies, in or out. Love to go out to eat. No drugs, no smoking. #L1800

SWM, 69, seeking a SF. I am warm, friendly, clean and respectful, seeking a LTR. Just an ordinary guy looking for same. Phone number, please. #L1798

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THIS FORM IS FOR LOVE LETTERS ONLY. Messages for the Personals and I-Spy sections must be submitted online at dating.sevendaysvt.com.

Silver Bangles Workshop

THU., JAN. 9

STUDIO SPACE, CHARLOTTE

Focaccia Art Workshop

THU., JAN. 9

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY VILLAGE

Enameled Pendant

SAT., JAN. 11

STUDIO SPACE, CHARLOTTE

New Dances Dawning

SAT., JAN. 11

VERMONT STATE UNIVERSITY, CASTLETON CASELLA THEATER

Saturday Night Sounds

SAT., JAN. 11, SAT., JAN. 18

MAGNETICA PERFORMANCE SPACE, BURLINGTON

Intro to Soldering: Rings

SUN., JAN. 12

STUDIO SPACE, CHARLOTTE

Perfume Making Event with Bloom Lab

SUN., JAN. 12

STOWE CIDER

The Magnetica Sound Bath

SUN., JAN. 12, SUN., JAN 19

MAGNETICA PERFORMANCE SPACE, BURLINGTON

Female Founders Speakers Series:

Economic Power

MON., JAN. 13

HOTEL VERMONT, BURLINGTON

Culinary Mavericks - A Multi-Course

Jamaican Fall Harvest Dinner

MON., JAN. 13

COLD HOLLOW CIDER MILL, WATERBURY CENTER

Winter 6-Part Series

THU., JAN. 16

OLD SPOKES HOME, BURLINGTON

Old Spokes Home Bike Mechanics 101

Spice on Snow Winter Music Festival: Rose and the Bros

FRI., JAN. 17

MONTPELIER CITY HALL

Cooking for the Chinese New Year

SAT., JAN. 18

FAITH UNITED METHODIST CHURCH, SOUTH BURLINGTON

Ethiopian and Eritrean Cuisine Takeout Dinner

SAT., JAN. 18

O.N.E. COMMUNITY CENTER, BURLINGTON

Spice on Snow Winter Music Festival Concert: Richie and Rosie

SAT., JAN. 18

MONTPELIER CITY HALL

TURNmusic performs "Hurtling Toward Oblivion," curated by Mary Rowell

SAT., JAN. 18

THE PHOENIX, WATERBURY VILLAGE

AFROMAN with Mister Burns

SAT., JAN. 18

AFTERTHOUGHTS, WAITSFIELD

We Shall Overcome: MLK Jr. Commemorative Concert

SUN., JAN. 19

CITY HALL AUDITORIUM ARTS CENTER, MONTPELIER

"The Basics" Cake Decorating Class

TUE., JAN. 21

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY VILLAGE

The Tenderbellies

FRI., JAN. 24

OPERA HOUSE AT ENOSBURG FALLS

Now through January 12, bring a poinsettia that’s destined for the compost pile into any Gardener’s Supply and get 20% OFF your same-day purchase.