Seven Days, January 24, 2024 by Seven Days

NO OFFENSE?

Prosecutor’s plan could reduce pending cases

VE R MO NT ’S INDE PEN DENT VO IC E JANUARY 24-31, 2024 VOL.29 NO.16 SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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TALK of the TOWNS ICE ESCAPADES

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Visiting Québec’s winter carnival

CLUCK YEAH!

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A fried-chicken tour of ChittCo

Neighbors seek plumbers, lost pets and community on Front Porch Forum • PAGE 24

MEETING EXPECTATIONS Flynn forum on Vermont’s “at-risk” arts

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WEEK IN REVIEW

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JANUARY 17-24, 2024 COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY Goddard College campus

PULP FACT

Nearly 130 people lost their jobs when the Putney Paper Mill closed without warning. A big blow to the town.

IN A BIND

Four animal welfare groups have sued the state over hunting and trapping regulations. Time for a paws?

GODDARD COLLEGE

TO GO ONLINE ONLY

Goddard College will eliminate its on-campus residency programs in fall 2024 as it seeks to stay afloat amid slumping enrollment and rising costs. The online-only model is just an experiment and not necessarily permanent, president Dan Hocoy said in a letter last Friday. “Inflation and increased maintenance costs continue to make it progressively more difficult to maintain a fully operational campus for the fewer and fewer students choosing the in-person residency option,” he wrote. Goddard’s current model combines distance learning with occasional “residencies” in which students live on campus for eight days. Despite Hocoy’s assurance that the change may not be permanent, some students and alumni said they think the residencies, which drew about a dozen students to campus at a time, are gone forever. “Let’s face it: If they shut this campus down, they’re never going to open it again, and that’s absolutely their plan,” said Dustin Byerly, a 2001 graduate and Montpelier resident who worked in marketing and fundraising for Goddard for several years. Come April, Hocoy also expects to lay off about a dozen people who work on campus. Goddard’s founders set out in 1938 to create a school

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The July flooding

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that was an integral part of the community, where students would be deeply involved with school policy making and maintaining the campus. It drew brilliant teachers and students to tiny Plainfield, including Louise Glück, winner of the 2020 Nobel Prize in Literature, who taught at Goddard in the 1970s. Playwright David Mamet graduated from Goddard in 1969 with a degree in English literature. But enrollment has been declining since that heyday, and in 2002, Goddard went to its current low-residency model. In 2021, it had 390 students, about half the number of a decade before; last fall, Hocoy said, there were only 250. The decision could also deter some potential students who do not want an online-only education. “I’m looking at transfer options now,” said David Harewood, who is pursuing a master of fine arts degree in interdisciplinary arts. Harewood, who lives in Ohio, doesn’t want to continue studying at Goddard if he can’t meet with fellow students and professors in person. “As a theater person, I need to be in the room physically with these crazy but brilliant minds that the school tends to attract,” he said. Read Anne Wallace Allen’s full story at sevendaysvt.com.

MONEY TALKS

State economists said Vermont has shown “surprising economic resilience” despite fears of a slowdown, VTDigger.org reported. Welcome news.

SNOW RAGE?

A South Burlington teenager tried to run over a man who threw a snowball at his car, authorities allege. Hamza Velic, 18, was charged with attempted murder.

That’s how many lost skiers and snowboarders were rescued by search teams in the Killington backcountry on Saturday.

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

1. “Couple Killed in California Plane Crash Had Ties to Burlington’s Tech Scene” by Derek Brouwer. Lochie Ferrier and Cassidy Petit were among four people killed when a small plane crashed into the Pacific Ocean. 2. “Goddard College Will Become Online Only — Temporarily, at Least” by Anne Wallace Allen. The story appears on this page. 3. “Headwaters Restaurant & Pub in Cabot Ends Short Run” by Melissa Pasanen. Four months after opening, the eatery has closed, according to owner Russell Statman. 4. “Boys Wonder: Montpelier High School Students Dig Into What It Means to Be a Man” By Alison Novak. The Healthy Masculinity elective covers all things male. 5. “Winooski’s Vermont Homebrew Supply to Close” by Melissa Pasanen. After 29 years, Anne and Matt Whyte plan to shutter their business.

post of the week @MoxeeBeMe I love that Vermont bans billboards, and that most towns don’t allow drive thru restaurants, and that there’s very little commercialism here to wreck the natural beauty That being said, I really wish they’d make an exception for a Popeye’s Chicken FOLLOW US ON X @SEVENDAYSVT OR VISIT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER

THAT’S SO VERMONT

RECIRCULATED FAVOR

Montpelier’s public library suffered $1 million in flood damage last July, so a $1,087 donation might seem like a drop in the bucket. Yet there was something touching about the recent contribution, Kellogg-Hubbard Library executive director Dan Groberg said: It reciprocated a gesture of goodwill that Montpelier library officials had made under similar circumstances — nearly a century ago. Following the Great Flood of 1927, trustees at Kellogg-Hubbard sent their smaller counterpart, the Waterbury Public Library, $100 to help replace lost furnishings. The Waterbury librarian, identified as “Mrs. Bullock” in a 1929 Waterbury Record article, used the cash to pur-

chase six Windsor chairs for the reading room and two reading lamps, “which add[ed] greatly” to the space. The generations-old donation may have been lost to time if not for its brief mention in the newspaper. But a modern-day Waterbury library commissioner recently discovered the old article, prompting booster group Friends of the Waterbury Public Library to return the favor. The donation amount is adjusted for inflation. “It’s such a meaningful gesture to us,” Groberg said. The Montpelier library, which serves six towns and has the highest circulation of any public library in the state, certainly can use the money. Its basement took on more than seven feet of water during July’s flood, which

destroyed more than 10,000 books and damaged mechanical systems. Within eight days, librarians with headlamps and flashlights were retrieving books from the aboveground stacks and bringing them to patrons curbside. The library building reopened to the public in October. But the recovery isn’t complete. The elevator doesn’t work, and the cost of repairs has far exceeded what the library’s flood insurance covered. Additionally, the 10,000 ruined books were part of an ongoing book sale that typically raises $30,000 a year. Those more pressing needs mean Groberg won’t be using the cash for Windsor chairs or reading lamps. Instead, the funds will help make the total bill just a little less daunting. DEREK BROUWER SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

ON MESSAGES.

publisher & editor-in-chief

Vermont really should put its back into pasture-raised and -finished livestock instead of dairy. Or rename itself the Green Water State.

Paula Routly

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deputy publisher Cathy Resmer AssociAte publishers Don Eggert, Colby Roberts NEWS & POLITICS editor Matthew Roy deputy editor Sasha Goldstein consulting editors Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page stAff writers Derek Brouwer, Colin Flanders,

Rachel Hellman, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Anne Wallace Allen A R T S & C U LT U R E coeditors Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox AssociAte editor Margot Harrison consulting editor Chelsea Edgar Art editor Pamela Polston Music editor Chris Farnsworth cAlendAr writer Emily Hamilton stAff writers Jordan Barry, Hannah Feuer,

Mary Ann Lickteig, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard proofreAders Carolyn Fox, Angela Simpson AssistAnt proofreAders

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros, Elizabeth M. Seyler

? Snack on the BITE-CLUB NEWSLETTER for a taste of this week’s flavorful food coverage. It’ll hold you over until Wednesday.

DESIGN creAtive director Don Eggert Art director Rev. Diane Sullivan production MAnAger John James designers Jeff Baron, Kirsten Thompson SALES & MARKETING director of sAles Colby Roberts senior Account executive Robyn Birgisson Account executives Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka,

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A D M I N I S T R AT I O N business MAnAger Marcy Stabile director of circulAtion & logistics Matt Weiner circulAtion deputy Andy Watts AssistAnt to the publishers Gillian English CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Jordan Adams, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Annie Cutler, Chelsea Edgar, Erik Esckilsen, Steve Goldstein, Colleen Goodhue, Margaret Grayson, Amy Lilly, Rachel Mullis, Bryan Parmelee, Mark Saltveit, Jim Schley, Carolyn Shapiro, Casey Ryan Vock CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Luke Awtry, Daria Bishop, Jarad Greene, Matt Jenkins, Caleb Kenna, Tim Newcomb, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

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C I R C U L AT I O N : 3 5 , 0 0 0 Seven Days is published by Da Capo Publishing Inc. every Wednesday. It is distributed free of charge in greater Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, Northeast Kingdom, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, White River Junction and Plattsburgh, N.Y. Seven Days is printed at Quebecor Media Printing in Mirabel, Québec. DELIVERY TECHNICIANS Harry Applegate, Joe Bouffard, Pat Bouffard, Colin Clary, Julie Copley, Elana Coppola-Dyer, Becky Gates, Matt Hagen, Russ Hagy, Debra Leduc, Ed Lieberman, Dan Manion, Nat Michael, Frankie Moberg, Liam Mulqueen-Duquette, Dan Nesbitt, Dan Oklan, Ezra Oklan, Steve Stanley, Mike VanTassel, Andy Watts With additional circulation support from PP&D. SUBSCRIPTIONS 6-Month 1st clAss: $140. 1-yeAr 1st clAss: $220. 6-Month 3rd clAss: $85. 1-yeAr 3rd clAss: $135. Please call 802-865-1020, ext. 132 with your credit card, contact circ@sevendaysvt.com or mail your check to: Seven Days, c/o Subscriptions, 255 S. Champlain St., Ste. 5, Burlington, VT 05401 Seven Days shall not be held liable to any advertiser for any loss that results from the incorrect publication of its advertisement. If a mistake is ours, and the advertising purpose has been rendered valueless, Seven Days may cancel the charges for the advertisement, or a portion thereof as deemed reasonable by the publisher. Seven Days reserves the right to refuse any advertising, including inserts, at the discretion of the publishers.

Eben Markowski SANTA FE, N.M.

‘CARPETBAGGER’ CANDIDATE

[Re “Former Middlebury Selectboard Member Announces Bid for Governor,” January 5, online]: A 33-year-old from Connecticut running for governor of Vermont? Are you serious? Fred Tuttle, star of the Vermont mockumentary Man With a Plan, would have referred to such a candidate as a “carpetbagger.” Rightly so. How you give such ludicrous aspirations — for a serious professional position — free airtime is beyond my understanding. But that is the world we live in. For now. Rob Mann

‘ACE’ REPORTING

I wanted to let you how much I appreciate the reporting and writing of Anne Wallace Allen. The story on Ace McArleton about straw bale houses was well written and gave a good representation of what Ace is up to [Nest: Last Quarter: “Back to Nature,” January 17]. Ace is an international leader in this type of construction and in carbon management. Thank you for presenting him as the business leader and innovator that he is. David Lanfear

LAKE LUZERNE, N.Y.

COLCHESTER

BLAME STATE, NOT FARMERS

I was one of the players responsible for setting this legal action in motion about five years ago [“Vorsteveld Farm Held in Contempt Over Runoff,” January 10]. As bad as the practices of these guys are, I am not in favor of making them the scapegoats of an entire industry that is not correctable. Dairy farming on this scale, even by the state’s “best practices,” unavoidably leads to the degradation of water quality. The state is completely guilty of degrading watershed ecology by allowing dairy to run functionally unchecked. In this case, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets knew — or should’ve known — where every drain tile went and every tree fell to make way for expanding corn production, which obviously results in animal ag runoff on many, many farms. Vermont consumers as well as taxpayers are quite literally choosing foods, such as ice cream and bulk cheese, over 38 percent cleaner water.

CORRECTIONS

Last week’s story “Trainer and Author Ginger Vieira’s Tips for Exercising With Type 1 Diabetes” misidentified a type of insulin used by people with diabetes. It’s rapid-acting insulin. “’Shine On,” the story about the return of Urban Moonshine to local ownership, contained an error: Traditional Medicinals, the company that bought Urban Moonshine in 2017, had no background in marketing herbal tinctures.

‘WHAT WE CAN AFFORD’

[Re “Vermont Lawmakers Are Focused on Disaster Response, but Covering the Costs May Be Tough,” January 10]: I read this article with interest and came away somewhat incredulous at all the proposals from legislators who know well that Vermont is a poor state. It seems as though everyone has forgotten what income revenues there are: What We Can Afford versus What I Want. I have always thought of myself as a liberal until now. After the huge childcare bill and resultant proposed property tax increase, there is just not anything left for all these programs. When I look at what Vermont pays for education versus the return on investment, I am astonished. Students aren’t performing at a level to justify the spending — Vermont has the fourth-highest per-capita education cost and ranks 15th overall on performance. Legislators want to spend money we do not have; they need to concentrate on finding new revenue sources before developing new programs the taxpayers cannot afford. They will price themselves right out of residents if they continue to place a high burden on taxpayers, with, again, little return. We look at our tax bill and then wonder what we get for it. Education is huge, but any other infrastructure is poor. What we get for our taxes is plowed dirt roads and a place to vote. Oh, the town did buy a huge brush cutter and then mowed down the shrubs and flowers we planted by the mailbox. Virginia Small

CLARENDON SPRINGS

WEARING WOOL AGAIN

It was a pleasure reading [“Glad in Plaid,” December 13], which inspired me to renew my 55-year relationship with Johnson Woolen Mills under its new management. I am now the proud and happy owner of a brand-new redand-black plaid JWM lined wool jacket with a detachable hood — a family gift for my recent 75th birthday. Not cheap, but it has already been my daily wear for weeks, and I expect it will long outlive me and that one of my grandchildren will lay claim to it when the time comes! Nils Daulaire

SOUTH ROYALTON

FOR FORESTS

[Re Feedback: “Out of Energy?” December 27]: Seven Days readers were treated to a low point in logic by the lead-off letter in the turn-of-the-year double issue. Liz Curry tried to persuade a gullible public that burning trees in the McNeil Generating Station industrial woodstove is somehow a green alternative to fossil fuels. Some antienvironmental propaganda is subtle but so transparent as to be utterly ridiculous. Expanding the McNeil system to heat the University of Vermont Medical Center will perpetuate McNeil’s carbon footprint and its climate-warming emission of CO2 and health-impairing particulate matter into the air over Burlington. The city’s political and medical leaders, electric utility, and residents need to take an in-depth look at the truly sustainable alternative of leaving Vermont’s forests intact to absorb and sequester carbon

and using solar or ground-sourced heat pumps to meet energy needs.

LOVE VT FOR THE BEAUTY, LOVE US FOR THE SAVINGS

Jonathan Gibson

SHREWSBURY

PROPS FOR KAMPUS KITCHEN

Hey, it looks like you left Kampus Kitchen out of your corner store roundup [“Market Value: Burlington’s Remaining Corner Stores Double Down and Evolve,” January 10]. Hardest-working store owner around. Behind the counter seven days a week. Seems like he should get some props.

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Editor’s note: “Market Value” did not claim to be comprehensive; our writers visited seven of roughly 15 markets left in Burlington, as stated in the story’s introduction. That said, we did consider including Kampus Kitchen in the piece, but the owner, who bought the store less than a year ago, declined the opportunity.

SAY SOMETHING! Seven Days wants to publish your rants and raves. Your feedback must... • be 250 words or fewer; • respond to Seven Days content; • include your full name, town and a daytime phone number. Seven Days reserves the right to edit for accuracy, length and readability. Your submission options include: • sevendaysvt.com/feedback • feedback@sevendaysvt.com • Seven Days, P.O. Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402-1164

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contents JANUARY 24-31, 2024 VOL.29 NO.16

FOOD+DRINK 38 Best of Cluck Five new ways to feed your fried chicken craving in Chittenden County

COLUMNS 11 Magnificent 7 13 From the Publisher 40 Side Dishes 50 Movie Review 56 Soundbites

62 Album Reviews 93 Ask the Reverend

SECTIONS 20 Life Lines 38 Food + Drink 44 Culture 50 On Screen

STUCK IN VERMONT

TALK of the TOWNS

Neighbors seek plumbers, lost pets and community on Front Porch Forum

52 56 64 70 73

Art Music + Nightlife Calendar Classes Classifieds + Puzzles 89 Fun Stuff 92 Personals

Online Thursday

COVER DESIGN JOHN JAMES • IMAGE JARAD GREENE

New Study Documents the Economic Impact of Vermont’s Arts Sector

NEWS+POLITICS 14 A Chance to Change

As calls grow to crack down on repeat offenders, State’s Attorney Sarah George takes a different tack

Artistic Ancestry

Book review: Belfield, Joan Aleshire

Scott Proposes State Budget With Modest Increases

FEATURES 24

Taking a Stand

Critics call plan to log in the Worcester Range a missed conservation opportunity

Burlington Council Rejects Pro-Palestine Ballot Item

The Flynn Asks Vermonters to Help Create Its Strategic Plan

Inside the Ice Palace

Head north for Québec’s legendary winter carnival

M.T. Anderson and Ken Cadow Win Honors for Youth Literature

ARTS+CULTURE 44

Domestic Dialogue

Good Questions

Virtual trivia night tests competitors’ knowledge of Vermont history

For almost 20 years, the Old North End SUPPORTED BY: Veterinary Clinic in Burlington and its staff have provided affordable care for pets and their families. In the next few months, the Humane Society of Chittenden County’s Community Pet Clinic will take over the space from married couple Dr. Susan McMillan and Kit Roberts. Eva Sollberger dropped by to talk about the transition.

“Home Bodies” presents dynamic expressions of ceramic and fabric by Fawn Krieger and David B. Smith

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Artist Pievy Polyte Whisks Vermont Viewers to Haiti

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AGAIN Y L S AL

Please join us to raise awareness and support research at

NCER

UVM Men’s Ice Hockey vs New Hampshire January 26 — 7:00 pm

UVM Men’s Basketball vs Binghamton February 3 — 2:00 pm

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UVM Women’s Ice Hockey vs Holy Cross February 3 — 6:00 pm

UVM Women’s Basketball vs NJIT February 8 — 6:00 pm

Tickets available at UVMathletics.com. sponsored by:

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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Find out more about the University of Vermont Cancer Center at VermontCancer.org.

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MAGNIFICENT

THURSDAY 25

Let There Be Peace White River Junction’s Main Street Museum hosts A Liberation for Palestine Fundraiser to benefit Baitulmaal, which delivers lifesaving direct humanitarian aid in Gaza and around the world. Attendees are encouraged to bring a Palestinian potluck dish — think shawarma, hummus or falafel — to this evening of dabke drumming, Middle Eastern dancing, education and poetry.

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK COMPI L E D BY EM ILY H AM ILTON

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 65

WEDNESDAY 31

CARMEN GET IT

THURSDAY 25

Trail Safe

The latest Metropolitan Opera performance live streaming to Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater is Georges Bizet’s classic work Carmen. Mezzo-soprano Aigul Akhmetshina sings the title role in this timely, feminist reimagining directed by acclaimed English director Carrie Cracknell.

The Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe presents a special edition of its Red Bench Speaker Series: 40 Years of the Catamount Ski Trail. The founders of North America’s longest backcountry ski path reflect on its history, discuss the impact of climate change on snow sports and prepare for an anniversary end-to-end journey later this winter. SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

FRIDAY 26

Electric Boogaloo The UVM Lane Series resumes after its holiday hiatus with a thrilling concert by ARKAI at Burlington’s University of Vermont Recital Hall. The young, Juilliard-trained duo of violinist Jonathan Miron and cellist Philip Sheegog combine their electric instruments with classical skill for an uplifting, utterly unique show.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 68

Submit your upcoming events at sevendaysvt. com/postevent.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

Aigul Akhmetshina

SATURDAY 27

Statehouse and Home Climate justice nonprofit 350Vermont urges a wide coalition of Green Mountain State activists to join its Vermonters Together — Building a Better Future March and Rally at Montpelier City Hall. Marching to the Statehouse and working together on a public art project, attendees call on lawmakers to create a more equitable, just and environmentally friendly future. SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

ONGOING FRIDAY 26-SUNDAY 28

Pineapple of My Eye Burlington winter is but a distant memory at the Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge’s Tropical Drink Weekend.. Limited-edition cocktails celebrate rum with flavors including coconut, lychee, passion fruit, lime and ginger, and pair perfectly with savory snacks inspired by Japanese and Southeast Asian cuisines. SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

In Deep Water M ST IM E

COURTESY OF BEATA NYKIEL

LOOKING FORWARD

EA DR L| EL W M BRA © ALEX

Artist and educator Rebecca Schwarz presents “Gaining Ground,” a new, immersive installation at the Champlain College Art Gallery. Viewers enter an intricate, effervescent ocean of plankton and sea-foam that doubles as a visualization of data related to the climate crisis and environmental catastrophe. SEE GALLERY LISTING AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

BROWSE THE FULL CALENDAR, ART SHOWS, AND MUSIC+NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM. SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

1T-VFCU011724 1

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Accent on Québec and his famous ship, the Endurance — to the delight of cheering crowds along the river’s banks. Chances are those spectators are sipping a very strong local beverage called caribou, which flows freely during the polar Mardi Gras. To get through the coldest time of the year, French Canadians fully embrace it. Read all about the carnival on page 34. Guiding our Québec coverage is Jen Rose Smith, a travel writer based in Richmond. Jen helped me edit last year’s special issue — in particular, the sprawling roundup story at the heart of it, which featured activityfocused write-ups and recommendations. That info-packed story still exists on our website. We’ve built a landing page for it and the rest of our Québec content, including a helpful currency exchange rate calculator and quick links to wait times on both sides of the border. You’ll also find some of the rules on what you can bring back into the U.S. from Canada. With Jen, Seven Days will be expanding that online resource at sevendaysvt.com/quebec. Along with wrangling more stories and tips, she will be answering your questions on where to go and what to do in Québec. We’re eager to tell you more about the place. After last year’s issue, someone emailed to point out that Québec doesn’t have an accent in English. Technically, and per the AP Stylebook, that’s true. But we’ve decided to break the rule and keep the emphasis. Simply put, we think Québec deserves an accent. COURTESY OF FRÉDÉRIC LAVOIE/DESTINATION QUÉBEC

Half a year ago, Seven Days published its first Québec Issue. On June 21, 2023, we filled an entire edition of this newspaper with stories about our Canadian neighbor. In the past we’d written on occasion about north-of-theborder events, restaurant and exhibits. For a while Seven Days even had a Montréal column, penned by Jeanne Keller, with tips for fellow Vermonters on places to eat, shop, bike or catch a cheap flight to Cuba. Consulting editor Ice canoeing at Carnaval de Québec Candace Page still talks about one installment she clipped and saved, in which Jeanne explained how to get to IKEA. Last year’s Québec Issue was more ambitious — and, arguably, audacious. We set out to cover a vast foreign province we know little about, compared to tiny, familiar Vermont. But the overarching goal for the special edition was no different than Jeanne’s: to make Québec accessible and understandable to Vermonters. We share power, waterways and air with our northern neighbor — remember last summer’s forest fires? So, too, should we explore and enjoy its many amenities. For most of us, Québec is a uniquely convenient and compelling travel destination. Burlington is the same distance from Montréal as it is from White River Junction. For every new kilometer of Autoroute 35 constructed, la Belle Province gets closer. The Québec Issue was meant to give Vermonters a better lay of the land to the north, from the charming Eastern Townships to the wild, sea-swept Gaspé Peninsula. Judging by the rate at which papers flew off the racks, and the number of back-issue requests, there’s a measurable hunger for this information. That’s why we’ve decided to write more about Canada this year, with a story every six weeks or so and a special pre-summer supplement on May 22. Our theory is: If Vermonters knew about what’s happening in Québec, they’d go more often and stay longer. For example: Until I read this week’s piece on the 18-day winter carnival in Québec City, I had no idea that ice canoeing was a sport. Every year as part of the frozen festival, teams of paddlers suit up in neoprene and launch metal boats on the Saint Lawrence River, which is a mixture of freezing water, ice floes and slush. To get from one side to the other, they have to drag-paddle their canoes through the same conditions that bedeviled arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton

Paula Routly If you like Seven Days and can afford to help pay for it, become a Super Reader! Look for the “Give Now” button at the top of sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your address and contact info to: SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS P.O. BOX 1164 BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

news

STATEHOUSE

Scott Proposes State Budget With Modest Increases

A Chance to Change

B Y K E V I N MC C A LLUM kevin@sevendaysvt.com

As calls grow to crack down on repeat offenders, State’s Attorney Sarah George takes a different tack B Y C O L IN F L AND E R S • colin@sevendaysvt.com

TIM NEWCOMB

ast summer, Chittenden County State’s Attorney Sarah George emailed local police chiefs with an unusual request. She wanted a list of people being arrested over and over again for nonviolent offenses. The reform-minded prosecutor wasn’t compiling this list of shoplifters and car thieves to crack down on them. Instead, she wanted to enroll them in a new program intended to keep them out of trouble. “Incentives for Success” is meant to curb low-level property crimes typically carried out by people trying to make money to feed their drug addictions. Participants work with a case manager to solve whatever issues may be contributing to their lawbreaking and earn small financial rewards for showing up each week. If participants avoid charges for 12 weeks, their cases are dismissed and expunged. So far, George has referred nine people with a combined 99 misdemeanor and 14 felony charges to the three-month program, with the first set to graduate 14

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

next week. George hopes to enroll another 40 people this year, which she said could resolve more than 500 cases if each of them successfully completed the program. The initiative could reduce a backlog that’s clogged up Vermont’s court system since it shut down during the pandemic,

A LOT OF THESE INDIVIDUALS DON’T HAVE ANYONE THAT’S ROOTING FOR THEM — AND THEY DON’T HAVE ANYBODY THEY’LL DISAPPOINT. S AR AH GE O R GE

George said. With nearly 3,000 pending cases in Chittenden County alone, George said her office has needed to focus its limited resources on more serious cases, allowing many lower-level cases to linger for months.

But George also sees the program as an opportunity to fix what ails the people committing these crimes in a way that is less punitive and more rehabilitative. “For these individuals, coming to court is not a priority. They don’t feel safe there. They certainly don’t feel supported,” George said in an interview. “So if they have this opportunity to come [to a place] where their needs will be met, that’s what they’re going to do. And that’s what’s going to keep them from committing further crimes.” The initiative comes at a time when the drug crisis has led to a surge in property crime. In Burlington, for instance, some 300 cars were reported stolen last year, compared to 50 in 2019. The rate of retail theft has also risen. Stores reported more than 800 incidents last year compared to 320 in 2019. Business leaders say the true number is far greater, as many small

CRIME

A CHANCE TO CHANGE

» P.16

Vermont Gov. Phil Scott outlined an $8.6 billion proposed state budget that he said reflects one of the tightest fiscal environments in years. “Despite the recent upgrade in revenue, this is still going to be a tough budget year,” Scott told lawmakers during his annual budget address, referring to rosier-than-anticipated predictions from economists about state revenues. Addressing the challenges will take more than just shrewd fiscal management and a willingness to say no to spending, he said, adding that some of the policies passed in recent years have had unintended negative consequences. Bail reform has allowed people charged with crimes to commit new offenses. And juvenile justice policies have caused drug traffickers to consider Vermont “a destination state,” he said. “I may have been wrong,” Scott said. “I’ve supported, and signed, some of the very legislation I’ll ask you to change today.” Legislative leaders were unimpressed and noted that the speech struck a darker note than his State of the State address, which largely extolled the virtues of neighbors helping neighbors. Scott’s message was “long on fear and short on hope,” House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) said afterward. She and other lawmakers did not take kindly to Scott’s insinuation that past legislative decisions have put the state in a tough financial position. “To hear jabs throughout the speech at policies that we’ve worked on, that had tri-partisan support, isn’t helpful. It’s not a good way to start off how we’re going to collaborate on the budget,” Krowinski said. Sen. Jane Kitchel (D-Caledonia), chair of the powerful Appropriations Committee, said Scott glossed over progress, such as investments in the childcare system, which helps working families. “I think we have things to celebrate, and I didn’t see a lot of celebration,” Kitchel said. Scott failed to address a 17.3 percent forecasted increase in property taxes due to changes in the education spending formula, Senate President Pro Tempore Phil Baruth (D/P-Chittenden-Central) said. While Scott said Vermonters can’t afford such an increase, Baruth noted that the speech contained few constructive suggestions. “We were listening for that and didn’t hear it,” he said. ➆

PRICES SLASHED! PRICES

Taking a Stand

ONCE IN A LIFETIME PRICING! SLASHED!

Critics call plan to log in the Worcester Range a missed conservation opportunity

ONCE IN A LIFETIME PRICING!

BY KEVIN MCCALLU M • kevin@sevendaysvt.com

proposal to allow logging on 1,935 acres of state-owned land in central Vermont has touched off opposition from neighbors and environmental activists who say those woods should be allowed to become old-growth forest. The increased cutting is part of a draft management plan for 19,000 acres of state forest in the Worcester Range, a part of the Green Mountains north of Montpelier. Over the past century, there has been very little logging in the forest, where many of the trees are now 90 to 120 years old. The draft plan protects about half the land from any logging. The protected areas include the ridgelines of Mount Hunger and Mount Worcester, important wildlife corridors, and popular scenic areas such as Moss Glen Falls near Stowe. On the remaining land, logging would be allowed over the next 20 years on about 2,000 acres scattered across 13 locations from Elmore to Middlesex. That represents about a fivefold increase in the minimal timber harvest allowed on state land in the Worcester Range in recent decades. State officials say the plan is appropriate given their charge to manage state lands for many purposes, including timber production. If Vermonters are going to build houses, make furniture and warm their homes with wood, it’s better to harvest that timber locally than import it from elsewhere, the argument goes. “This is public land, and we have a responsibility — in fact, it’s legislatively mandated — that we produce forest products,” said Danielle Fitzko, commissioner of the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. But critics denounce the plan to log in forests that, if left alone, could reach 150 years of age. Such “old-growth” forests help minimize floods, provide unique wildlife habitat and corridors, and better store carbon. Worcester resident Bodo Carey, a retired middle school science teacher, said the mountains behind his home represent a unique conservation opportunity. “I feel like it’s a gift that’s been given to the state,” Carey said. “This area has a great chance to be put into old growth, which a lot of new science is saying is needed.”

ENVIRONMENT

The fight over the Worcester Range is the latest debate over how to best manage forests as the climate changes. Plans to increase logging around Camel’s Hump and in the Green Mountain National Forest have drawn similar criticism, as has the City of Burlington for burning wood chips to make electricity at its Joseph C. McNeil Generating Station. The flare-up over the Worcester Range follows the passage last year of Act 59, or the Community Resilience and Biodiversity Protection Act, which set a goal to conserve 30 percent of all land in Vermont by 2030. The act aligns the state with the “30 by 30” executive order signed last year by President Joe Biden — but goes further in calling for 50 percent of Vermont land to be conserved by 2050. The Vermont Housing & Conservation Board has until July 1 to conduct an inventory of Vermont’s public and private conserved land, and until the end of 2025 to come up with a plan for meeting the 30-by30 goal. Current estimates are that between 22 and 24 percent of land in the state is already protected, Jens Hawkins-Hilke, a state conservation planning biologist, said. “We need to increase our level of investment, but 30 by 30 is doable,” he said. “That’s something Vermonters should be proud of.” But it’s cold comfort for Carey as he worries over plans to log the eastern slopes near his Worcester home. Carey used to take his middle school students up Mount Hunger every year to explore how the plant and animal life change with elevation, so he’s intimately familiar with the mountains. It’s clearly appropriate to prohibit logging in the upper elevations of the range, though there’s little risk of that due to the steep slopes and thin soils, he said. The lower areas should be protected to help the state meet its new forest conservation goals, he said. It makes no sense for Vermont to push logging on lands that, if preserved, could go a long way toward helping the state meet those goals, he continued. “They’ve been working on this plan for years. What’s the rush?” he asked. “I say pull the reins on it now and hold off.” Since less than 1 percent of Vermont’s forestland is old growth — and increasing that number would take decades — there TAKING A STAND

» P.18

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news Burlington Council Rejects Pro-Palestine Ballot Item B Y CO U RT N E Y L AM D I N courtney@sevendaysvt.com

Burlington city councilors voted on Monday against placing a pro-Palestine resolution on the March 5 ballot, denying voters a chance to weigh in on an issue that has divided the council and the community at large. The symbolic resolution would have declared Burlington an “apartheid-free community” that supports ending “Israel’s apartheid regime, settler colonialism, and military occupation” of Palestine. Close to 1,700 registered voters signed a petition to place the item on the Town Meeting Day ballot, more than the 5 percent required by state law. But the council, which has discretion over whether to put advisory questions on the ballot, wasn’t persuaded. After more than three hours of public forum, councilors rejected the item it 7-5. The six council Democrats and Councilor Mark Barlow (I-North District) voted no, while the four council Progressives and Councilor Ali Dieng (I-Ward 7) voted yes. The council debate was the second in as many months on a resolution related to the Israel-Hamas war, which has left tens of thousands dead since it erupted in October. In December, the Burlington council failed to pass a measure calling for a cease-fire in Gaza and another that condemned the shooting of three Palestinian students who were visiting Burlington for Thanksgiving. Both resolutions ended in a 6-6 tie, which, by Burlington rules, means they were defeated. As with the cease-fire resolution, a pro-Israel contingent told councilors on Monday night that putting the anti-apartheid question on the ballot would stoke anti-Jewish sentiment and endanger Jews — a contention rebutted by pro-Palestine advocates who said the measure condemns racism outright. Much of the night’s debate centered on the council’s right to reject citizenled advisory ballot items. By contrast, binding items, such as charter changes, can bypass the council and go directly to the ballot if organizers collect enough signatures. Councilor Gene Bergman (P-Ward 2), who cosponsored the resolution and is Jewish, urged his colleagues to vote in favor, saying they could do so without supporting the measure itself. “I believe we owe it to all Burlington voters to have the right to cast their votes on this question of great concern,” he said. “Deny that right, and we weaken democracy, and I cannot do that in good conscience.” ➆

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

A Chance to Change « P.14 store owners have stopped reporting every theft. The spike has gotten lawmakers’ attention in Montpelier. Several crime-focused bills are circulating in the Statehouse, and Gov. Phil Scott mentioned the issue during his State of the State address earlier this month. “We’ve made progress on justice reform and treating addiction as the public health crisis it is,” he said. “But when spiking crime rates make it clear that not all the changes have been effective, we have a responsibility to take a step back and consider other strategies.” Two of the proposed bills would make it easier to charge shoplifters with felonies. Currently, people who steal property valued at $900 or less can only be charged with a misdemeanor, and each theft gets counted individually, meaning someone could steal thousands of dollars’ worth of merchandise from several stores and face only misdemeanor-level charges. The bills would allow prosecutors to add up the value of merchandise stolen from multiple stores in a certain time frame. Testifying against the proposal this month, Falko Schilling, advocacy director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, pointed to research that shows increased criminal penalties are a poor deterrent for future crime. Imprisoning people may only exacerbate problems by increasing the likelihood of recidivism, according to the research. Schilling encouraged lawmakers to instead stay focused on addressing the root causes of criminality. In response, Rep. Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington), who sponsored one of the bills, said the state is “past that” point with some people. “Once there is criminal behavior, there needs to be accountability,” he said. George thinks her new program can provide accountability without imprisoning more people. It’s funded by a $75,000 grant from a New York City-based criminal justice nonprofit, and she’s running it in tandem with a Burlington nonprofit, Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform. George assembled a list of 64 potential participants after hearing back last fall from police chiefs in Burlington, South Burlington, Williston and Winooski. She whittled it down to a handful of initial participants, then enrolled them in the program if they showed up for an initial screening. Participants receive a weekly participation reward — from $12 the first week to $22 by week 12 — that can be doubled if they test negative for a substance they’ve identified as wanting to avoid. The

FILE: OLIVER PARINI

TOWN MEETING DAY

State’s Attorney Sarah George

approach is based on a drug treatment initiative known as contingency management, which has helped people curb unwanted behaviors. While the incentives encourage people to show up, the real work begins once they’ve arrived. At weekly meetings with case managers, participants work to overcome issues that contribute to their drug use and lawbreaking. Staff have helped people find housing, obtain IDs, sign up for Medicaid and purchase cellphones. They’ve enrolled people in medicationassisted treatment programs and driven them to their first appointments. “It’s a one-stop shop,” said Brad, a 29-year-old man who spoke to Seven Days on the condition that his last name be withheld. A Burlington native, Brad has used illicit drugs for his entire adult life, and his addiction regularly landed him in legal trouble. He moved back to Vermont from Las Vegas a year ago and was accused in short succession of 10 crimes, from stealing cars and shoplifting to a pair of DUIs. He and his girlfriend both got clean last summer after learning they were expecting a baby, he said, and he hasn’t been arrested since. But his living situation has remained precarious. He’s housed through the state’s emergency motel program, and he’s been anxious about his pending criminal charges. Last fall, Brad’s attorney informed him that the state was offering him a deal: He could avoid jail time if he entered treatment court, a monthslong program created two decades ago that’s designed for defendants whose crimes are connected to their addictions. It seemed like a decent resolution, given his list of pending charges. But it would

have required him to show up for dozens of scheduled court hearings, drug tests and counseling appointments — a tall order for someone without a phone or car and a baby on the way. He knew people who had landed in prison after flunking out of the program and worried he would, too. Then Brad heard about the new program from his case managers at Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform and thought it sounded more manageable. He could drop by for his weekly counseling sessions whenever his schedule allowed, and he could get a bit of spending money, too. George enrolled Brad in the program at the nonprofit’s recommendation. Eight weeks later, he said he’s in a much better place. Case managers helped him get a cellphone and provided him with warm clothes when winter hit. Most importantly, they advocated on his behalf with the Department for Children and Families, helping him to maintain custody of his daughter while his girlfriend seeks mental health treatment. During an interview last month, the 2-month-old lay in his lap, quietly cooing. “Any problem you have, you come to them, they’re going to try their best to support you,” Brad said of Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform. “Words can’t describe” what that means for someone like him, who has never had a support system before: “It’s everything,” he said. The program doesn’t have a 100 percent success rate. Two participants were arrested for misdemeanors shortly after enrolling. George chose not to kick them out, she said, because both infractions occurred early on. Instead, she made them write a letter about what they had done, what led to it and how they will make sure it won’t happen again. She made clear that

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their behavior jeopardized their freedom and reflected poorly on Vermonters for Criminal Justice Reform, which was advocating for them. “A lot of these individuals don’t have anyone that’s rooting for them — and they don’t have anybody they’ll disappoint,” George said. The threat of disappointing a trusted advocate has motivated Chrystal, another one of the program’s participants, who spoke to Seven Days on the condition that her last name be withheld. Chrystal is a longtime stimulant user who has subsidized her addiction through a prolific shoplifting habit. She’s infamous among Church Street businesses and a frequent subject of angry emails to the state’s attorney’s office. The court system has tried “literally everything” to rehabilitate Chrystal, George said. Chrystal has served probation, gone to prison multiple times and tried treatment court. But nothing has worked. By this winter, Chrystal was on the verge of landing in prison again.

for something like this to be successful,” she said. In South Burlington, where retail thefts have surged, Police Chief Shawn Burke said he isn’t opposed to the new program. But he said he hoped George’s office would consider the victims when choosing who can participate. Traditional court diversion programs give victims a role and often involve letters of apology or restitution payments. George’s new program does not. “I have always been more of a fan of a person accepting responsibility for their actions, e.g. guilty plea, and then showing success during a period of deferred sentence,” Burke wrote in an email.

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George was reluctant to refer Chrystal to the program because she knew that offering yet another chance to one of Burlington’s most notorious shoplifters ran the risk of making her look soft on crime, especially if Chrystal flunked out by picking up new charges. But the prosecutor eventually decided it was worth a shot. At the least, Chrystal would be getting support services instead of just waiting many months for trial. “If she isn’t successful, we’re still not in any worse place than we were with her,” George said. Kelly Devine, executive director of the Burlington Business Association, testified in favor of the two retail theft bills now pending in the legislature. But she said in an interview on Monday that most people she represents aren’t in favor of throwing more people in jail. Rather, Devine said, they simply want “consequences for actions.” Told about George’s new diversion program, Devine said she hoped the prosecutor would keep the community informed about whether it’s working. “I would like nothing more than

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news is little room for error in making decisions about logging, he said. He’s worried that the state will move forward with the current plan only to later find it falls short of the new conservation goals. “By then, some of the stands of trees are going to be logged, and then it’s too late,” Carey said The new law creates three categories of conserved lands. An “ecological reserve area” is land maintained in a natural state — essentially wild. A “biodiversity conservation area” is managed to sustain native plants and animals. And a “natural resource management area” is for “long-term sustainable land management,” including sustainably logged forests, grasslands and agriculture that supports biodiversity. Carey argues that the entire 18,772 acres in the management plan should be set aside as an ecological reserve area, which would put it off-limits to logging forever. But Act 59 does not require that and allows lands that are managed for sustainable forestry to be counted as conserved. The Middlesex Planning Commission backed up Carey last week, noting that surveys show residents overwhelmingly support protection of the forestland that forms the town’s western border. “There are few places in Vermont that offer the opportunity to create an Ecological Preserve at such a scale as the Worcester range,” commissioners wrote. But Fitzko, the forestry commissioner, disagrees, saying the Worcester management plan is “very much aligned” with the 30-by-30 goals. In addition to protecting more than half the land from logging, the plan requires a selective harvest of the acres that are logged, often with an eye to improving forest health and diversity, she said. If it turns out later that more restrictions on logging are needed to meet future goals, the plan could be amended, she said. The largest of the 13 areas designated for logging, a 284-acre tract of sugar maple, beech and yellow birch in the C.C. Putnam State Forest, isn’t scheduled to be cut until 2037. “We feel fine about going forward,” she said. Others say doing so would be reckless. Zack Porter, executive director of Standing Trees, a Montpelier-based forest protection group, said the state’s own reports are replete with descriptions of the Worcester Range as critical wildlife and forest habitat. The plan describes the area as of “exceptional ecological importance at local, statewide, and regional scales,” with trees up to 120 years old and habitat for species that prefer deep forest, such as the scarlet tanager, northern goshawk and pine marten. Porter called it “crazy” to allow logging on such land when more accessible private timberland abounds in the state. He noted that 98 percent of wood harvested in Vermont comes from private land. “Putting half of the Worcester Range Management Unit, one of Vermont’s largest wild forests, into timber production would be a tragedy of epic proportions,” he said. (In addition to designating 1,935 acres for harvesting in the next 20 years, the management plan assigns about half the total acreage in the state forest to a land-use category that could permit logging in the future). Act 59 calls for efforts to be guided by a 2018 Agency of Natural Resources document called Vermont Conservation Design. It outlines ways Vermont could sustain its “ecologically functional landscape based on our best science.” It recommends restoring 9 percent of the state’s 18

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

Taking a Stand « P.15

Bodo Carey

forest to the old-growth conditions that existed before European settlers arrived. While that’s a goal, not a mandate, it’s clear that lawmakers support protecting more forests so they can eventually become old growth, Porter said. One of the sponsors of Act 59, Rep. Amy Sheldon (D-Middlebury), said planning the future of the Worcester Range presents an opportunity to make progress toward the 9 percent goal — the importance of which was underscored by recent flooding.

IT’S REALLY AN ILLUSION

OF PRESERVATION BECAUSE WE’RE STILL GOING TO GET WOOD FROM SOMEWHERE. D ANIE L L E F ITZKO

“I would hate to see that opportunity lost,” she said. Sheldon added that she is concerned about the amount of logging proposed in the plan. Old-growth forests at lower elevations are where the state needs them most, she said. Fitzko noted that the 271-page plan is about far more than timber harvests. It includes a diverse set of uses, including a sugaring lease in Elmore, building hiking trails around Stowe and managing one of the state’s most popular mountain biking trail networks, in Waterbury. The proposed logging, nevertheless, prompted the most discussion at public meetings held in December in Worcester and Stowe. The deadline for public input on the plan is February 2, and staff will closely review that feedback before finalizing the plan later this year, Fitzko said. It’s hard to say how much the feedback might change the plan, she said. Even if the public comments are overwhelmingly against logging, that doesn’t mean harvests would be scaled back, she said. An end to timber cutting on public lands in Vermont

would just shift that demand elsewhere and could harm an industry that is already beset by labor shortages, higher fuel costs and a shorter winter harvest season due to climate change. “It’s really an illusion of preservation because we’re still going to get wood from somewhere,” Fitzko said. Ed Larson, a lobbyist for the Vermont Forest Products Association, said keeping state lands open for logging is vital to the industry’s health. If the industry that turns trees into wood products vanishes, then private landowners won’t be able to make a living off their forests and pressure to sell and subdivide woodlands will increase, he said. “If we didn’t have a forest economy, a lot of the forests would simply disappear,” he said. Larson disputes the idea that old-growth forestland is more biologically diverse or better at sequestering carbon. Properly managed timberland creates habitat for species that don’t thrive in old growth, such as rabbits, he noted. David Hinton, an author from East Calais who has written a book about the Worcester Range, said the notion that logging improves forest health reflects the false Eurocentric belief that unused land is useless. “The state is already 95 percent compromised,” he said. “We’re talking about the last little bits that are left, and they want to compromise that, too.” A 2021 progress report by the Agency of Natural Resources found that while less than 1 percent of state forestland is old growth, 218,000 acres were on their way to becoming “future old forest lands” thanks to conservation measures. That means the state is on track to meet about half of the old-growth goal. In the northern Green Mountains, an area that stretches from Killington to the Canadian border, enough forest is moving toward oldgrowth status to meet 80 percent of the goal, Fitzko said. Porter expressed skepticism about that claim but said that if it is accurate, the state should take the next step. “What better way to get closer to the goal than to protect nearly 19,000 acres of the already wild Worcester Range in perpetuity?” he said. ➆

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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lifelines

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

John Charles Meeks

OBITUARIES

SEPTEMBER 11, 1947JANUARY 11, 2024 GRAND ISLE, VT.

John Maurice Fagan

JULY 7, 1951JANUARY 11, 2024 WATERBURY, VT. John Maurice Fagan passed away at his home in Waterbury, Vt., on January 11, 2024. Born in Stratford, Conn., in 1951 to Eulalia (Connors) and Leo James Fagan, he enjoyed helping where needed in the family’s restaurant, Fagan’s. John enjoyed spending his summers with the family at his grandfather’s camp on Caspian Lake in Greensboro, Vt., so much so that he moved to Vermont at age 18. As a young man, John developed a talent for building A-frame houses and built one for himself in South Woodbury, where he lived off-grid for 10 years. During that time, John founded a timber-framing company, Entwood Construction, and built post-and-beam homes and barns throughout the U.S. and French West Indies. John was an accomplished guitar player. When not building houses, he was the guitar accompanist to Vermont’s champion old-time fiddler,

Raymond Anair. Together they performed in the house band at Ray & Lucy’s Café in Hardwick. Many well-known bluegrass, rock and country musicians sat in with them. Having grown up in the restaurant industry, John had in-depth knowledge of wine that led to a position as a wine director at Calmont Beverage Company, which he held for 37 years. In 2018, he started his own business as an independent wine broker, serving Vermont and Maine. In 1995, John married Laura Hartley, whom he met while building a post-and-beam home in New Jersey. Their

fraternal twins, Kyle and Colleen, were born in 1999. John was a true outdoorsman. He was an expert skier who loved the challenge of black diamond trails and backcountry skiing with the crew. He also loved hiking, biking and exploring all that nature offered. Another passion of John’s was gardening. He took immense pleasure in preparing meals for family and friends with vegetables from his garden and the perfect wine from his cellar. A meal with John was always a culinary feast. John is survived by his wife, Laura (Hartley) Fagan; his daughter, Colleen Fagan; his son, Kyle Fagan; his sister, Lynne Fagan; his stepmother, Alanna Fagan; and his stepbrothers, Daniel and Charles Lay II. The family is planning a celebration of life in the spring, at a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, donations in John’s memory may be made to Protect Our Wildlife Vermont (protect ourwildlifevt.org) or Vermont Food Bank (vtfoodbank.org). Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

school graduation, Elsa had lived in more than 30 places. She never stopped moving. A graduate of New England College and Boston University, Elsa served in the U.S. Navy as a radar technician stationed in Rhode Island during World War II. There she met her husband, Frank. Their life was filled with adventure. Frank’s job kept them busy entertaining and

moving from one beautiful locale to the next. They loved sailing in their boat, Tophat, and skiing in Vermont and Québec. Elsa was forever an athlete and enjoyed almost 30 years of retirement in Vermont, skiing and playing golf and tennis. She lived close to her daughter Kathy Erickson, husband Mark, and grandchildren Sara and Max Erickson, and always shared that Vermont was where her heart was. Elsa’s children and grandchildren were the light of her life. In her final three years, she lived in Concord, N.H., to be near her daughter Sherry Hieber and her grandchildren Edward and Jana, who helped care for Elsa in her final years. The entire family and friends celebrated her 100th birthday in May 2023, which was a lovefest! A celebration of life for Elsa will be held in July in Vermont.

Elsa (Askløw) Lofgren Millhouse MAY 6, 1923JANUARY 14, 2024 CONCORD, N.H.

Elsa Lofgren Millhouse of Concord, N.H., and formerly of Williston, Vt., a beloved mother and grandmother, passed away on January 14, 2024. Elsa was sharp-witted, feisty and full of life until the day she died. She was exceptional, with a unique energy and zest for life that kept her going. Elsa was born in Chester, Pa., in 1923. Her parents were immigrants of Danish and Swedish origin, and she was forever proud of her Scandinavian heritage. She spent her Depression-era childhood moving from one place to another as her father looked for steady work. By high

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

John Charles Meeks passed away on January 11, 2024, at the age of 76, with his loving family by his side, after struggling with chronic lung and heart disease over the past year. He was born in Lynbrook, N.Y., to Charles John and Julia Elizabeth Meeks, the second child and the only boy, with three sisters. John grew up on the water — waterskiing, sailing and spending many hours surfing with his best friend, Joe Cenis; sleeping on the beach; and, of course, taking a quick break to attend mass. He was an accomplished gymnast and soccer player in high school. After high school, he attended Springfield College and moved to Maine, where he was a lobster fisherman and then an optician. John moved to Vermont in 1976, first as a ski bum at Smugglers’ Notch and later a counselor at a group home, where he discovered his love of teaching. He then met Lynne, the love of his life. John returned to school at Trinity College, majoring in early childhood education, an avocation he truly loved. Lynne and John married in 1980 on the top of Mount Philo. They spent many happy hours together renovating their homes and sailboats, skiing, sailing, and hosting many family events at their home. John was a gracious host who loved cooking and planning wonderful meals. After their daughter, Julia, was born, John opened a home childcare. John later went to work at the YMCA preschool, where he worked for 20 years, becoming famous for his Thanksgiving feast, where the entire preschool and parents were able to enjoy his fabulous turkeys, and for the Tin Can band of preschoolers, who collected food shelf donations by threatening to continue to play until the lucky recipient of the concert made a donation. After retiring from the Y, John continued to work with children as a substitute teacher at the Grand Isle elementary school. John adored the children and staff and had so much fun working there; he absolutely loved it. He continued to work as long as he could, even after he became ill, with amazing support from everyone at the school.

In addition to being a skier and snowboarder, John was also a lifelong sailor. He and Lynne joined the Malletts Bay Boat Club in 1991. John spent many years racing with Lynne’s dad and cruising on the lake with Lynne and Julia. John loved MBBC and dedicated many hours to serving the club in various capacities, not in the least on the entertainment committee, where he brought his joy of cooking and hosting and sarcastic sense of humor. During the pandemic, John was elected master of MBBC and successfully managed the challenges of safely opening the boat club during that time, enjoying every minute of that endeavor. John was a supportive dad who delighted in assisting Julia with many projects and interests, including her love of horses, constructing a kit horse carriage together, building a hovercraft, planning epic camping trips to Hermit Island every summer, and reading so many good books together, including Swallows and Amazons, which of course led to the construction of the sailing dinghy Swallow. John was so proud of Julia, her wit and accomplishments, and was thrilled that she found her fiancé, Dan, a loving addition to our family. John was predeceased by his mother and father; his sister Pat; and his fatherin-law, Edward Ziemer. He leaves his wife, Lynne; his daughter, Julia Meeks, and her fiancé, Dan Matton; his sisters Barbara Wiggins and Marie Meeks; his mother-in-law, Shirley Ziemer; his sisters- and brothers-in-laws, Meribeth Ziemer (Bob Bajak), Gary (Darcy) Ziemer, David Ziemer and Doug (Nicole) Ziemer; and his nieces and nephews, Katie Matsen, Melanie Olzak, Meredith Wright, Erik Ziemer, Zachary Ziemer and John Schenne. We wish to thank Grand Isle Rescue; the doctors and staff at the University of Vermont Medical Center, who were so supportive and kind to John and Lynne during this difficult year, especially Dr. Berger, Dr. Koko and Dr. Kane; the staff and students at Grand Isle School; and our friends and family, who loved him. Donations may be made in John’s memory to Grand Isle Rescue, Grand Isle School, United Way or the charity of your choice. A celebration of life will be held in the spring. “Be safe, be smart, and above all be kind.”

Stephen Hunter

education instructor for the Town of St. Albans in 1974, where his duties included classes in the town school and at the bay school. He retired from teaching and coaching in 2012. He impacted countless students, who kept in touch with him as they grew older. His mother was always proud to be recognized as Mr. Hunter’s mother. Steve was an independent and resolute person who enjoyed his family, friends and workplace. He also enjoyed hiking with his dog, camping

out with friends, and just sitting on his deck surrounded by the wildlife that enjoyed feeding on his lawn, pasture and garden. Steve is survived by his daughters, Laura “Ally” Allyson Kathryn Hunter of Colorado and Elizabeth “Liz” Crane Hunter and her partner, Travis Duranleau, of St. Albans. He is also survived by his brother, Leighton Hunter (Susan), of Lakeland Fla.; his sister Margaret “Peggy” Gilbert (Gary) of Fairfax, Vt.; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, Leonard and Marjorie (Crane) Hunter, and his sister Gloria (Hunter) Hersey. Burial will be at the convenience of the family. An announcement of a gathering of remembrance will be published in summer 2024. Honored to be serving Steve’s family is Rett Heald of the Heald Funeral Home, where messages of condolence are welcome at healdfuneralhome.com.

Ginny loved spending time with her extended family at their camp on Lake Dunmore in Salisbury, Vt., while sunbathing, swimming, ice fishing or playing cards. She enjoyed vacationing in Florida, Michigan and North Carolina. Her favorite trip was to Paris, France, with her daughter JoAnn, son-in-law Rob and granddaughter Jenna, where they visited the Eiffel Tower, Louvre Museum, and Monet’s house and garden in Giverny. Ginny had many close friends and was a member of the Red Hat Club. Regina is survived by her children and their spouses, JoAnn Gina Burke Fisher and (John) Robert Fisher of Asheville, N.C.; John Mitchell Burke and Ann Rand Burke of South Burlington; and David William Burke and Karen Trombley Burke of Ferrisburg,

Vt. She is survived by five grandchildren, Jenna Burke and spouse Max Swomley of Denver, Colo.; Alexa Burke and partner Grant Davis of Colchester, Vt.; Mariah Burke of Colchester; Connor Burke of South Burlington; and Isabel Burke and partner Ian McKenna of Brockton, Mass. She is also survived by her great-granddaughter, Claire Lafayette Swomley, and several nieces and nephews. Regina was predeceased by her parents, Mitchell and Isabelle; her sister, Phyllis Jane LaFayette Gremban, in 2023; and her brother, Richard Mitchell LaFayette, in 1987. Her family would like to thank the staff of Gazebo Senior Living, Maple Ridge Lodge Assisted Living, Elderwood at Burlington and the McClure Miller Respite House for their care of Ginny over the past few years. A memorial service will be held at St. John Vianney Catholic Church in South Burlington, Vt., in the spring, on a date to be determined. Interment will be at Mt. St. Joseph Cemetery in Bristol, Vt. Please consider a donation in Regina’s memory to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. Arrangements are in the care of Stephen C. Gregory and Son Cremation Service in South Burlington, Vt.

JANUARY 27, 1949JANUARY 11, 2024 HIGHGATE, VT.

Stephen Hunter, 74, died unexpectedly at his home in Highgate, Vt., on January 11, 2024. Steve was a caring son, brother and dedicated father who championed his daughters in whatever they chose to do. He was a loyal friend, coach and teacher for 38 years at the St. Albans Town Elementary School. He sometimes served as assistant principal when needed. Steve was born on January 27, 1949, and grew up in Danville, Vt. After graduation from Danville High School, he attended and graduated from Castleton State College with a teaching degree. He was on the ski team at Castleton and used this experience when he helped implement a ski amputee rehab program while pursuing advanced studies in Boulder, Colo. Steve became an elementary physical

Regina Joyce LaFayette Burke MARCH 3, 1939JANUARY 17, 2024 SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Regina Joyce LaFayette Burke, 84, passed away peacefully on January 17, 2024, at the McClure Miller Respite House with her family by her side, after a long illness. She was born in Burlington, Vt., on March 3, 1939, the daughter of Mitchell Thomas LaFayette and Isabelle Ann Thompson LaFayette. Ginny grew up in Middlebury and graduated from Middlebury High School in 1956, where she was junior class marshal, football queen, a member of the yearbook staff, and participated in basketball and chorus. She studied elementary education at Castleton Teachers’ College for two years before getting married and raising a family. Regina married William David Burke at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Middlebury on October 11, 1958. They had three children, JoAnn, John and David, and lived briefly in Oklahoma, Texas and Colorado over Bill’s career in the U.S. Air Force, before settling in South Burlington, Vt., in 1966. After their divorce, Ginny worked as a licensed practical nurse at Fanny Allen Hospital for more than 20 years.

Reginald Harold Degree

NOVEMBER 5, 1954-OCTOBER 26, 2023 FAIRFIELD, CALIF. Reginald Harold Degree was one of 269,900 babies born on Earth on Friday, November 5, 1954. Reg — or Reggie, as the family called him — was the first of six kids brought into this world by Gladys and Harold. Being the oldest child in a family is never easy, especially when there are five that come after. It can make a kid feel a little insignificant after child No. 3 or 4 are born, but Reggie found his way to stand out and slowly carve his own unique path. He played Little League and found his passion for baseball and his beloved Baltimore Orioles. His love and commitment grew expeditiously. As a teenager, he would play Sports Illustrated baseball, and he could be heard from a room away announcing the play-byplay like he was calling game seven of the World Series. That always made us smile. His influence didn’t stop with sports. Sitting in front of the black-and-white television on the night of February 7, 1964, Reggie fell in love with the Beatles and rock and roll. When everyone else was still listening to AM radio and pop singles, Reggie was listening to the FM stations and album rock, B-sides and deep cuts. He was carving another path. His curiosity and appreciation sowed the seeds for us all to have an open palette of musical colors to appreciate, love and share. Reggie was a good brother who shared his interests and guidance and helped his younger siblings hone their talents and passions. Around his 18th birthday, he met Valory, the love of his life. They shared all the best qualities with each other. She helped him carve another uncut path, his faith. Reggie joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and started building relationships with young people, which have been the foundations of many great futures and ongoing respect and love. Reggie would gather neighborhood kids and some folks from the church, and we would play basketball every Friday night at the Merrills’ home in Williston. Along with his brother Kenny, he built Kino Memorial Park, a Wiffle ball park in Colchester Village, named for the local dog who would frequent the diamond. There, rival neighborhoods would play

competitive games against one another. To this day, that is a formative memory of many of our childhoods. The gears of life had not quite lined up for Valory and Reg, and they parted ways. Reg continued to move, carve and make all who met him grateful that they had. From working at Maynard’s Auto Supply to playing competitive softball, reading, and spending time with friends and family, Reggie kept a smile on his face and on those around him. Reggie’s nieces and nephews held a special spark in his heart. Every Christmas, Reggie would hand out presents and be surrounded by the love of his nieces and nephews. It was his genuine, childlike love that the kids not only related to but also cherished. Someone said if you give enough to others that God will give back to you. After sitting for years on the hard cement seats at Centennial Field, rooting for his local minor league baseball team in Burlington, Vt., Reggie was given the opportunity to be the color commentator for that same team. It was like he was a kid again, back in his bedroom calling those games. He finally had captured one of his dreams, and he was good at it. When Harold and Gladys celebrated their 50th anniversary, Valory reached out to send her love to them on their special day, and it wasn’t long before Reg and Valory reconnected. Val was dealing with the grief and sadness of losing her first husband, and Reg was there for her and the kids through it all — long walks down the village sidewalk with headphones on, talking on the phone for hours with Valory. The gears finally aligned on April 18, 2006, when he was married to the love of his life and had a family. I am not sure anyone can remember seeing Reggie happier. Reggie moved to California with Val, and for the past 17 years he carved more paths, sharing his special kind of encouraging love and respect with his newfound friends, loved ones and protégés. Great story, right? It is. It was. And it always will be. Reginald Harold Degree passed on October 26, 2023, surrounded with love, embraced by family. He leaves the love of his life, Valory Degree; her two children, John and Anne Beaudoin; his father, Harold; five siblings; his dear nieces and nephews; and many, many, more. He was predeceased by Gladys, his beloved mother. He is missed.

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OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES Cassidy Rae Petit MAY 27, 1997JANUARY 14, 2024 OAKLAND, CALIF.

Cassidy Rae Petit, 26, of Oakland, Calif., passed away alongside her fiancé, Lochie Ferrier, 27, in a plane crash on January 14, 2024. Cassidy, affectionately known as “CP” to her friends and family, was born in Biddeford, Maine, precisely on her due date, May 27, 1997. From the start, it was clear she couldn’t wait to tackle the world. She is the daughter of Kim (Vermette) Petit and Peter Petit, of Biddeford, Maine. Cassidy spent summers as a child at Hills Beach and on the Saco River, adventuring with her brother, Curtis, family and friends. She had a true love and appreciation for nature and outdoor activities, including skiing, skating, surfing and hiking. She aspired to hike all 48 4,000-foot mountains in New Hampshire. She was educated in the Biddeford school system and graduated from Biddeford High School, class of 2015. She was always a leader among her peers, serving as captain of the hockey team and a class officer, along with other accomplishments. Cassidy furthered her education at the University of Vermont in Burlington, where she majored in psychology and neuroscience and graduated in 2019. It was at UVM that her adventurous, free-spirited and curious personality allowed her to develop into the creative and brave leader that she was. She interned at the local nonprofit Lund, supporting and advocating for women and families experiencing poverty, substance use and abuse. This ignited her passion for women’s health and equity. Cassidy’s get-it-done attitude, self-directed work ethic, business savvy and genuine curiosity didn’t go

unnoticed in the Burlington community. Her part-time gig at the local surf shop, WND&WVS, during her undergraduate days quickly turned into a career path when she was invited by the owner to work on a new project. Cassidy became a founding member of Hula and the Fund at Hula and over the course of several years helped transform the business incubator and venture capital fund into a thriving hub. During this time, her career flourished; she cofounded Burlington Bio, a startup company in the cellular agriculture space and became a benefit director and board member at Working Fields. Cassidy found community and created relationships wherever she went, fostering loyal and strong connections with people in all corners of life. While living in Burlington, she met her fiancé, Lochie Ferrier, who was a pilot. The two fell in love and enjoyed traveling together in a way Cassidy had always dreamed of. They moved to California in February 2023 to pursue new career opportunities, and it was there that Cassidy became an analyst for venture capital firm RH Capital. Working to drive innovation, access and equity across reproductive and maternal health — it was a cause near and dear to her heart. Cassidy, Lochie and her beloved dog Kane spent time exploring their new home on the West Coast: hiking, camping, skiing,

biking, surfing and flying. On September 27, 2023, while kayaking in Mexico, Lochie got down on one knee and proposed to Cassidy. They planned to be married in Kauai, Hawaii, at sunrise on January 28, 2024, at 7:15 a.m. In true Cassidy fashion, she planned to surf in her wedding gown following the ceremony, a testament to her fiery spirit and love for once-in-a-lifetime experiences. Cassidy is predeceased by her grandparents, Normand Vermette of Biddeford; Frank Finegan of Rhode Island; and Marie and Raymond Petit of Biddeford. She leaves behind a completely heartbroken family: her parents, Kim and Peter Petit; her brother, Curtis Petit, and his girlfriend, Chanelle Chretien; her grandmother Paula Vermette; her aunts and uncles, Kristy and Scott Lavallee, Michael and Lisa Petit, Raymond and Brenda Petit, and Debi and Dennis Lagasse; her cousins, Kylie and Jenna Lavallee, Cameron and Colin Petit, Cody and Caden Petit, and Kris, Karl and Kaitlin Lagasse; and extended family throughout New England. A shared service will be held for Cassidy and Lochie on January 28, 10 a.m., at Hula, 50 Lakeside Ave., Burlington, VT 05401. Guests are invited to join a celebration of life immediately following the service at Beta Technologies, located at 1150 Airport Dr., South Burlington, VT 05403. Cassidy’s legacy: The Vermont Community Foundation has partnered with Cassidy’s family to host CP’s Fund, a donor-advised fund to support organizations and causes closest to CP’s heart. Gifts of any size can be made to CP’s Fund at vermontcf.org/cpfund or in consultation with Martha Trombley Oakes, director of philanthropy (mtrombley oakes@vermontcf.org, 802388-3355 ext. 225).

Edwin Henry Amidon Jr. DECEMBER 8, 1934DECEMBER 26, 2023 CHARLOTTE, VT.

Edwin Henry Amidon Jr., age 89, of Charlotte died peacefully after a short hospital stay on December 26, 2023. Ed grew up in central New York, graduating from Central Square High School in Oswego County in 1951. He worked for a year as a junior draftsman at New Process Gear in Syracuse before entering Williams College, from which he graduated in 1956. Ed was an active Williams alumnus, including serving recently as his class president. Following college, Ed was admitted to the U.S. Air Force Officer Candidate School and was commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 1957. He initially served at a radar station in Montana before being transferred to Washington, D.C., and assigned to the Central Intelligence Agency. Following his active duty, Ed entered the CIA training program and was employed as a case officer for several years. He subsequently remained in the U.S. Air Force Reserve for many years, assigned primarily to the U.S. Air Force Intelligence Center, retiring as a major in 1980. In the early ’60s, Ed attended Harvard Law School, graduating cum laude. He went to work for the Boston firm of Foley, Hoag & Eliot, where he was involved primarily in public utility,

securities and banking areas, as well as state and federal regulatory matters. In late 1968, a call came from Jim Jeffords, a law school acquaintance and the newly elected Vermont attorney general. Ed wasted little time in accepting an offer to become an assistant attorney general in a then-small office. This gave him the opportunity to argue the “nearby differential” federal milk price regulation case in the U.S. Supreme Court on behalf of the State of Vermont, as well as to explore many hiking trails on the weekends. After his service in Montpelier, Ed was fortunate in the early ’70s to be hired by the Burlington firm headed by judge Albert Coffrin. Ed quickly acquired a banking and utility practice and also assisted with the firm’s insurance defense practice. The firm became Coffrin, Pierson, Affolter & Amidon, and then Pierson, Affolter & Amidon after Coffrin’s appointment to the U.S. District Court bench. In 1976 Ed was appointed

to the Superior Court bench by governor Thomas Salmon. This was under the old system in which eight general trial jurisdiction judges “rode circuit” to the far corners of the state. Ed was proud of his trial court decisions involving the application of the Vermont Constitution, including the constitutional challenge to Act 250, the Sunday closing “blue law” and electoral cases. The Act 250 decision was the subject of an article in the Vermont Law Review. Ed left the bench in 1983 to return to private practice in Burlington and ultimately joined in a long-lasting law partnership with Robert Roesler, Richard Whittlesey and Marsha Meekins. He was proud to be a lawyer’s lawyer, representing other lawyers in the Professional Conduct Board and providing ethics opinions. As mediation and arbitration came into common use, these became a major part of his practice, as well as acting as a hearing officer and adviser for state agencies, municipalities and nonprofit organizations. Ed was on the Vermont Bar Association Board of Managers for many years and was president from 1990 to 1991. In the late ’80s, Ed was appointed by governor Madeleine Kunin to the board of the Vermont Student Assistance Corporation, serving for 12 years, including as chair of the governance committee.

He was a member of the Champlain Valley Union High School board from 1992 to 1996, including serving as vice chair. Ed represented Charlotte in the Vermont House from 2001 to 2004, where he sat on the Ways & Means Committee. He completed his years of public service as a trustee of the University of Vermont from 2003 to 2009, where he was chair of the audit committee and vice chair of the governance committee, and as chair of the state Act 60 town valuation board from 2011 to 2015. Many happy hours were spent paddling one of his fleet of canoes on Lake Champlain and in his favorite sport of “hiking with canoes” between small ponds and lakes in the Adirondacks. Ed was an early and active member of the Northern Vermont Canoe Cruisers, now the Vermont Paddlers Club. White-water runs were explored and made in aluminum canoes with no flotation or spray covers, including the Hudson River Gorge prior to the era of water releases and commercial raft trips. Many family paddling trips to Algonquin Park in Ontario and with family and friends into the tundra rivers of northern Canada were prized parts of Ed’s life. In the early years of backcountry skiing, he was privileged to have the location of the now wellestablished Bolton-Trout Club Road train marked for him on a topographical map by one of its builders.

Ed was a longtime member of the First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, where he taught Sunday school in the ’70s and ’80s and later served on the board of trustees. Additionally, for over 35 years he enjoyed the lively discussions of his book club, the Greater Westford Literary Society. Ed was a very active and greatly loved husband, father and grandfather, survived by Louise McCarren, his wife of over 45 years; his daughter Martha Ware and her husband, Andrew Ware, of Chalfont St. Giles, England; his daughter Jane Amidon of Beverly, Mass.; his son, William Amidon, and his wife, Susan Parsons, of Cornwall, Vt.; and his stepson, Patrick McCarren, of South Burlington, Vt. Survivors also include his grandchildren, Georgia Ware, Mattie Ware, Eliza Ware, Nora Hopkins, Pippa Amidon and Marley Amidon; his sister Marion Amidon of Gardner, Mass.; as well as nieces, nephews and cousins. He was predeceased by his parents, Edwin Henry Amidon Sr. and Elaine Wilson Amidon, and his sister Ann David. There will be a service on April 6, 2024, at the Congregational Church in Charlotte, Vt.; details to be announced by the family. In lieu of flowers, those who wish to make a donation in Ed’s honor are invited to contribute to the Adirondack Land Trust (adirondacklandtrust.org).

IN MEMORIAM

Ezra Raymond Pouech

1993-2023 The family of Ezra Pouech asks that you join us to honor and celebrate the life of Ezra Pouech on February 17, 2023, 11 a.m., at the United Church of Hinesburg, 10570 Route 116, Hinesburg, Vt. The service will be followed by a short reception at the Hinesburgh Public House. There will be a second commemorative event this summer, with details to be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to either the GoFundMe for Ezra’s girlfriend and children (gofundme.com/f/ injured-pacifica-mother-herchildren), who have been affected by this tragedy, or the Vermont Network Against Domestic Violence (vtnetwork.org).

Edmund Earl Hardy Jr. JANUARY 26, 1948JANUARY 19, 2024

In loving memory of Edmund Earl Hardy Jr. Edmund Earl Hardy Jr., a devoted husband and U.S. Navy Vietnam veteran, peacefully passed away on January 19, 2024. He served his country with honor and worked at Velan Valve until retiring at the age of 62. Edmund’s beloved wife, Carol Hardy, predeceased him on February 10, 2023. He is survived by his

READ, POST, SHARE + COMMENT: sevendaysvt.com/lifelines sisters, Jamie DeGraff (Rick), Carla Wegner (John) and Gail Balentine (Charles), along with numerous nieces and nephews.

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

Andrew Scott Hallock 1974-2023

In loving memory of Andrew Scott Hallock (August 2, 1974-January 24, 2023). We think of our wonderful father, husband, son, brother, uncle and friend every day with love. We miss you. —Your family and friends SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

TALK of theTOWNS Neighbors seek plumbers, lost pets and community on Front Porch Forum B Y CO L I N FL A ND ER S , RACHEL HELLMAN & MARY ANN L IC K TE IG

JARAD GREENE

here’s a place on the internet where lost roosters are found and unlikely friendships form over a shared love of vintage clothing patterns. Neighbors debate the moral questions around removing beaver dams. When the local food shelf announces it is out of legumes, almost magically, cans of garbanzo and pinto beans appear on its front porch. It’s a place distinct from the hostile and wellpopulated realm of social media rants, culture wars and mindless doomscrolling. That place is Front Porch Forum, an online community bulletin board available in every Vermont town. In the 24 years since its founding in Burlington, Front Porch Forum has become a Green Mountain institution, its email bulletins — unique to each town or neighborhood — opened each day by thousands of householders eager to learn what their fellow residents have to say. “I could say, ‘Well, it’s like a neighborhood Facebook group’ or ‘It’s like Nextdoor,’” an online competitor with national reach, “and usually people’s faces pucker at that point,” said Michael Wood-Lewis, cofounder and CEO of the company. He prefers to liken his platform to a chemical catalyst: “There’s just a bunch of inert ingredients sitting on the shelf. But you throw in the Front Porch Forum, and suddenly all these great things happen.” Vermonters use their neighborhood forum in all sorts of ways: They sell used tires and kitchen tables, seek recommendations for house cleaners and auto mechanics, discuss local politics, hunt for homes, and form book clubs. Joining is easy. Users register a name and address to start receiving emailed batches of messages posted by neighbors. During an era when other social media companies are accused of imperiling democracy, Front Porch Forum stands out as a rare social network capable of strengthening communities and real-life relationships. Nationally, the site has gained a reputation among academics

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

studying digital spaces as a rare example of the internet gone right. “Front Porch Forum has an intimacy and an interactivity,” said Paul Costello, former executive director of the Vermont Council on Rural Development. “It lets communities think through political issues for themselves, and in our state of democracy, that’s infinitely valuable.” Wood-Lewis and his wife, Valerie, created a bare-bones version of the message board in 2000 to serve their neighborhood in Burlington’s South End. The couple, then new to Vermont, sought to connect with their neighbors. Michael had just left a job at tech startup and was looking for a new project. The community bulletin board caught on and attracted attention. In 2006, Wood-Lewis hired a recent UVM grad to write code for a slightly more accessible version. Front Porch Forum expanded to all of Chittenden County, and later to the rest of the state. By 2011, federal emergency workers arriving to help clean up the devastation of Tropical Storm Irene were amazed with the complex organizing already in place in some towns, Costello said. Vermonters pointed to Front Porch Forum. “They said, ‘We’re not organizing,’” he explained. “‘We’re just sharing.’” By 2012, the company reported annual revenue of $400,000, according to a grant application it filed. The money came from advertising sales, custom subscriptions, expansion partnerships and supporting memberships. The company’s reach widened to all of Vermont the next year, with the help of the Vermont Council on Rural Development and $370,000 in federal funding earmarked for digital infrastructure for disaster recovery. In communities where residents were already civically active, such as Montpelier, Front Porch Forum caught on quickly. In other places, it took time to reach a critical mass. Wood-Lewis remembers personally hanging flyers and chatting about the service with town librarians. While Wood-Lewis wouldn’t disclose Front Porch Forum’s current revenue, he said the company has gone from being a “break-even and threadbare” operation to having enough income to offer full employee benefits. “We finally kind of graduated to having all of these things,” he said. Front Porch Forum employs about 30 people who moderate posts, sell ads

Laura Smith-Riva of Montpelier with an electric meat grinder she offered for sale on Front Porch Forum

and develop the site. The company hosts a total of 202 forums, most in Vermont but a few in nearby New Hampshire, Massachusetts and New York. While most towns have their own forum, bigger places such as Burlington are split into several neighborhoods. Some small towns Megan share a forum with s nearby communities. Rubman’ recovered Front Porch Christmas tree ornament Forum’s web design remains radically simple. It wasn’t until last year that it enabled users to upload photos with their posts. The site lacks the reaction buttons and comment fields that allow venting and personal attacks on most social media platforms. That’s deliberate. “The solution to our crisis of democracy isn’t spewing our political beliefs back and forth. It’s working on a project together,” Wood-Lewis said. That framework has guided

Wood-Lewis’ approach to content. No post gets published without being read by one of 12 company moderators, who are tasked with ensuring that messages meet Front Porch Forum’s robust terms of use. They include intolerance of any post “that intimidates, degrades or is hateful toward an individual or group of individuals.” That means a kindly worded post addressing noise issues is allowed, but a rant dressing down a neighbor by name is not. Some people have criticized the company’s moderation, saying it censors free speech. Wood-Lewis holds that it is necessary for civic health. “We’re about the original promise of the internet: decentralized, distributed communication to get people information and to do a different thing,” Wood-Lewis explained. The forums are abuzz with hyperlocal

THE SOLUTION TO OUR CRISIS OF DEMOCRACY ISN’T SPEWING OUR POLITICAL BELIEFS BACK AND FORTH.

IT’S WORKING ON A PROJECT TOGETHER.

discussions that can keep town officials abreast of public opinion. Last week, Shelburne neighbors protested the paving of Pond Road, the town’s sole remaining gravel route. Earlier this month in Stowe, neighbors met to discuss potential homegrown solutions to the town’s housing crisis, coordinating through Front Porch Forum. When catastrophic flooding devastated some communities last July, Costello witnessed the power of Front Porch Forum again. In hard-hit Montpelier, where he lives, “You’d post about needing help, and 20 people would show up,” he said. Neighbors lent sump pumps and offered each other places to sleep. While Wood-Lewis has no interest in expanding to other states, Michael Sugarman, director of media at the Initiative for Digital Public Infrastructure at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, remains hopeful that Front Porch Forum could lead others to a new era of constructive online spaces. “It’s funny because it’s just these incredibly unassuming Vermonters who have created this kind of comparatively boring website,” Sugarman said. “But it really stands out as an inspiring model.” To better understand Front Porch Forum’s role in Vermonters’ lives, Seven Days requested access to a single day’s worth of posts statewide. (Users typically see only the posts shared in their neighborhood.) The company agreed and provided all 688 posts from January 5. The posts offered the usual mix of items for sale, requests for help, public announcements and idiosyncratic messages. A Montpelier woman offered up her electric meat grinder. “Great for game or small processing operation, sausage etc.” A Burlington resident thanked an unknown neighbor who had spotted an overlooked ornament on their discarded Christmas tree awaiting curbside collection and left it in their newspaper box. In South Hero, an ongoing saga concluded with this post: “Thank you all for your interest in the turtle. He has been claimed!” From the flotilla of messages, we chose seven that reflect the diversity of the platform’s posts. Then we talked to the people who wrote them to find out what happened as a result. Here are those posts, edited for length, and the backstories of the Vermonters who shared a want, an offer or an idea on Front Porch Forum on January 5. R.H.

MIC H AE L W O O D - L E W IS

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P.25 JEBB WALLACE-BRODEUR

To the Nines Dress Maker or Aspiring Dress Maker Jacquelyn Hughes • Montpelier Free Items

Any recommendations on someone who can make a dress!? I need one for an event and I can’t ﬁnd what I’m looking for. Reach out if you or someone you know is skilled and interested! Email Author

Reply to Forum

s soon as Jacquelyn Hughes saw the picture of Hailey Bieber wearing a white Yves Saint Laurent dress, she could think of nothing else. In a different color — and for about $5,000 less — it would be the perfect dress for her to wear to her husband’s cousin’s wedding a year off. She knows that sounds a little fanatical. “I’m not into celebrities or anything, but I swear to you, I can never find what I’m looking for,” she explained. So Hughes decided to post on Front Porch Forum to see if anyone in the Montpelier area would be willing to make her the dress. “I’m happy to give somebody a shot,” Hughes said. The post caught the eye of Birgit Loveall, a local bookkeeper and driver who spends her evenings altering clothing for loyal clients. Loveall, born and raised in Germany, has been sewing since her mother taught her when she was 10. “I thought about it for a while because making a

Jacquelyn Hughes working on a painting in Montpelier

dress for somebody if you don’t have a pattern is not the easiest thing,” Loveall said. “But it’s a challenge, and I like challenges.” After a lively email exchange, the women decided to work together. It wasn’t the first time Hughes found what she needed by posting on Front Porch Forum. The 37-year-old woman dabbles in acrylic painting and, more recently, fiber arts. Last spring, Hughes found herself the proud owner of some raw, local wool: perfect for her projects, but unprocessed. In a Forum post, she sought a drum carder — a large wooden device that disentangles, cleans and intermixes raw fiber. A local woman responded, giving her a drum carder and some fiber supplies that had belonged to her mother, who had entered an assisted-living

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?

facility. She also gave Hughes a picture of her mother weaving. “It was supersweet and touching,” Hughes said. She’s working on a painting of the woman’s mother as a surprise thank-you gift. Loveall, meanwhile, has started sketching the dress and has asked Hughes for her measurements. She plans on making a trip to a fabric store with Hughes to get a sense of the type of material she’s looking for and may even source fabric while visiting family in Europe this year. The two women haven’t yet set a price for the labor that will go into creating the dress. But Loveall said she isn’t too concerned about how much she’ll be paid. “I’m just doing it for fun, honestly,” she said.

R.H.

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Vermont School Essentials Sledding Season! Edorah Frazer • Starksboro Items Wanted

To celebrate the ﬁrst real snow, might you donate a sled to the kids at Robinson School? Our students would be grateful! Email Author

Reply to Forum

tarksboro’s Robinson Elementary School has a fine sledding hill for a playground, and principal Edorah Frazer, whose office window has a view of the hill, likes to make sure her students are equipped for it. So nearly every year, she asks people on Front Porch Forum to donate sleds, mittens and gloves. “And it always yields results,” she said, “so I keep doing it.” The gear stays at school, where it gets heavy use. “When you’ve got a bunch of kids riding on sleds, they don’t last all that

long,” Frazer said. And mittens tend to get lost. This year’s post yielded fewer items than usual, which Frazer attributed to unfortunate timing. Her request landed in inboxes just before snow and high winds walloped the area, knocking out power. “There are greater needs right now,” she said. The lesser response didn’t shake her faith in the town. After last year’s post, a woman brought in about 20 pairs of

mittens and gloves. When Frazer asks for volunteers, people step up. If she asks for sneakers, “people go out and shop.” “If it’s been a while since we’ve asked for anything, there are actually people who will start to ask, ‘What do you need?’” Frazer has been the school’s principal for nine years. Robinson Elementary, a K-6 school with 100 students, enjoys strong community support, she said. Two years ago, Mount Abraham Unified School District superintendent Patrick Reen

proposed sending Robinson students to another school to repurpose the building. “The town was outraged,” Frazer said. To keep the school running, residents voted to leave the district, but another town in the district blocked Starksboro’s exit. The district school board ultimately rejected Reen’s proposal, so Robinson remains open. Frazer attributes the town’s fierce support for the school to multigenerational families involved in the community. People turn out for town meeting, she said, where high school kids babysit the little kids and lunch is exceptionally good. If townspeople run through their agenda too quickly, a resident will say, “Somebody bring up another topic so we can stay and talk.” Those at their first town meeting go home with a jug of maple syrup. About a decade ago, Frazer said, residents at town meeting rejected the school budget — so they could increase it. “It’s not a story you hear too often,” she said. The school, in turn, supports the town. A week after her Front Porch Forum appeal, Frazer wrote another, reminding residents that the school is an emergency shelter and was open for water and charging electronic devices while winter-storm power outages continued. M.A.L.

TALK OF THE TOWNS

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IF IT’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE WE’VE ASKED FOR ANYTHING,

THERE ARE ACTUALLY PEOPLE WHO WILL START TO ASK, “WHAT DO YOU NEED?” E DOR A H FRAZ ER

Schoolchildren at Robinson Elementary School in Starksboro

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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P.27 Pam Spatafora at her home in Middlebury

Final Farewell Many books, DVDs, and albums Pam Spatafora • Middlebury

My husband was an avid collector of all things history, military and jazz. I cannot bear the thought of just throwing these items away. While I have donated many, there is still so much more. If you would like to peruse this very large collection, we can arrange a date and time for you to stop by. Email Author

Reply to Forum

CALEB KENNA

Free Items

he had put off the task for more than a year, but the time had finally come for Pam Spatafora to say goodbye to her husband’s prized possessions. The 68-year-old woman watched from the garage of her Middlebury home as a white van emblazoned with “Browsing Is Arousing” backed into her driveway. She introduced herself to two men, then led them up a stairwell to a landing filled with mismatched wooden dressers and half a dozen dusty bookcases. Everything here can go, she said, pointing toward hundreds of paperbacks and DVDs. The old records, too. “And there’s more in there,” she said, gesturing toward a cabinet overflowing with militarythemed books. Pam had already decided what to keep from Frank’s vast collection: a biography of Chicago’s iconic Franks Drum Shop,

mostly because of the book’s name: Franks for the Memories; and another about Benny Goodman, the “King of Swing” and one of Frank’s favorite musicians. “And this one,” she said, pulling out a white coffee-table book. It was a history of the U.S. Navy, in which Frank had proudly served. She ran her hand across its cover. “This one I gave to him.” Pam had said goodbye to many of her husband’s belongings in the 15 months since his death. She found new homes for

his five vintage drum sets. She donated books and DVDs to libraries and thrift stores. But there was still so much left, and the thought of losing it all at once terrified her, because it represented so much of who Frank was. She had met him online in 2006, and they bonded over their Long Island upbringings and appreciation for music: He was a jazz drummer; she played the flute. Their shared love of books filled relaxing weekends together, from

PHOTOS: DARIA BISHOP

Calling Thespians Audition for Kodachrome with the Shelburne Players!

Props master Marc Vincent and director Alex Nalbach

Jennifer Albers • Southeast Quadrant Announcements

Please join us to audition for The Shelburne Players’ spring 2024 production, Kodachrome! Email Author

Reply to Forum

determined spirit courses through Vermont thespians. Patrick Houle, who has performed at least 100 roles — most of them in Vermont — marvels at how that spirit fuels a medley of volunteers to transform a barn, museum or town hall so they can put on a show. “Blows me away every time,” Houle

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Anne Groom auditioning for the Shelburne Players’ production of Kodachrome

said. “It’s like somebody has this creative energy and it has to go somewhere, and they can’t rest until it’s done.” Houle, 44, first felt its spark as a teen. “I was in a production of a really, really bad comedy in high school,” he said. “The premise was, essentially, this guy who works for the mob falls in love with the godfather’s daughter, and they tried to run away together.” He played the lead.

Despite the bad script, he remembers feeling surrounded by creativity and loving the “charge I got from it.” He graduated from Canaan Memorial High School, earned a theater degree at Johnson State College — now part of Vermont State University — and taught theater there. Before he had kids, he said, he was always in at least one show. “I remember leaving the cast party of

one show to go to the dress rehearsal of another,” he said. Now a resident of Jeffersonville, Houle was in the audience of the Shelburne Players’ last play, in November, when he won two tickets to the company’s next show, Kodachrome. Because it was likened to Thornton Wilder’s Our Town, the play appealed to Houle, and he made a mental note to consider auditioning.

afternoons in secondhand stores to reading on the beach in Maine. A few years ago, Pam noticed Frank was losing interest in his hobbies and had bouts of forgetfulness. She encouraged him to see a specialist, and he was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease. His mental state deteriorated in the following years to the point that by the end, Pam suspected he no longer remembered who she was. In 2022, she reluctantly moved him into an assisted-living facility, where he died from kidney failure. The second floor of their home had felt like a mausoleum since then, and Pam avoided going upstairs whenever possible. Lately, though, she had started to worry that his collection could wind up in the dump if something happened to her. As she typed a post for Front Porch Forum seeking people who would appreciate his items, she told herself that this way, she had some control. The first to respond was the 81-yearold owner of a large bookstore on Route 7 in Middlebury, where Frank had bought many books over the years. A few days

later, Dick Chodkowski and one of his employees at Monroe Street Books arrived in the white van to haul away Frank’s stuff. Pam pointed out that her husband had meticulously cataloged his items. “He could have been a shelver for us!” Chodkowski said. Pam laughed. He was at the store enough, she said. She pointed to the photo she had displayed at his memorial service. Frank’s decades-old dog tags hung from the frame. “That’s his face.” “Oh, yeah! Yeah. I think I remember him,” Chodkowski said. Pam watched the men pack for as long as she could, then went downstairs and into the kitchen to collect her thoughts. She stood in the garage as they loaded the final box into the now-filled van, then watched them drive away. Standing among the empty shelves the following day, she took solace in the knowledge that Frank’s collection would live on. But she also felt the weight of it all — another piece of him gone.

C . F.

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802-871-5716 • 34 Blair Park Road • Williston, VT • www.Cheeks.cc The 22-year-old all-volunteer theater company advertised audition dates on media sites, newspaper calendars and Front Porch Forum. And on January 8, Houle sat with 15 others at Shelburne’s old town hall as they took turns reading parts for director Alex Nalbach. The beauty of community theater is the way it brings together the hardware store owner, the librarian and the waitress to play — in this case — a hardware store owner, librarian, waitress and 13 other roles. Love — new, old, requited, unrequited, lost and unexpressed — is at the heart of the Adam Szymkowicz play. Houle, now a high school soccer coach and a senior copywriter for Dealer. com, wasn’t nervous during auditions, he said a few days later: “I feel like I’ve just been at this rodeo so many times.” Though not for a while. If cast, this would be his second show in seven years. He took a break when his real life took some dramatic turns. In 2017, his father died and Houle got divorced. The experiences, though painful, have provided rich material for him to draw on. Reading the part of the hardware store owner as he stands at his wife’s

grave asking for permission to date again stirred the awkwardness and grief Houle felt in the Northeast Kingdom funeral home where he had asked for time alone with his dad. Houle told his dad he hoped he had made him proud. He apologized for things he’d said as a teenager. Then he apologized for not apologizing sooner. Regardless of its outcome, auditioning was fun, Houle said. “When you are not cast, it’s very rarely about your talent,” he added. Some characters need to be old, for example, some young. “It’s all like putting together a puzzle.” Kodachrome offers much for audiences to connect with, Houle said after the audition. “I really do think that people should come to see the show … Even if I don’t get cast, I’m definitely going to see it. I mean, I have two free tickets, after all.” Turns out he won’t need them. Houle landed the role of the hardware store owner. He’ll appear in Kodachrome’s five performances in April at the Shelburne Town Hall.

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THE BEAUTY OF COMMUNITY THEATER IS THE WAY IT BRINGS TOGETHER

THE HARDWARE STORE OWNER, THE LIBRARIAN AND THE WAITRESS.

M.A.L.

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DARIA BISHOP

Doug and Jeanne Landry by the Lamoille River in Johnson

On the Loose Re: White Goose Doug Landry • Johnson forum Announcements

The goose seems to have relocated along the river. If anyone spots it from Lendway Lane towards the gravel pit, please post on forum. Email Author

Reply to Forum

he drama on Johnson’s Front Porch Forum started after Doug Landry, out for a walk, spotted a lone white goose floating on the Lamoille River. Something about the solitary bird worried him. “I thought to myself, That doesn’t belong there,” Landry said. “He was 30

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

quacking as if to say, ‘Look at me! I’m lost.’” So that evening, Landry logged on to Front Porch Forum and composed a simple message: “White goose spotted on a river in Johnson across from town sand pile. Possibly domestic.” The forum was soon abuzz with neighbors contributing to the goose chase. “The goose is still there, seems to be in distress. I tried to call the local game warden but have not heard back yet,” one neighbor wrote. “Our friend Davis is missing two of his white geese. We’ll check it out tomorrow,” someone else chimed in. Another person passed along the number of a woman who “does these types of rescues.” On January 2 the white goose was spotted again “at the end of Lendway Lane heading downstream,” another person announced on the forum. The next day, Landry used the forum to let people know that he had contacted a “professional” and was “going to put

together a team to try capturing and relocating the goose.” Paul Nowell, a Johnson native, posted: “I would like to volunteer my services as a professional goose wrangler. I have attached my credentials below, and look forward to helping you in this quest to retrieve this goose as soon as possible.” Attached was an almost convincing “certificate of goose wrangler.”

HE WAS QUACKING AS IF TO SAY,

“LOOK AT ME! I’M LOST.” D O UG L AND RY

Jokes aside, Landry did put together a rescue team. He got in touch with Amanda Perkins of Derry, N.H. The 31-year-old works professionally for a waterfowl rescue group, answering its hotline. In her free time, she cares for her own three geese. “Geese are so sweet,” she gushed. “They are definitely as loyal as a dog, and they have so much personality.” On January 6, Perkins drove the

three hours to Johnson. She and Landry trudged along the Lamoille River until she found the goose. She played goose calls on her phone to lure him. But he was spooked, and much to Perkins’ surprise, took to the air. Domesticated geese cannot fly very far, Perkins said, so the goose was likely a cross between a Canada goose and a domesticated one. As the sun set, Perkins gave up on the rescue, at least for the moment. “When geese — even a Canada goose — are alone, they become very distressed and they risk their safety to try and find their family,” Perkins said. “This goose needs to be rescued.” Landry has continued to keep tabs on the bird. He’s still in touch with Perkins, who wants to assemble a larger group for a coordinated rescue. Until then, though, the people of Johnson wait with bated breath. “Is there an update for our friendly neighborhood white goose?” Ashley McGrann posted on January 13th. “My friends and I are heavily invested in how this wild goose chase ends!”

R.H.

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Jill of All Trades Dog Walking, House Sitting, Errand Running Hannah Lepisko • Perkinsville Seeking Employment

Mid winter is here and with it is the slowing down of my full time gig. In the meantime I’d like to oﬀer up some services to the community and see where I can be of assistance.

Email Author

Reply to Forum

annah Lepisko was skeptical of Front Porch Forum when her grandmother introduced her to it a few years ago. This place is silly, she thought as she scrolled through the first few batches of posts. It’s for old people trying to find someone to shovel their driveways. She was partly correct. But the more the Brownsville resident browsed the daily digest, the more she realized its potential. She’s since used it to find housing and a dog walker. Recently, the tourist-reliant general store where she works reduced her hours because of the ski season’s slow start. The loss of income turned Lepisko

from someone hiring a dog walker into a person offering dog-walking services, along with errand-running and house-sitting. “I have a little truck,” the 28-year-old wrote, “so even if it’s some larger items, we can make that happen.” Her post has already paid off. Four people inquired about her dog-walking rates, and she’s already committed to walk one canine several days a week. She hopes to cobble together enough gigs to sustain herself while she figures out what she wants to do long-term. One potential option: dusting off her spatulas. A lifelong baker, Lepisko attended the New England Culinary Institute and has worked in professional kitchens, yet she always felt intimidated by the thought of trying to replicate such efforts at home. The pandemic-era boom in bread making inspired her to give it a try, and she now dreams of starting her own baking side business. “I could have a dog-walking business where I bring people bread and walk the dog,” she mused. For now, she’s focused on staying afloat. Thanks to her Front Porch Forum post, she recently connected with an elderly woman in the Upper Valley who needs someone to run errands. She’ll start that gig next month. Who knows, with the recent snowfall, she might even end up shoveling a driveway or two. C . F. TALK OF THE TOWNS

» P.32

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P.31

Living in Harmony

Tigran Ehtesham-Cating speaking at a unity event in Jericho

Lead with Love: Jericho Says No to Hate Maria Rinaldi • Jericho

With the shooting of three young Palestinian men in Burlington, Vermont, our state acutely experienced the rise of anti-Semitic, anti-Arab, and anti-Islamic rhetoric and violence that is mounting across the nation. In response, the Jericho DEI Committee and Mount Mansﬁeld Unitarian Universalist Fellowship are hosting an event to unite neighbors in denouncing hate and to create a safe and healing space for those hurt by hate — in all its forms. Email Author

PHOTOS: DARIA BISHOP

Announcements

Lynne Robbins performing at the unity event

Reply to Forum

espite a sudden afternoon snow squall, the Mount Mansfield Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Meeting House was filled to capacity on January 14, the evening before Martin Luther King Jr. Day. About 40 people, most still bundled in snow pants and scarves, sat shoulder to shoulder in the intimate barn. Overhead, hundreds of string lights twinkled. “When three Palestinian men were shot down on a Burlington street, we had to face the reality that Vermont is just not that special,” Brian Walsh, a member of Jericho’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, told the crowd. “We’re here to honor the legacy of the Rev. Dr. King and to promote the power of love for all people, regardless of their skin color, ethnic origin, spiritual beliefs, gender or sexual orientation,” Walsh said. (Police have arrested a suspect in the Burlington shooting, and they are investigating whether it was a hate crime.) Jericho’s diversity committee and the Mount Mansfield Unitarian Universalist Fellowship organized the event to promote solidarity. Speakers addressed global crises, mainly the war in Gaza, as well as issues closer to home. Tigran 32

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Ehtesham-Cating, 17, talked about her experience as a mixed-race person in overwhelmingly white Vermont. Another woman, Joanna Weinstock, read aloud her late husband’s experience as a “hidden child” living in disguise as nonJewish during the Holocaust. “I invite you to reflect on parallels to what’s happening in the world today and what we might learn and do,” Weinstock said to the crowd. The speeches alternated with lively songs performed by the Freedom & Unity Chorus, Mountainsong and Last Minute Choir. The groups started with “One Day” by Matisyahu.

“One day, this all will change, treat people the same. Stop with the violence, down with the hate,” the choir sang. Some in the audience swayed. A few young children stamped their feet. Maria Rinaldi, a member of Jericho’s diversity committee, led the chorus. She is paralyzed from the chest down and said she joined the committee to share her perspective as a disabled person. For Rinaldi, singing is a mechanism for healing. Hosting an event with her chorus was a no-brainer. Choosing how to publicize it was also easy. “With Front Porch Forum, you can reach out to a lot of different communities

and a lot of different types of people you’ve never met before,” Rinaldi said. In fact, the Freedom & Unity Chorus might’ve ceased to exist had it not been for Front Porch Forum. By the end of the pandemic, the group had dwindled from around 40 regular members to just 20. When in-person rehearsal seemed feasible again, Rinaldi had friends in a several towns post on their local Front Porch Forum about the chorus. Enrollment swelled to 60 people. Leading up to Sunday’s event, Rinaldi posted on Jericho’s forum a number of times. One attendee, Kelly Lawson, laughed about how she had learned of the meeting on Front Porch Forum rather than from her own daughter, Sonnet Lawson, who is a member of the Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee. As the event ended, attendees filed into a hallway where home-baked cookies awaited. The room buzzed with discussion. In a corner, Leslie Dunn, a member of the Universalist Fellowship, beamed with excitement. She had almost skipped the gathering but had felt a virtual push from Rinaldi’s post the day before. “The thing I like about Front Porch Forum is that it’s a place to exchange things and ideas,” Dunn said. This day, she explained, was a perfect example of the latter. “I wrote a list of action items during the talks,” she said, consulting her phone. “I’m inspired. I want to get more involved.”

R.H.

If we think we want to get joy for ourselves, we realize that it’s very shortsighted, short-lived. Joy is the reward, really, of seeking to give joy to others. When you show compassion, when you show caring, when you show love to others, do things for others, in a wonderful way you have a deep joy that you can get in no other way. You can’t buy it with money. You can be the richest person on Earth, but if you care only about yourself, I can bet my bottom dollar you will not be happy and joyful. But when you are caring, compassionate, more concerned about the welfare of others than about your own, wonderfully, wonderfully, you suddenly feel a warm glow in your heart, because you have, in fact, wiped the tears from the eyes of another. — ARCHBISHOP DESMOND TUTU THE BOOK OF JOY

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COURTESY OF CARNAVAL DE QUÉBEC

Carnaval de Québec ice palace

KNOW BEFORE YOU GO Québec City is walkable, but in winter wearing ice cleats is always a good idea. It’s also a hilly city. When your feet are tired, hop on a bus and show your carnival pass to ride for free. Inside the city’s fortification walls, the streets of Old Québec will be busy, which is why most locals stick to the side streets or hang out elsewhere. Go to Montcalm to wander Musée National des Beaux-Arts du Québec, an art museum with a 42,000-piece collection dating back to the 17th century. Skip the busy restaurants in Old Québec and eat instead in neighborhoods such as Saint-Roch, Limoilou and SaintSauveur. Saint-Jean-Baptiste, just outside the old city walls, is great for bar hopping. It’s also home to Le Drague, the city’s only LGBTQ+ club. Visit the snow-covered Montmorency Falls, take a free walking tour of the city and eat poutine. For pretty views, ride the Québec-Lévis ferry, stand at the scenic junction of rues Cul-de-Sac and Notre-Dame, or go to Terrasse Pierre-Dugua-de-mons, a lookout point offering a panorama of the Saint Lawrence River and the iconic 1893 Château Frontenac.

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Inside the Ice Palace

Head north for Québec’s legendary winter carnival B Y PA M EL A M ACNAU GHTAN

he air is crisp, my skin is the color of a Queen Anne rose, and I’m dressed in so many layers I could pass for Bonhomme’s short, plump sister. He’s around here somewhere, Bonhomme, the King of Carnaval de Québec. My eyes are peeled for the host of the party as I wander the cobblestone streets of Old Québec, belly up to the ice bars and watch ice canoe races on the freezing Saint Lawrence River. Drawing some 500,000 residents and visitors each year, Carnaval de Québec is Québec City’s signature outdoor winter festival and one of the largest in the world. This year it runs from January 25 to February 11 — eight more days of merriment than usual, to mark its 70th anniversary. The carnival transforms the frigid city into a playful snow fort brimming with bright lights, music, food, entertainment and only-in-Québec sports. For Vermonters looking to get in on the fun, here’s how to make the most of one of the best winter carnivals on the continent — just a four-hour drive northeast from Burlington. 34

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MARDI GRAS NORTH

Winter in Québec City is longer, darker and colder than Vermont’s. In 1894 former provincial premier HenriGustave Joly de Lotbinière and a group of businessmen came up with an idea to brighten it up: a vibrant carnival with music, dancing, food and an ice palace in front of the Parliament Building. The biggest draw was a canoe race across the icy river that has shaped the historic city. The sport — dubbed “ice canoeing” today — honored hundreds of years of river crossings, and locals lined up along both banks to cheer. The carnival was a hit and became a winter tradition until World War I. In the decades that followed, it happened sporadically but had stopped entirely by the end of World War II. In the 1950s came talks of rejuvenating Old Québec, later named a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and increasing winter tourism. City boosters determined the answer was to bring back the annual winter

Bonhomme at a snow bath

carnival, and in 1955 Carnaval de Québec was born, along with Bonhomme. Named to embody winter — “snowman” in French is bonhomme de neige — he is the spokesperson of the carnival.

MEET HIS HIGHNESS, BONHOMME

Searching the city for the rotund, seven-foot-tall smiling snowman is an unofficial carnival game. Bonhomme’s crown is a red tuque, and there’s an arrow sash around his waist. His joie de vivre is more contagious than the latest strain of coronavirus. “If Bonhomme walks into a bar, for sure everyone is going to cheer and want

to meet him,” said Jean-Luc St-Amand, a local resident who recently retired from the city’s Musée de la Civilisation and has attended Carnaval de Québec many times. “In my twenties, carnival was a big party; people were drunk the entire time. Now it is a family event, and Bonhomme is more popular than Santa Claus. “It doesn’t matter how cold it is outside — it could be minus 40 degrees Celsius — we will be outside to cheer for Bonhomme,” he added. During Carnaval, Bonhomme saunters around Old Québec like a movie star, snapping selfies with his fans and cheering on the ice canoe races. He also loves a sip of caribou — the festival’s official drink — made with port, sherry, vodka and brandy.

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Night parade at Carnaval de Québec

GUIDE This article is part of a travel series on Québec. The province’s destination marketing organization, Bonjour Québec, is a financial underwriter of the project but has no influence over story selection or content. Find the complete series plus travel tips at sevendaysvt.com/quebec.

TASTE THE LOCAL TIPPLE

Legend has it that caribou originated in the 17th century, when colonists concocted the beverage to get through the harsh winter months. Some believe they added whisky to caribou blood, hence the drink’s name. Another theory is that the moniker came from Indigenous peoples who thought the combination of red wine and whisky tasted like caribou blood. “Caribou tastes similar to mulled wine, except you will be drunk quicker. It’s a mixture of red wine with 90 percent alcohol — after a few shots, you will forget it’s cold outside,” said Shadi Greco, a bartender at the historic Québec City tavern Pub l’Oncle Antoine. “I prefer caribou to mulled wine. It’s more earthy and warming,” added Catherine Parisot, the pub’s owner. Caribou recipes vary within the regions of Québec. Some are made strictly with wine, others with fortified wine, whisky or vodka, and a few spices. Try the drink at one of the outdoor ice bars or inside a warm restaurant or pub, then chase it with a shot of Sortilège maple whisky. Pro tip No. 1 for tourists: During Carnaval, caribou is sold in a red plastic Bonhomme cane that you can sip as you wander. Quebec’s drinking age is 18, and

STAYING IN QUÉBEC CITY Finding hotel rooms in Old Québec during the carnival can be a challenge, especially on the weekends when outdoor concerts and special events take place. The farther you venture from Old Québec, the more luck you’ll have finding accommodations, and with free bus transportation for those with carnival passes, this is sometimes the best option. Big hotel chains such as Fairmont Le Château Frontenac, Delta, Hilton, Marriott and Germain have properties in or very close to the old city walls and generally have last-minute rooms. Most have large parking garages or parking lots close by, a welcome amenity in winter. As an alternative, there are several small hotels and B&Bs in Old Québec to choose from. Hôtel Nomad, Hôtel Manoir Victoria and Monsieur Jean are among the more popular. Monastère des Augustines is a monastery turned health and wellness retreat. For those seeking even more in the way of winter, there’s the Hôtel de Glace. The only ice hotel in North America is 30 minutes northwest of Québec City.

its open-container law makes an exception for this festive vessel. (For a reminder that good things are best imbibed in moderation, see “Northern Exposure,” page 36)

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For more information, call 1-800-FOR-MERCEDES, or visit MBUSA.com. The cultural centerpiece of the carnival price may vary. See dealer for details. ©2015 Authorized Mercedes-Benz Dealers ©2021 BMW of North America, LLC. The BMW name, model names and logo are registered trademarks. is Bonhomme’s 840,000-pound ice palace just outside the fortified walls of the Old 3v-AutomasterBMW051921.indd 1 5/12/21 2:51 PM City. It has intricately carved designs and multiple rooms to explore, and the King of Carnaval drops by daily to meet his

INSIDE THE ICE PALACE

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COURTESY OF FRÉDÉRIC LAVOIE/DESTINATION QUÉBEC CITÉ

Inside the Ice Palace « P.35 subjects. To the right of his palace is an outdoor stage for concerts; to the left, an ice bar and bistro. Known as Zone LotoQuébec, this is also one of the locations where you can pick up $34.50 carnival passes for visitors 13 and older. That’s $25.62 in U.S. dollars. (Kids 12 and under are admitted free.)

AN ADMIRABLE EMBRACE OF WINTER IS ON FULL DISPLAY AT CARNAVAL DE QUÉBEC.

It’s a short walk to Carnaval de Québec’s other main sites. Bonhomme’s Campground in Parc de la Francophonie is perfect for families during the day. Kids will love the fairground games, ice slides and zip line. There’s also a warming hut and food shack. After sunset, it’s an adult playground with drag shows and karaoke. Across the street, in Place George V, is Jardin des sculptures, home to stunning ice sculptures, an ice bar and maple taffy. The site Gougoune et Doudoune, also known as Bonhomme’s winter beach, features a 45-foot bear-shaped ice-climbing structure. Find a tiki bar, ball-pit pool, ski trails and succulent barbecue eats, too. Nearby is Québec City’s marina, which sees more action during the carnival than at any other time of the year. It’s also close to Village Nordik, an urban ice fishing spot open to locals and tourists alike.

AN ICY ITINERARY

An admirable embrace of winter is on full display at Carnaval de Québec. While many events and activities take place within the 18-day festival, others are one-offs that are worth planning your trip around. The festivities kick off on January 25 with a free party at Place Jean-Béliveau near Grand Marché de Québec. Expect dancing, pyrotechnics, and performances by Québec artists such as rock singer Rémi Chassé, rapper Sarahmée and comedian Mathieu Dufour. The fest picks up again on February 2, when partiers can dance to deejayed beats while wearing wireless headsets at a silent disco chez Bonhomme’s Campground; don glow sticks and jump in the ball-pit pool at a Neon Pompom Party at Gougoune et Doudoune; and groove to Québec hiphop artists Loud and Mindflip at Zone Loto-Québec. 36

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Ice canoeing at Carnaval de Québec

NORTHERN EXPOSURE I do not recall how my husband (thenboyfriend) and I decided to go to Québec City for the winter carnival back in the late 1980s. I do vividly remember how freezing cold we were the whole time. Mark was in his first year of graduate school in Burlington, and I was still working in New York City. We had very little money and saved up our pennies to see each other every few weeks. The Québec trip was a big deal for us, and in that pre-internet era I relied on printed guidebooks and the phone to find and book what I thought would be a charming but affordable hotel in Old Québec. Another vivid memory: The furniture in our room was upholstered entirely in orange vinyl — and the 1970s were too recent for that to be retro-charming. Coming from Vermont and New York City, we should have known well enough to bring appropriate clothing and footwear. But the polar depths of cold we experienced that weekend were beyond anything either of us could have imagined. Bundled up in every item of clothing we brought, we headed out to stroll among the ice sculptures. That lasted only briefly, as our appendages soon began to resemble the art. Also: We were puzzled by all the jolly, seemingly warm people walking around. Most were outfitted in full ski suits, and many were carrying tall red-and-white canes with a little snowman head on them. We noticed that every so often they would stop, decapitate the snowman and take a swig.

Dancing is practically a requirement to keep the blood flowing at these outdoor concerts. Pro tip No. 2: Stuffing one’s boots with newspaper or bringing a piece of cardboard to stand on

Clearly, we needed to acquire a cane and whatever was in it. The snowman on the cane, we learned, was Bonhomme, the embodiment of the winter carnival. And the spirit everyone was sipping was a potent mix of alcohol called caribou. After buying a cane, we quickly sought refuge in a bar to warm up and inquire about filling it. Mark ordered a beer, and the barkeep slid two over to us along with two shot glasses. It was a carnival special, the guy told us: Buy one beer, get one free — and every beer came a shot of caribou. It took a few beers to get the feeling in our fingers back. We poured all the shots of caribou into Bonhomme’s long body. The afternoon proceeded with us staying outdoors as long as possible, fortified by slugs of caribou from our cane, alternating with stops in a series of bars to regain feeling in our fingers, toes and noses. The beer plus free beer plus free shots seemed to be a citywide practice. Needless to say, things eventually took a queasy turn. We had to cut short our dinner of wild Québec game and head back to the hotel to collapse amid orange vinyl. Many years later, we laugh at our naïveté and keep the Bonhomme cane in the basement as a reminder to never underestimate the weather. Mark admitted recently that he still shudders when he sees the snowman’s “little smiling face, mocking me for being so ill-prepared for the Québec cold.” M E L I S S A PAS AN E N

On February 4, you can join hundreds of onlookers to watch teams paddle across the river, stopping to walk over chunks of ice, trying not to fall in. “When you’re in the middle of the river, you have to be very focused on the speed of the ice and try to find a path,” said Remi Gilbert, who has been competing in ice canoe races since 1988. “The ice is very loud, and with the canoe, the noise doubles. We have to scream to hear each other.” Think you can do it? It’s a carnival tradition that anyone can try. For the less adventurous, Gougoune et Doudoune hosts culinary sampling events from 2 to 4 p.m. on the weekends — a tasty way to enjoy local cuisine without spending a lot of money. Look for renowned chefs Frédéric Cyr of Fairmont Le Château Frontenac and Raphaël Vézina of Laurie Raphaël on February 10 and 11. There’s a frozen mustache contest on February 9, and February 5 through 8 brings laser tag and music to La Citadelle de Québec — a historic site and active military base. You won’t find that anywhere else. Closing out the carnival on February 11 is the snow bath, in which participants don their swimsuits to play in the snow while bystanders bundled in head-to-toe winter gear cheer them on. ➆ Pamela MacNaughtan is a travel and food writer based in Québec City.

can be a lifesaver if temperatures drop below minus 20 degrees Celsius — that’s minus 4 Fahrenheit. The warming hut at Bonhomme’s Campground comes in handy, too.

INFO Carnaval de Quebec, January 25 through February 11, at various locations in Québec City. CA$34.50 festival pass; free for kids 12 and under. carnaval.qc.ca/en

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Best of Cluck

Five new ways to feed your fried chicken craving in Chittenden County B Y M E L I SSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

ood fried chicken takes time. Typically, the meat is soaked in a seasoned brine for several hours before pieces are dredged in a coating mixture and then fried — often twice, with a rest in between. Even the home cooks who have the energy and patience for all these steps still need to budget more time to scrub a greasespattered stovetop. (Let’s not get into the ridiculousness of “oven-fried” chicken recipes.) But fried chicken is a magical food, delivering tantalizing crunch and tender juiciness with every bite. Plus, it must be

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eaten by hand, adding a touch of playful abandon. Yes, it’s going to get messy. Have fun with that. “Can you really be sad eating fried chicken?” pondered Harmony Edosomwan, who recently launched weekly Sunday takeout dinners in Winooski starring her excellent version of the dish. Harmony’s Kitchen is one of several Vermont purveyors offering new ways to get your fried chicken fix in 2024. In addition to Edosomwan’s soul food-inspired menu, Seven Days sampled fried chicken from two recently opened restaurants:

Donwoori Korean in South Burlington and Crispy Burger in Burlington’s Old North End. We also dared to try the spiciest fried chicken sandwich on the new menu at Devil Takes a Holiday in downtown Burlington and chatted with the co-owner of Maple Wind Farm in Richmond about the latest twist on its monthly fried chicken takeout dinners. There’s a fried chicken here for everyone, including vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free alternatives. And, most importantly, someone else will clean the kitchen.

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“I’m a pink girl,” Edosomwan said. Chatting recently in Winooski’s O’Brien Community Center kitchen, she wore a chef jacket embroidered “Chef Harmony,” in her favorite shade of hot pink. She said the eye-catching hue represents the spunkiness that has helped propel her business forward. “I love bright colors and big things, like this big Afro,” Edosomwan added,

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gesturing to her abundant crown of hair. Edosomwan, 25, began selling her fried chicken and macaroni and cheese as a student at the University of Vermont.

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center kitchen by the hour, and she’s since taken over the lease. “This is very much an upgrade,” Edosomwan said. The new kitchen allowed her to expand her once-occasional Soul Food Sunday takeout meals, which she offers weekly as of January 14. For $30, each meal includes a pair of deeply bronzed, shaggy-crusted chicken thighs or drumsticks; a dense slab of rich macaroni and cheese; velvety collard greens braised with morsels of smoked turkey; and a wedge of corn bread soaked with honey butter, unexpectedly decadent and more of a dessert than a side. (During January, every order includes a bonus piece of corn bread to celebrate the business’s fourth anniversary.) The plentiful, comforting, rib-sticking food could power you to the moon, with maybe a pit stop on the couch. Edosomwan’s childhood in the Bronx was steeped in soul food, but she channels BEST OF CLUCK

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Best of Cluck « P.39 a mix of cultures in her menu, which she calls Afro-fusion soul food. The chef would not divulge the secret behind her moist and deeply seasoned chicken, but she said it relies on techniques learned from her Nigerian parents. For vegans, Edosomwan substitutes crunchy, battered oyster mushrooms ($32) for chicken. An optional side of rice and beans was inspired by Puerto Rican neighbors. When she moved to Vermont, Edosomwan said, she missed all those foods. “It’s a need that had to be filled,” she said. And who better to fill it than a chef in bright pink bearing the crunchiest fried chicken possible?

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

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Burlington’s Revolution Kitchen Goes Back on the Market the decade-old vegetarian eatery from its founders, Debra and Peter Maisel, in November 2022. They reopened the restaurant in August 2023. Even before that, the Barchowskis’ revamped menu, which included a few seafood dishes, elicited displeasure from some vegetarians and vegans on social media. Others were disappointed that the menu was missing favorites from the original, such as Buffalo cauliflower tacos. Karen, 56, said she expects to build a commercial kitchen and launch a new catering business at the family’s Milton farm. Melissa Pasanen

Scrag & Roe Serves Global Plates in Waitsfield A pair of chefs opened SCRAG & ROE in the heart of Waitsfield, near the covered bridge, on December 18. Coowners NATHAN DAVIS and CALEB PEARCE named their restaurant in honor of nearby Scrag Mountain and fish roe. Its menu features globally inspired, mostly small and shareable plates, such as a bright and elegant scallop crudo with grapefruit, garnished with pistachios and salmon roe. Scrag & Roe took over the space at 40 Bridge Street most recently occupied by the Great Eddy, which closed in late August after one summer season. Davis, 42, and Pearce, 33, met when 40

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

they overlapped briefly while working for the Waitsfield-based MAD TACO SIDE DISHES

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I DARED A TASTE OF THE HOTTEST SPICE LEVEL, WITH ITS GHOST PEPPER “HELLFIRE SAUCE” AND “NO TAKE BACKSIES” WARNING — AND SURVIVED.

FILE: MELISSA PASANEN

About six months after reopening Burlington’s REVOLUTION KITCHEN, mother-and-daughter co-owners KAREN and MADISON BARCHOWSKI have put the restaurant on the market. Karen confirmed that the family decided to sell the business during a planned monthlong January closure. She said she is in conversation with several potential buyers, and the new owner will decide whether to continue with Revolution Kitchen or establish a new concept in the restaurant space. “This wasn’t an easy decision,” Karen said, declining to elaborate on the reasons. The Barchowskis relocated to Vermont from Florida and purchased

The cocktail lounge just across the street from Burlington’s City Hall Park was buzzing when our party of four arrived at about 8:45 p.m. on a recent Saturday. We were lucky to score a table, and, in this early-bird town, it was a relief to take our time ordering and eating. The recently relaunched kitchen at Devil Takes a Holiday, run by chef Pablo Murphy-Torres, stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, 11 p.m. on Mondays through Thursdays, and 10 p.m. on Sundays. My husband and I started by choosing from the always expertly crafted cocktails. I opted for the Call Your Mom ($16), with single-malt Scotch and a pleasant bitterness from coconut-washed Campari, and he chose the smoky, tart New Calendar ($15), with mezcal and ginger. The next big decision involved the spice level of our fried chicken (or vegetarian mushroom) sandwiches ($16). My friend

» P.43

Scallop crudo

Pablo Murphy-Torres (left) and Taylor Watts

food+drink went for a conservative (aka wimpy) Innocent for her oyster mushroom version. My husband and I split a medium Purgatory chicken sandwich after we had all nibbled on some small bites and the punchy lemon-andchile-dressed Horny Caesar ($13). In designing the new menu, 27-year-old Murphy-Torres said, he drew from his Newark, N.J., youth, during which Kennedy Fried Chicken was a late-night staple. “We wanted to take that sentiment and elevate it,” he said. The three sandwiches on the fried chicken (or mushroom) roster have different veggie and sauce components that complement their heat level. The base for each is a juicy, buttermilk-marinated, crispcrusted boneless thigh, or a generous spray of fried mushrooms still on the stem and given the same treatment. In the Innocent variation, a creamy scratch-made roasted garlic aioli paired well with vinegary slaw and seasoned mushrooms, which were just a little too chewy to pull apart easily in the mouth. The Purgatory chicken sandwich zinged with maple-Thai chile heat and pickled cherry bomb relish, while housemade ginger-pickled carrots added a tangy note. I later dared a taste of the third spice level, Ninth Circle, with its ghost pepper “hellfire sauce” and “no take backsies” warning — and survived. I’m not sure I would have made it through the whole thing, but a few bites proved the kitchen’s finesse in delivering firepower without obliterating all other flavors. Devil co-owner Taylor Watts is a fan of the Ninth Circle, though he advised pairing it with a beer instead of a

cocktail — another reason for me to stay stuck in Purgatory.

GET YETI FOR

Winging It Donwoori Korean, 2026 Williston Rd., South Burlington, 651-1481, donwoorivt.com

Before Summer Cao opened Donwoori Korean restaurant in South Burlington in mid-December, she took a Florida vacation. The 24-year-old, who said she thrives on adrenaline, went skydiving and was disappointed when weather canceled her scheduled swim with sharks. Characteristically, the young entrepreneur also jumped without fear into her latest venture. Cao even named her restaurant on theme, picking two Korean words that, to an English speaker’s ear, sound like “don’t worry,” she noted with a grin. Originally from Vietnam, Cao started working in hospitality when she moved to Australia for college at age 17. In 2022, she came to Vermont, where her mother was living, and held a bank job while moonlighting at Winooski’s Mandarin restaurant. Cao was putting in 60 to 70 hours weekly. “I thought, I may as well work for myself,” she said. The international business major surveyed the local restaurant scene and saw an opportunity in Korean food. “I’m not Korean, obviously,” Cao said, “but I worked at a lot of Korean restaurants.” BEST OF CLUCK

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and chatted up the restaurateur to learn more about the business while I waited. It turns out that this Crispy Burger, opened by married couple Yan Feng and

Jason Lin, is a franchise of a small New York City-based chain. Like Feng and Lin, the chain’s founders are originally from China. This explained the Chinese on the menu and the New York phone number on the Crispy Burger bags. Feng and Lin live with their children in South Burlington. They own the building at 160 North Winooski as well as Volcano Asian Cuisine on North Avenue. After considering several restaurant ideas, said Lin, 40, he settled on Crispy Burger because “I don’t see many choices for lunch in the neighborhood.” My whole small chicken emerged from the kitchen butterflied flat like a book with a crackling golden crust. I found the seasoning fairly neutral and enjoyed the soft meat and its crispy sheath best after amply sprinkling it with a chilecumin seasoning mix that Lin offered to me along with prepackaged sauces, such as barbecue and ranch, and a housemade sweet chile sauce. As he juggled a constant stream of orders, Lin said he already has regulars and will soon add bubble tea. He added that he and Feng hope to open multiple locations of Crispy Burger in Vermont.

‘Have a Crispy Day’ Crispy Burger, 160 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 540-0900, pos.chowbus.com/ online-ordering/store/14758

During the first week of January, slick branded posters went up in the windows of the long-empty market at the triangular corner of Burlington’s North Winooski Avenue and North Street. They promised “good taste” and suggested passersby “have a crispy day.” On January 5, the brightly decorated Crispy Burger restaurant opened, and online chatter increased. Was this new restaurant part of a chain? And why was it called Crispy Burger when the menu focused on fried chicken in various forms and not burgers, which aren’t usually crispy anyway? On my recent visit, a thorough perusal of the menu revealed a “signature crispy chicken burger” ($6.50), though it appears to be very similar to a fried chicken sandwich. Happy to put one question to rest, I ordered the more novel whole fried chicken ($13.99)

Jason Lin

Farm-Fried

DARIA BISHOP

Cao took over the space that was most recently Pho Vo. She refreshed the small room, which seats eight, though business is still largely takeout. Among the dishes, such as kimchi pancakes ($6) and rice cakes called tteokbokki with different sauces ($8.50 to $9.50), Cao said fried chicken is a bestseller. On a recent Monday, she sold more than 350 wings. “I was completely wiped out,” she said. Wings come six ($16), nine ($22) or 12 pieces ($26) to an order with fries or fried rice cakes; kimchi or coleslaw; and a soda. I’m a big fan of tteokbokki simmered in sauce like long, chewy gnocchi but had never had them fried. “It’s a thing,” Cao said. Donwoori’s meaty wings start with a six-hour soak in a soy, garlic, onion and paprika marinade and then receive a light dusting of a flour-based mix that fries up thin and crisp. (Cao is working on a glutenfree wing.) Each wing is double-fried for extra crunch before sauce is added. The mangochile option combines sriracha with fresh mango and mango purée. For pure sweetness, choose the honey-butter flavor. For an umami bomb, the soy-garlic should do the trick. I ordered the gochujang, which marries Korea’s signature fermented chile paste

with a little brown sugar and sesame oil. The wings stayed admirably crisp under the sauce, which leaned sweet despite the menu’s chile pepper warning. Heat lovers may want to ask for a heavier dose of gochujang — especially those, like Cao, who relish things that are a little dangerous.

Maple Wind Farm, 1149 E. Main St., Richmond, 322-3739, maplewindfarm.com

A whole fried chicken and a crispy chicken burger with fries and sauces at Crispy Burger

DARIA BISHOP

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Last year was Maple Wind Farm’s 25th raising livestock on pasture — or, as farmer and co-owner Beth Whiting said with a chuckle, “25 clucking years.” Whiting, her husband, Bruce Hennessey, and their team sell lots of chicken, along with pastured beef, pork and seasonal turkeys. From June through early November 2023, Maple Wind raised 13,000 meat birds, moving them to fresh grass daily. Maple Wind runs its own U.S. Department of Agriculture poultry processing facility and sells most of its meat raw. But in 2018, the farm started doing occasional on-site fried chicken dinners “to help our community come to see the farm and how we raise the animals,” Whiting, 55, said. Since the pandemic, the dinners have gone the takeout route; for the past year, they’ve been offered monthly. In January, Maple Wind changed the format. Instead of single-serve dinners, Whiting said, the farm now offers buckets for sharing (from $40 for 16 wings), with corn bread ($1 per piece) and coleslaw ($7.50 per pint) side options. A new mix of drumsticks and

food+drink

SIDEdishes «

A bucket of fried Maple Wind Farm chicken

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

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restaurant group. Davis is a Middlebury native who most recently worked at LA BOCA WOOD FIRED PIZZERIA in Burlington. Pearce, who hails from the Washington, D.C., area, was the sous chef at Peasant, which operated in the 40 Bridge Street spot from 2012 to early 2023. Scrag and Roe’s menu shows the influence of the chefs’ varied résumés and the six years that Davis spent working in Shenzhen, China, and

ANOINTED WITH MAPLE SYRUP AND SEA SALT. wings helps move chicken parts that don’t sell as fast. The original fried chicken recipe, developed by former Maple Wind poultry processing manager and trained chef Billy Person, remains unchanged — and happens to be naturally gluten-free. I recall crunching very happily through several pieces at an on-farm dinner a few years ago.

The process involves a buttermilk brine and a dredge made with Charlotte-grown Nitty Gritty Grain cornmeal and a proprietary spice blend. Hot from the fryer, the chicken is anointed with maple syrup and sea salt. Repeat customer Karen Hergesheimer of Essex Junction said she and her family are happy to order fried chicken in whichever form Maple Wind wants to sell it. “It’s crispy, sweet and cooked to perfection every time,” she said. “The takeout option is great for busy families, and it’s such a valuable lesson for my kids to see where their food comes from.” ➆

Marcus Wilson and Karen Hergesheimer picking up Maple Wind Farm fried chicken buckets

M.P.

Fancy’s to Open in Burlington’s Oak Street Co-op Things are getting fancy at 88 Oak Street in the Old North End. By late March or early April, PAUL TROMBLY and the team behind popular Burlington-based food truck MISTER FOODS FANCY will open FANCY’S in the space shared with POPPY CAFÉ & MARKET. The full-service restaurant From left: Paul Trombly with Abby Portman, Jordan Iannuzzi, will offer the vegetable-heavy, Ellie Seitz and Tara Byrne of Poppy Café & Market Middle Eastern-inspired cuisine Mister Foods Fancy fans have come to love, Trombly said. and currently offers private chef and “But I think I’m going to sprinkle in a catering services. Trombly purchased little bit of seafood and meat,” he added. Café Mamajuana’s share of the equipThat sprinkling might include a braised ment, including a creemee machine. For duck sandwich or cured salmon on an dessert, Fancy’s will serve cake and ice appetizer; “otherwise, it’s all vegetarian cream — both vegan- and dairy-based — and mostly vegan-friendly.” in combos such as black sesame and miso The menu will build on the food truck’s creemees with banana sheet cake and popular sandwiches, such as mujadaracandied cocoa nibs. based veggie burgers and barbecue Mister Foods Fancy offered takeout last falafel burgers, adding bar snacks and winter from its former prep kitchen, but seasonally rotating vegetable sides based this is the first full-service restaurant for on what farmers have in stock, Trombly the food truck team. Trombly said he plans said. He plans to offer a small selection of to keep the truck for now but will shift his beer, wine and classic cocktails such as focus to the restaurant this spring. While old-fashioneds and gin and tonics. most of the menu will be takeout-friendly, Trombly wasn’t “aggressively looking” “I missed putting food on plates,” he said. for a brick-and-mortar spot when Poppy Fancy’s will serve dinner Wednesday owner ABBY PORTMAN approached him through Saturday to start, while Poppy continues to operate during weekday about sharing the Oak Street space, he breakfast and lunch hours. Trombly hopes said. But the 20-seat restaurant’s low to host pop-ups — health inspections overhead and split costs appealed to his pending — as soon as Valentine’s Day. cautious nature — as did the building’s cooperative ownership. Jordan Barry “I lived in a collective cooperative house in Detroit for seven years, so I’m pretty stoked that this is the model I’ve CONNECT come into,” Trombly said. Follow us for the latest food gossip! Fancy’s took over the lease from CAFÉ On Instagram: Jordan Barry: @jordankbarry; MAMAJUANA, which moved out last fall Melissa Pasanen: @mpasanen. COURTESY OF KATIE PALATUCCI

HOT FROM THE FRYER, THE CHICKEN IS

traveling throughout Asia. Dishes range from Middle Eastern-style lamb kofta with yogurt and mint oil to chilled, sliced beef or pork with cucumber, leeks and Sichuan chile oil. “Sichuan food is my favorite to cook,” Davis said. An avid snowboarder, he noted that the Mad River Valley “is where my heart is” and that good friends recently bought Waitsfield’s VILLAGE GROCERY and deli. Scrag & Roe is open for dinner Thursday through Monday, starting at 4 p.m. to catch the après-ski crowd.

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

culture

hat Vermont politician brought an actual dog and pony to his final press conference? The answer: Former governor Jim Douglas, who used the animals as a selfdeprecating joke in reference to his critics’ contention that he hosted overly promotional “dog and pony show” media events. “I will never get over this fact,” Amanda Kay Gustin, host of the Vermont Historical Society’s virtual trivia night, told an audience of about 50 people on Zoom. “It delights me.” The amusing question was one of 30 on a recent Wednesday when the contest’s theme was “People of Vermont.” The annual winter trivia series culminates in a championship on Wednesday, January 31. With the help of a few volunteers, Gustin writes original questions meant to vary in difficulty — occasionally stumping her audience of history buffs. “This isn’t necessarily the average bar trivia,” Gustin said. “This is for people who have a MATT JENKINS professed interest in and some level of dedication to Vermont.” The Vermont Historical Society launched virtual trivia night in 2020 as a pandemic-appropriate activity after several years of hosting trivia in pubs. The multiple-choice questions and answers appear on a shared Zoom screen, and competitors have one minute to answer on a phone or tablet via Kahoot!, a live quiz platform. Participants Virtual trivia night tests get more points for quick responses and a competitors’ knowledge of Vermont history bonus for correctly answering multiple BY H ANNAH F E UE R • hfeuer@sevendaysvt.com questions in a row. On January 10, the people-themed Other trivia night themes have included picks up fun facts from her everyday life. contest was split into three rounds: Vermont’s writers and artists, politicians, Vermont places and weather and seasons, She said she tries to “look for the nugget of and a miscellaneous category. Questions while the championship round will quiz what says something beyond just a simple covered a variety of influential historical participants on “every topic under the fact. What does it make you think about figures with little-known connections to sun,” according to the website. This year’s when you know that thing about a town Vermont: For instance, Stephen A. Doug- prize is still in the works; previous prizes or a river?” las, famous for debating Abraham Lincoln have included free history books from the For example, a question about which during the Illinois Senate race of 1858, was Vermont Historical Society’s store. Vermont politician was nicknamed the born in Brandon. Known as the “First Gustin, the Vermont Historical Soci- “wise old owl” of the Senate and spent Lady of American Journalism,” radio ety’s director of collections and access, only $17.09 on his last reelection campaign broadcaster Dorothy Thompson lived often scours biographical dictionaries shows how well liked senator George on a 300-acre farm in Barnard with her and encyclopedias focused on Vermont Aiken was, Gustin commented during the second husband, the Nobel Prize-winning history for ideas. Another inspiration event. She added that Aiken supposedly novelist Sinclair Lewis. The influential is The Vermont Quiz Book by Frank and spent the money on postage. philosopher and educator John Dewey Melissa Lee Bryan, published in 1986. Barre resident Fred Pond, 69, has been was born in Burlington in 1859. As a history lover, Gustin naturally participating in virtual trivia night since

HISTORY

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Good Questions

THIS ISN’T NECESSARILY

THE AVERAGE BAR TRIVIA.

AM ANDA KAY GUST IN it began in 2020. His volunteer work with the Vermont Historical Society helps him pick up on some obscure historical facts, he said. Pond won the trivia championship a few years ago and has been chasing a second victory ever since; his Kahoot! username is “OnceAChamp.” For Duxbury resident Kim Greenwood, 52, trivia night is a social event. She often logs on with her husband and parents, she said, and they compete to see who can score the highest. While she doesn’t formally sit down to study for the quiz, Greenwood has picked up historical facts as a member of the 251 Club of Vermont, a group of people who commit to visiting every one of Vermont’s towns and cities. Local history “feels more tangible” than general interest trivia, Greenwood said: “You could hear a trivia question [about a place], think it’s really interesting, and next weekend, you could go to that place. It makes it really come alive.” Montpelier resident Joy Worland, 61, who works in the Vermont Department of Libraries, said learning about the state’s rich history makes her proud to live here. While she knew Vermont had an abundance of authors, trivia has made her more aware of the state’s many successful politicians. She said she’s particularly inspired by Madeleine Kunin, Vermont’s only female governor to date. That kind of incidental learning is part of what Gustin sets out to accomplish with the event. “If you’re getting the question wrong, when the right answer appears on the screen, that’s going to stick in your brain and move forward with you,” Gustin said. “It’s meant for you to laugh and enjoy yourself and go, Oh, that’s so cool! I’m glad I know that now.” ➆

INFO Virtual Vermont Trivia Championship, Wednesday, January 31, 7 p.m., on Zoom. $5-10. vermonthistory.org

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ARTS BUSINESS

New Study Documents the Economic Impact of Vermont’s Arts Sector B Y H AN N AH F E U E R • hfeuer@sevendaysvt.com

In 2022, Vermont’s arts and culture sector generated $158.6 million in economic activity and $34.8 million in tax revenue, while also supporting about 2,700 jobs. That’s according to a recent study by the national arts advocacy organization Americans for the Arts, which approximately every five years publishes research documenting the arts’ economic impact in communities across the U.S. The Vermont Arts Council, Paramount Theatre in Rutland and Burlington City Arts worked together to collect data for the study through surveys of audience members and 120 nonprofit arts and culture organizations across the state. The arts are “such a big part of Vermont’s overall economy,” Vermont Arts Council executive director Susan Evans McClure said. “To be able to have hard numbers helps us make an even stronger economic case about the value that we’re bringing in terms of dollars.” The study confirms that the arts have a significant impact on tourism, McClure said. Among the findings is that about a quarter of the 1.4 million people who attended arts events in Vermont in 2022 traveled from out of state. Almost 80 percent of those tourists said the

primary reason for their visit was to attend a cultural event. The cost of a ticket alone doesn’t begin to capture the full economic impact of the arts, Evans McClure said. Attendees don’t simply go to a performance and leave — they eat at restaurants, stay at hotels and shop at local stores. On average, tourists spent almost 80 percent more than locals on expenses beyond the cost of admission to an event: $51.69 per person per event, compared to $28.88 for Vermonters. Beyond economics, the study also asked questions about how arts and culture organizations contribute to community pride. About 80 percent of attendees agreed that the venue where they were surveyed is “an important pillar for me within my community,” and about 84 percent agreed they “would feel a great sense of loss if this activity or venue were no longer available.” The study helps “expand the reasons that we’re funding the arts,” Evans McClure said. “We’re doing it because it’s good for communities, but it’s also good for the economy. And now we have some really strong data to prove that.” ➆

INFO

Learn more at vermontartscouncil.org.

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culture

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

BOOKS

COURTESY OF STEPHEN ABATIELL

n one of her Reith Lectures for the BBC, novelist Hilary Mantel observed, “We carry the genes and the culture of our ancestors, and what we think about them shapes what we think of ourselves, and how we make sense of our time and place.” Shrewsbury poet Joan Aleshire looked to her ancestors for inspiration for her first novel, an imaginative expansion of a shred of family lore. The main character of Belfield is based on one of Aleshire’s forebears: artist Charles Willson Peale (1741-1827), who is still acclaimed for his resplendent portraits of George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Thomas Jefferson. Aleshire was born in Baltimore, Md., studied film and Russian at Massachusetts’ Radcliffe College, and first moved to Vermont after her 1960 graduation. She received an MFA from Plainfield’s Goddard College in 1980 and became interim director of its graduate program when it moved to Warren Wilson College in North Carolina in 1981, then served on its low-residency faculty until 2013. She published six volumes of poetry between 1982 and 2019, most recently Days of Our Lives. Peale is a superlatively compelling basis for her debut novel’s main character. Orphaned at 13, then apprenticed to a saddle maker, he fought in the War of Independence and served as a postrevolutionary legislator in Pennsylvania. In addition to his presidential portraits, he painted especially human renderings of Alexander Hamilton, John Hancock, the Marquis de Lafayette, Indigenous leader Joseph Brant (Thayendanegea) and a formerly enslaved Muslim American named Yarrow Mamout. Peale was also a farmer, inventor, naturalist, museum curator and (in word if not always in deed) abolitionist. Over his long life, he continued to paint while starting new ventures, gaining skill in carpentry, dentistry, optometry, shoemaking and taxidermy. In Aleshire’s narrative, “Charles Willson” (as he’s always called in the novel) is ever in motion: a brilliant autodidact and a lusty, enthusiastic patriarch. Married three times and father to 16 children, he’s always willing to welcome into his home someone adrift or in need, including his elderly mother and her unmarried niece, an orphan girl named Mag who has a “partial hand,” a young woman with no arms and only one foot (who is nevertheless a gifted artist), and a wayward nephew. When a neighbor short of cash pays for a portrait by giving Charles Willson a family of three enslaved people in trade, he has a serious quandary. As a liberal champion of freedom, he refuses to call

Joan Aleshire

Artistic Ancestry Book review: Belfield, Joan Aleshire BY J IM S C H L E Y • schley@sevendaysvt.com

FROM BELFIELD He wants to never finish this portrait and fears that once he puts on the last brushstroke; once Hannah looks at what he’s made of her, she’ll feel diminished, or worse—he’s come to have this sense of her modesty—feel he’s falsely flattered her. Heart in his throat, he puts down his brush and steps away from the easel: “I hope I’ve done you justice.” She is as delighted as he could hope she would be; without exclaiming or showing obvious enthusiasm, without taking unseemly pleasure in her own appearance, she says: “It’s a very good likeness, I think, although I can’t really see myself,” and puts her hand on his arm. “A speaking likeness, would you say?” “Yes, yes. I wouldn’t have thought of it that way, but yes…” “It’s what I try for in a portrait,” he answers, comfortable now to speak of his art instead of her appearance or the dangerous ground of his emotion.

Scarborough, Lucy and their son “slaves,” though others do. He treats them as professional servants, insisting they join the family meals as “guests,” despite the awkwardness and bewilderment this causes them. The novel’s setting is a transitional time

in American history, 50 years before the Civil War, when enslaved people coexisted in a state such as Pennsylvania with free Black people who had their own homes, businesses and guaranteed rights. Our nation delayed for decades honestly facing the consequences of such contradictions.

Eventually, Charles Willson frees Lucy and Scarborough through legal manumission but retains their son, Moses, in his service. He rationalizes that the law allows him to do so until the boy, who is a talented apprentice artist, reaches the age of 27. In Aleshire’s re-creation, the Peale household, known as Belfield, bustles with constant comings and goings and projects under way. Ben Franklin and Thomas Jefferson make cameo appearances, and Charles Willson’s children — who have outlandish, aspirational names, such as Rembrandt, Titian, Raphaelle, Rubens, Angelica and Sophonisba — grow into adroit young artists. The historical Peale children in fact became influential artists and museum curators, and the young Moses Peale (later Moses Williams) was among his era’s finest “profile cutters,” fashioning portraits as precise cut-paper silhouettes. In the book’s strongest passages, Aleshire provides the kinds of sensory detail that can bring a far-off place and time close by. The sights, sounds, smells and tastes of the rambunctious Peale homestead give urgency and immediacy to settings and scenes. Aleshire has chosen to use a close thirdperson mode of storytelling, in which an omniscient authorial narrator leans into the sensibility of characters, giving the reader glimpses of their perspectives and feelings. The point of view shifts frequently, sometimes in the middle of a paragraph: When he’s alone, Scarborough watches the way a glass looks like the water that’s made it; he’s always been worked too hard to go to midnight school on the plantations he was bound to, and has picked up only a few words of written English. Charles Willson’s latest Philadelphia Enquirer lies folded on the table; Mag isn’t taking it in with his breakfast these days, after seeing it on his tray untouched. One day she notices it folded in a different way, and closer to Scarborough’s chair; another day she finds it in his lap: “Trying to figure this out,” he says with a rueful grin and a shrug. “Reading is hard,” she agrees, but doesn’t presume he’d want her to help him. When this works, Aleshire’s quick leaps among vantage points give readers an exciting sense of the many ways the lives of Belfield’s residents are entwined, their existence both personal and communal.

Yet in other places, the novel’s point of view seems wobbly, which this reader found disorienting. The middle of the book loses the earlier chapters’ clear focus on the complicated, effervescent Charles Willson and somber, insightful Scarborough. Both are shunted aside in favor of descriptions of the romantic compulsions and competitions of Belfield’s adolescents and young adults. Moreover, the language spoken by the youngsters resembles that of people today. Is it important in a historical novel that characters speak “historically”? This is a question of sonority — tone and diction and atmosphere. It’s jarring when one of Peale’s sons shouts, “Get the fuck out of the way.”

CHARLES WILLSON PEALE IS A SUPERLATIVELY COMPELLING BASIS

FOR THE NOVEL’S MAIN CHARACTER.

Later, the story returns to the aging Charles Willson, whose moral predicament again takes primacy as he struggles to let go of Moses, a protégé and, in some ways, another son. In the novel, and true to history, he eventually appeals to the state assembly to permit Moses’ release, but only one year early. In an illuminating afterword to the novel, Aleshire explains that as a child she saw in her grandparents’ home a stern portrait of Charles Willson’s daughter Angelica, her grandfather’s great-grandmother. Aleshire’s own daughter chose to dig deeper into the family’s lineage, and when she told her mother that she’d learned the Peales owned slaves, Aleshire accepted a challenge to open up this old story for reflection and recounting. In her BBC lecture, Mantel argued for the power of historical fiction to teach us about our past, saying that “if we want to meet the dead looking alive, we turn to art.” With her artful novel, Aleshire has given us a memorable fictional realization of a history-making person and place. Belfield is less constrained by the documented facts than a conventional biography, but it is also more fleshly, more vibrantly particular, and more anguished in its dramatization of momentous human acts and choices. ➆

Optimism, Opportunity and Urgency: It’s Time to Work Together for Our Future As we begin a new year, and as I embark on my second year as CEO of the University of Vermont Health Network, I feel a sense of both optimism and urgency.

also operating more efficiently and creating new sources of revenue.

Optimism, because I think we have an opportunity to make progress on the challenges we share in this region — if we work together. And urgency, because we need to act now to ensure we are best serving our patients and communities, today and into the future.

For example, we’re prioritizing access to surgical services at several hospitals, which addresses patient wait times. We’re improving efficiency for providers and patients—things like expanding eConsult services between physicians; launching self-scheduling for patients in MyChart; and additional measures to reduce the amount of time patients stay in the hospital unnecessarily.

“We need to act now to ensure we are best serving our patients and communities, today and into the future.”

I’ve done a lot of listening and learning, and that has shaped four fundamental “pillars” we’re focusing on for our health system: • We want to create an exceptional UVM Health Network experience for our patients and everyone who works for the health system. • We’re prioritizing education and research. Our academic health system is making a real difference across Vermont and in the North Country of New York. • Stewardship of our communities is about community health and building public trust and confidence in our health system. • We also need to achieve operational excellence and financial sustainability to fulfill our mission. That’s where we’re headed, but we face the same challenges that many people are dealing with in their daily life and work — things like inflation, labor costs, workforce shortages and a lack of housing and childcare. The landscape of providing health care services in a rural setting has shifted. And these challenges have made it much harder for our not-for-profit health system to make needed investments in our people and in the quality of the health care we provide. “The landscape of providing health care services in a rural setting has shifted.”

In our fiscal year that ended September 30, we fell short of our financial goal by $47 million. In our current fiscal year, we’re working to close a $75 million gap that resulted from a number of factors, including the decision by our Vermont regulator to significantly cut our budget.

“We’re working to improve patient access, while also operating more efficiently and creating new sources of revenue.”

We’re also cutting costs: For example, we’ve reduced expenses by $20 million, including eliminating 130 open positions, in shared administrative services that support organizations throughout our health system. And we’re continuing to closely scrutinize all new hiring. Unfortunately, these kinds of cuts have an impact on our people and on our patient-care and patientexperience initiatives. If we choose to act collectively we can make real strides in overcoming our shared challenges. Here are some key areas where we need partnership: • Economic development and growth —We need more residents, more people in the workforce, more businesses. This can happen only through a coordinated, all-out effort that involves government and the private sector. We are ready to be a partner in this charge. • Housing—We’ve started to invest in housing for our workforce, but it’s a drop in the bucket compared to what’s needed in our region. We need more, better and smarter housing solutions. • Finances —The health care affordability crisis affects everyone, and it’s going to take a collective effort to change it. But we need more voices calling for meaningful health care reform; realistic reimbursement from Medicare and Medicaid; and a fair and consistent regulatory environment that helps us meet our mission. We all share a common interest in the vitality of our communities. We have everything to gain by working together, and we know what’s at stake: It’s the future of this region, and the quality of life for our children and grandchildren.

The fact is, if we hadn’t received one-time relief funds, we would have lost hundreds of millions of dollars since 2020. This is not sustainable. So we’re engaged in a difficult balancing act: We’re working to improve patient access, while

Sunil “Sunny” Eappen, MD, MBA, President and CEO, The University of Vermont Health Network

INFO Belfield by Joan Aleshire, Green Writers Press, 224 pages. $21.95. 34v-UVMHealthNetwork012424 1

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

1/22/24 1:23 PM

culture PERFORMING ARTS

The Flynn Asks Vermonters to Help Create Its Strategic Plan The Flynn is inviting all Vermonters to a three-day meeting — as much or as little of it as they’d like — to help shape the future of the state’s largest arts organization. “The arts in Vermont are at risk,” Jay Wahl, executive director of the downtown Burlington theater, wrote in his invitation to Vermonters. “There are growing barriers to access for all communities and our costs are rising while our revenues are not.” Wahl, who joined the Flynn on January 1, 2021, also acknowledged major shifts in Burlington, in the theater’s organizational makeup and in programming trends since the pandemic. While the Flynn is back to pre-pandemic levels of staff, performances and audience members, Wahl told Seven Days, the arts world has changed. Performers, for example, used to book a year in advance. Now it’s months. Audiences have observed many of the shifts. Wahl’s invitation noted that he has “heard concerns and questions about programming choices, diversity, safety in Burlington, costs, parking, staffing changes, the jazz festival, and how people across the state can have meaningful opportunities to participate in our work.” This weekend’s 21.5-hour public meeting, running Saturday, January 27, through Monday, January 29, is one such opportunity. Attendees will set the agenda and lead the conversations. Ideas generated will inform the Flynn’s next strategic plan. “It’s Vermont’s Flynn,” Wahl told Seven Days, “and so when you start thinking about what might the future look like, the only natural place to ask are all the people who live here.” Vermonters have disparate ideas about the Flynn because they experience it differently, he explained. They may attend performances by comedians, Broadway touring companies, dance troupes or the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. Some perform onstage with Lyric Theatre. Others chaperone their kids to student matinees. Some people never set foot inside the Flynn’s historic building but attend the Flynn-produced Burlington Discover Jazz Festival or participate in off-site arts education programs. For the past two years, the Flynn has brought 12-foot-tall dancing puppets to schools as part of a multimedia event called Playing Fields. “If we’re going to think about what our strategic plan is and make some decisions over the next five to 10 years about all the ways in which we can serve communities, we have to sort of understand all these different perspectives,” Wahl said. The meeting will employ a format called Open Space Technology. It will start with participants in a large circle. They will be invited to write down a question, issue or idea and assign it a time for discussion. With that, the agenda is set. A breakout session is scheduled for each topic. Participants can choose which to

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

FILE PHOTOS: LUKE AWTRY

B Y M ARY AN N L I C KT EIG • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

The Flynn marquee during the pandemic

Jay Wahl

attend, how long to stay, and whether to speak or just listen. The only rule, according to Open Space World, is “the law of personal mobility,” which says that if “you find that you are not learning or contributing, you have the right and the responsibility to move — find another breakout session, visit the food table, take a walk in the sunshine, make a phone call — but DO NOT waste time.” Notes from all sessions will be posted on the Flynn’s website.

While it’s not necessary to attend all three days, organizers encourage participants to be present at its opening on Saturday morning to best understand the process and help set the agenda. Asked if people can add items to the agenda on subsequent days, Wahl said organizers plan to be flexible. Organizational consultant Harrison Owen created the Open Space method 39 years ago after acknowledging that the real action at a symposium he’d help run

took place during the coffee breaks, not the formal sessions. “It’s about maximal, participatory agency,” said Wahl, who has attended Open Space meetings. This is the first he has organized. No one will be in charge, by design. British artist Seth Honnor will facilitate. The founder and artistic director of production company Kaleider has experience running these meetings, Wahl said, and his art “engages communities in dialogue around what communities want.” The Flynn brought Honnor’s production “The Money” to venues throughout Vermont in fall 2022. The interactive game show/ social experiment invites ticket holders to be “players” who decide how to spend a pot of real cash. If they can’t agree within one hour, the money rolls over to the next production. At this weekend’s community planning meeting, attendees could hold similar sway over the Flynn’s future. “I’d like to know what impact Vermont would like the Flynn to have,” Wahl said. “If the Flynn is the best Flynn it can be, what will Vermont look like?” ➆

INFO

Strategic Plan Open Space Conversation, Saturday, January 27, and Sunday, January 28, 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; and Monday, January 29, 3 to 7:30 p.m., at the Flynn in Burlington. Free. RSVP and learn more at flynnvt.org.

BOOKS

M.T. Anderson and Ken Cadow Win Honors for Youth Literature B Y M A RY AN N L I C K T E I G • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

COURTESY OF ERICA HEILMAN

Two stories about Vermont boys and their dogs, written by Vermont authors, are among the most distinguished literature for young people published in 2023, the American Library Association announced on Monday. M.T. Anderson’s middle-grade novel Elf Dog & Owl Head has been named one of five Newbery Honor Books while Ken Cadow’s debut novel, Gather, is among six Printz Honor Books. In addition, Anderson’s short story “Sweet Everlasting” is part of the collection that won the Michael L. Printz Award for excellence in literature written for young adults. That book, The Collectors: Stories, was edited by A.S. King and published by Dutton.

FILE: JUSTIN CASH

M.T. Anderson and his dog, LaRue

Ken Cadow and his dog, Quinnie

The John Newbery Medal for the most outstanding contribution to children’s literature went to Dave Eggers for The Eyes & the Impossible. Speaking to Seven Days on Tuesday, Anderson said adults may be reluctant to admit that animals become part of their families. “I feel like it’s important to say these relationships are real, they’re important, and they’re beautiful.” Elf Dog & Owl Head, he continued, is “a dog book that ends happily, which was important to me because so many dog books somehow have to end with the death of the animal.”

The book, a fantasy tale about a boy named Clay trapped alone in Vermont during the pandemic with no real companion but a magical dog, was inspired by Anderson’s own experience, holed up in his 18th-century East Calais home alone with his rescue mutt, LaRue. Despite a cancer diagnosis expected to kill her in a matter of days, LaRue survived. “It was like I’d had a miraculous dispensation, the dog allowed to live so she and I could be together in this time of isolation,” Anderson wrote in an essay for School Library Journal. “So I started to write a book, full of thanks and the joy of companionship.” His fictional dog Elphinore, from the Kingdom Under the Mountain, shows Clay how to travel between worlds. Together, the pair discover the secrets of the forests around them. A New York Times best-selling author, Anderson won the National Book Award in 2006 for The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume 1: The Pox Party. He was a National Book Award finalist two other times — for Feed in 2002 and The Assassination of Brangwain Spurge in 2018 — and Feed is listed in Time magazine’s Best 100 Young Adult Books of All Time. Still, winning the Newbery Honor is a “beautiful moment,” he said. “It makes you part of a whole legacy of children’s literature that I myself loved when I was a kid.” Cadow, featured in a Seven Days cover story in November, is coprincipal of Oxbow High School in Bradford. He wrote much of his novel during predawn hours in the tiny cabin he built on the wooded hill behind his Norwich home. His email inboxes exploded after the Printz honor was announced. “I’m just wowed and kind of teary,” he told Seven Days on Tuesday. Informed by the insights and empathy cultivated through 20 years of working with middle and high school students in rural Vermont, Gather tells the story of a Vermont teen named Ian, who meets hardship with grit, humor, resilience and the unflinching companionship of a huge Irish wolfhoundmastiff mix named Gather. “It’s wonderful to be recognized and to find out that I’ve told a story that I think desperately needed to be told,” Cadow said. He hopes the book sparks empathy and conversation about class, people with drug addictions and what Cadow calls “rural smarts.” “It still feels OK to poke fun at a rural mentality … and I want it to not be OK,” he said. Despite its hardships, the country is beautiful and where Ian feels he belongs. “I hope that this gets into the hands of more urban kids to develop more empathy.” Despite the ongoing accolades from the publishing world, Cadow said he still loves his day job. “There’s nothing like having a real-time conversation with a real kid.” ➆

IS YOUR SYSTEM RUNNING ON ANALOG, LEGACY COPPER OR CABLE VOICE LINES …

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MATERIAL WORLD A CONVERSATION ABOUT SCULPTURE TODAY WITH KAREN CYGNAROWICZ KEVIN DONEGAN MEG McDEVITT

THUR S DAY JANUARY 25, 2024 6 - 7:3 0PM

VIRTUAL OPTION: BURLINGTONCITYARTS.ORG AS PART OF:

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INFO Learn more about the American Library Association’s 2024 Youth Media Awards at ala.org.

2024 EXHIBITION YEAR PRESENTED BY

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Hospitality sponsors: Lake Champlain Chocolates, Farrell Distributing, and William Hill Estate Winery. Burlington City Arts is supported in part by the Vermont Arts Council & the National Endowment for the Arts.

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

1/22/24 1:40 PM

on screen All of Us Strangers ★★★★★

ans of “Fleabag” know Andrew Scott as the “hot priest,” but the actor demonstrates that his appeal transcends the physical realm with his Golden Globe-nominated performance in All of Us Strangers. The new drama from director Andrew Haigh (45 Years, “Looking”) is loosely based on Taichi Yamada’s 1987 novel Strangers. Catch the film that squeezed tears from jaded festival audiences at Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas in Burlington.

Andrew Scott plays a writer who finds an unusual way to heal his inner child in a powerful, fantasy-tinged drama.

The deal

Will you like it?

A ghost story has always been a clever hook on which to hang a tale of unfinished emotional business, and All of Us Strangers doesn’t waste any time on the whys and hows. The matter-of-fact reappearance of the dead here is reminiscent of 1990’s Truly Madly Deeply or 2022’s Aftersun — which, like this film, could be said to take place partially in a dream theater of grief. Adam’s reunion with his parents is fantastical and ordinary at once. We initially see them as lurking presences, like blurry memories, but they quickly solidify and welcome their son home as if there were nothing final about the long estrangement. Are these scenes “real” within the film’s world, or do they take place inside Adam’s head, a metaphor for his struggle to process past trauma through his writing? We don’t know, and soon we don’t care, because 50

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

REVIEW the performances are so gripping and the interactions so raw and relatable. Foy radiates warmth and charisma as Mum (the parents are never named); at first, she dominates the family scenes. But then Adam comes out to her, something he couldn’t do during her lifetime, and Mum recoils. In an all-too-’80s way, she couches her discomfort with Adam’s sexuality in fears for his welfare. It’s Dad, despite his stoic masculine exterior, who turns out to be more understanding. In a recent essay for the Los Angeles Times, Haigh said he’s long wanted to make a film about “growing up gay in the 1980s … and how that experience haunts many of us like a ghost.” Rather than trying to represent a broad swath of experience, he embraced “specificity” — to the extent of shooting parts of the movie in his own childhood home. While Adam and Harry’s romance is compelling in its own right, their scenes also give Haigh (who wrote the script) an opportunity to explore the subtle differences between generations of gay men. The millennial Harry has been out to his parents for most of his life, something Adam can only dream of. But Harry still feels alienated — pushed to the edge of his family, as he puts it.

The two men meet on the common ground of loneliness, struggling to forge a meaningful connection through frenetic clubbing sessions followed by long bedroom conversations. It’s rare these days to find a filmmaker who takes romance seriously, in its pain and awkwardness, as well as its passion and comfort. But Haigh is just that, as he already showed with Weekend (see sidebar). In Scott and Mescal (who starred in the equally unvarnished romance “Normal People”), he has two actors who are capable of conveying not just chemistry but genuine emotional intimacy. With only four real characters, All of Us Strangers generates a veritable furnace of feeling. Not for nothing does fire imagery appear throughout as a counterpoint to the sterile blues of Adam’s high-rise apartment, with its lofty view of the city. The desolation of the urban setting creeps up on the characters, threatening their fragile bonds. Any viewer who has experienced depression or unresolved family issues is likely to connect to aspects of All of Us Strangers. Many will leave the theater in tears — or debating the ending, which brings everything together in a way that may not work for everyone. But no one can deny the power of the motive that fuels

Adam’s exploration of his past — a dream of finally opening up to love in all its messy, human glory. MARGO T HARRI S O N margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY... WEEKEND (2011; AMC+, Kanopy, Pluto TV,

Tubi, rentable): With his breakout film, about a hookup that becomes something more, Haigh established himself as a filmmaker who knows how to make relationships engaging on-screen outside the rom-com framework. SUPERNOVA (2020; Hulu, Kanopy,

rentable): Bring tissues to this drama about a longtime couple (Colin Firth and Stanley Tucci) who take a road trip after one of them receives a diagnosis of early-onset dementia. AFTERSUN (2022; Kanopy, Paramount+, Showtime, rentable): Mescal gave a heart-wrenching performance in another excellent film about parentchild relationships, memory and grief, playing a troubled dad whom his grown daughter recalls through video footage.

COURTESY OF CHRIS HARRIS/SEARCHLIGHT PICTURES

Writer Adam (Scott) is working on a screenplay about his 1980s childhood, listening to bands of the era such as Pet Shop Boys and Frankie Goes to Hollywood in his London tower block. The building appears to have just one other resident, a younger man named Harry (Paul Mescal). One night he shows up at Adam’s door — drunk, distraught and seeking company. Unsettled by Harry’s clumsy advances, Adam turns him away. But later, as they come to know each other better, the two begin a tentative romance. Meanwhile, on a research trip to his former home in the suburbs, Adam encounters his parents (Jamie Bell and Claire Foy), who have been dead since he was 12. Now younger than their own son, these spectral presences are eager to get reacquainted and learn all about Adam’s adult life. As Adam shows them parts of himself he couldn’t as a kid, he reopens wounds that never quite healed.

COURTESY OF BROOK RUSHTON/SONY PICTURES

Sydney Sweeney in Anyone But You

ANYONE BUT YOUHH1/2 A fancy wedding gives two exes (Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell) an incentive to fake-date in this rom-com from Will Gluck (Easy A). (103 min, R. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Welden)

I.S.S.HH1/2 When war breaks out between the U.S. and Russia, the astronauts of the International Space Station must take sides in this sci-fi thriller, starring Ariana DeBose and Chris Messina. (95 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Star)

OPEN THEATERS

AQUAMAN AND THE LOST KINGDOMHH The DC superhero (Jason Momoa) fends off threats while planning his wedding in the latest Justice League installment from director James Wan. (124 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Majestic)

MEAN GIRLSHHH The Broadway musical based on the 2004 comedy film about a high schooler’s struggle with the popular clique comes to the screen, starring Angourie Rice and Renée Rapp. (112 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Roxy, Star, Stowe, Welden)

*BIG PICTURE THEATER: 48 Carroll Rd., Waitsfield, 496-8994, bigpicturetheater.info

THE BEEKEEPERHH1/2 Jason Statham plays a former clandestine operative who goes on a vengeful rampage in this action thriller from David Ayer (Training Day). With Emmy Raver-Lampman and Josh Hutcherson. (105 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Star)

NEW IN THEATERS FIGHTER: Elite aviators form a squad called the Air Dragons in this Hindi action-adventure film from director Siddharth Anand, starring Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone. (166 min, NR. Majestic)

CURRENTLY PLAYING ALL OF US STRANGERSHHHH1/2 As he embarks on a new romance, a screenwriter (Andrew Scott) finds his long-dead parents still inhabiting his childhood home in this Golden Globe-nominated drama from Andrew Haigh. With Paul Mescal and Claire Foy. (105 min, R. Roxy; reviewed 1/24) AMERICAN FICTIONHHHH Jeffrey Wright plays a novelist who tries a daring hoax after his publisher tells him his books aren’t “Black enough” in this comedy-drama from Cord Jefferson, also starring Tracee Ellis Ross and John Ortiz. (117 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Roxy, Savoy; reviewed 1/17)

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THE BOY AND THE HERONHHHH1/2 Renowned animator Hayao Miyazaki brings us a fantasy with autobiographical elements about a boy seeking his mom in the otherworld. (124 min, PG-13. Essex, Playhouse, Roxy)

MIGRATIONHHH A duck family meets many mishaps on its first-ever trip south in this animated family comedy with the voices of Isabela Merced and Elizabeth Banks. (92 min, PG. Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Star) POOR THINGSHHHH1/2 In this Golden Globe winner, Emma Stone plays a clumsily resurrected Victorian woman who embarks on an odyssey of self-discovery. With Mark Ruffalo and Willem Dafoe. Yorgos Lanthimos directed. (141 min, R. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Roxy, Stowe; reviewed 1/10)

THE BOYS IN THE BOATHH1/2 Director George Clooney follows the University of Washington rowing team on their unlikely path to Olympic gold during the Great Depression. (124 min, PG-13. Capitol, Majestic, Roxy, Welden)

WONKAHHH1/2 Timothée Chalamet plays the young Willy Wonka in this musical fantasy, directed by Paul King (Paddington). (116 min, PG. Big Picture, Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Star)

FALLEN LEAVESHHHH Two lonely working-class residents of Helsinki (Alma Pöysti and Jussi Vatanen) drift toward a romance in the latest drama from renowned Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki. (81 min, NR. Roxy; reviewed 1/17)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

THE IRON CLAWHHHH Sean Durkin (Martha Marcy May Marlene) directed this biopic about professional wrestlers the Von Erich brothers, starring Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White and Harris Dickinson. (130 min, R. Stowe)

AXCN COWBOY BEBOP: THE MOVIE (Essex, Sun & Mon only) GODZILLA MINUS ONE/MINUS COLOR (Essex) METROPOLITAN OPERA: CARMEN (Essex, Sat only) OPPENHEIMER (Capitol, Essex, Majestic) THE WIZARD OF OZ 85TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex, Sun & Mon & Wed 31 only)

Catamount Arts’ theater is currently closed until further notice. (* = 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 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 *MERRILL’S ROXY CINEMAS: 222 College St., Burlington, 864-3456, merrilltheatres.net 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

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

1/8/24 11:04 AM

art

Domestic Dialogue

“Home Bodies” presents dynamic expressions of ceramic and fabric by Fawn Krieger and David B. Smith B Y E R IC SUT PHI N

he works of New York City-based artists Fawn Krieger and David B. Smith both contrast with and complement each other in a canny dance of texture, pattern and color. This is evident in their current shared exhibition, “Home Bodies,” at Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Krieger’s wall-hung objects are composed of glazed and fired clay modules pressed into wet concrete so that the polychrome shapes become cemented together in a calcified ooze. The sculptures are modestly sized (the largest is roughly 24 inches tall) and consist of geometric forms that are clustered together in tight groups upon thick slabs that serve as supports. The space between the blocks, cubes and wedges is filled with gnarly bands of pigmented cement, vermiculite and epoxy. Smith transforms found and custom fabrics into tapestries and soft sculpture. The prevalence of neon hues and clashing designs in his work conjures a distinct early ’90s aesthetic — think “Pee-wee’s Playhouse” furnishings or MC Hammer’s pants. Smith’s idiosyncratic style taps into a childlike quality that eschews so-called “good taste” in favor of unbridled expressivity. But his practice also leans into the history of abstract painting, summoning the likes of Lee Krasner and Carrie Moyer. The title “Home Bodies” suggests domesticity, which is more obvious in Smith’s work with its allusions to drapery, quilts and bedclothes. The association to home in Krieger’s sculptures is more subtle. Her modular units occasionally take on the characteristics of tasteful midcentury home goods such as lamps, throw pillows or decorative tchotchkes. Krieger and Smith share the capacity for making the familiar seem strange and the unusual seem elegant. The way the two artists utilize a sense of scale relates to the second word in the show’s title. Smith’s large-format work makes a viewer want to step back and take it all in, while the array of textures

REVIEW

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Clockwise from above: “Quilt” by David B. Smith; “//44” by Fawn Krieger; “Playtime” by Smith

and fabrics inspires close inspection. With Krieger’s self-contained constructions, it’s necessary to zero in to understand their complexity and nuance. Though the patterns in Smith’s fabrics are generally nonobjective, bodily forms are printed on some of them, underscoring the corporeal thread. In “Playtime,” a commercially produced throw blanket serves as the “canvas” for a dense patchwork of colorful adornments in myriad

shapes and sizes. The printed motif of cartoonish arms clutching a yellow pumpkin-shaped form repeats throughout the piece. Bits of metallic material and bold patterns collide in a dizzying mélange. The work flirts with chaos but manages to remain cohesive. Curator Sarah Freeman writes of Smith’s work, “Its tactility invites the touch — indeed, sparks a desperate desire to touch.” Apparently, the desire was too

much for one recent visitor to restrain: Facing a piece titled “Vacation,” which consists of two fabric panels hung from a metal wire, the gallerygoer began sliding one of the shower curtain-like sheets back and forth. Evidently, he was oblivious to the “Please Do Not Touch the Artwork” sign on the wall. In Krieger’s work, the oozing grout lines that bind the components invite associations to lava, excrement or tar. At

ART SHOWS

times these clotted striations are grotesque. But in other instances, they are quite beautiful; in “//13,” the grout is pigmented a rich burnt-orange color. The fiery material looks like coral or iron ore that winds around a cluster of checkerboardpatterned cubes. The overall vibe is Beetlejuice-era Tim Burton. The designs Krieger painted on “//44” resemble dice on which the dots have bled

and faded. A cluster of irregularly shaped, bone-colored blocks is assembled into a roughly 24-inch-tall cluster. The “dice” are squished into charcoal gray cement. Upon approach, a viewer might notice three small pastel-colored serpentine shapes embedded within the stacked, blocky forms. Smith’s “Quilt” features 24 roughly 8-by-10-inch rectangles, each adorned with a unique design. The piece reads like a grid of independent paintings; a bird, hand and face are among the images that leap out from frenetic abstractions. The scale of each quilt section is that of a typical portrait photograph one might find in a family home. This, in addition to the myriad associations that quilts evoke, imbues the piece with a sense of nostalgia. Use of the grid is another commonality between Smith and Krieger. Much of Smith’s practice entails quilt-like construction, which is essentially undergirded by a grid. Krieger arranges her sculptural components in irregular grids; even when they appear off-kilter, they have a sense of structure. Yet Krieger subverts the rigid formalism of the grid in the process of squeezing her materials together. The way the concrete grout “bleeds,” or the ceramic modules shift, introduces a level of unpredictability. For example, in “//68 (rebus shapes large),” quadrilateral blocks are stacked in a tight arrangement. DOMESTIC DIALOGUE

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art JAN. 24-31 Domestic Dialogue « P.53

EXHIBITION

The shapes are painted in a pink-and-black geometric motif, with thin, dark cement seams visible throughout. Wall text for “Home Bodies” states that the idea for this show emerged from the isolation of the pandemic, during which “the concept and context of the home

Artist Pievy Polyte Whisks Vermont Viewers to Haiti B Y PAM E L A P O L S T O N ppolston@sevendaysvt.com

What Vermonter would not like to take a winter break in the Caribbean? Imagine sunshine, ocean breezes, balmy temps… But if you don’t have the time or resources to head south right now, the artwork of Pievy Polyte might provide a little solace. And you only have to go as far as the South Burlington Public Library. “From Haiti to Vermont,” Polyte’s current exhibition in the hallway gallery, isn’t just a vicarious pleasure. In more than 20 color-drenched paintings, he expertly serves up landscapes and narrative scenes depicting his native land. And if the island’s distinctive folk style is evident, Polyte makes it his own. His rendering of the peopled coastal image titled “Southern Peninsula of Haiti” recalls the post-impressionist naïf imagery of French artist Henri Rousseau (1844-1910). On a spit of land dotted with pastel-hued shacks, residents work in gardens, play and gather at the edge of a wave-speckled sea. The picture plane is flattened, even as palm trees and bumpy terrain rise to meet a turbulent sky. A frequent subject for the artist is the marketplace. One iteration in this exhibit, “Farmer’s Market in My Way,” crowds into the picture a dozen individuals — most of them women transporting boxes or baskets on their scarf-covered heads. The figures are dark-skinned and clad in bright colors; most sport large hoop earrings. Polyte has pictured them in silhouette against a featureless gray background. There’s nothing ha-ha funny about the painting he titled “Funny Farmer’s Market” — brilliant is more like it. The image includes four people — two couples facing each other — again as silhouettes. But their arms and legs look like brown sticks caught up in a pile of fruits that, like the clothing, are all painted lime green. Only Polyte’s masterful shadowing gives them shape and dimension. The swoop of the women’s hats and angular bodies contrast with the plump fruits in a composition that owes more to 20th-century cubism than contemporary folk art. Polyte’s skill is decidedly not “primitive.” He’s also not only an artist. Polyte, who grew up on a coffee farm, is the founder of a coffee cooperative called Peak Macaya, which is a beneficiary of profits from his art sales. Polyte also launched two schools in Haiti that emphasize environmental education. In an artist statement, he describes his other “hats” as agronomist, chef and teacher. Since moving to Burlington, Polyte has been wildly productive and seems to exhibit constantly — more of his paintings are currently displayed at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. It would not be a surprise if he’s dreaming of a Caribbean reprieve himself. ➆

"//68" by Fawn Krieger

KRIEGER AND SMITH SHARE THE CAPACITY FOR MAKING

THE FAMILIAR SEEM STRANGE AND THE UNUSUAL SEEM ELEGANT. became a site for reinvention,” curator Freeman writes. Krieger’s approach to her work is cerebral and systematic, while Smith’s seems more improvisational. The variety is welcome in this tightly curated exhibition. Yet the works overall convey a sense of lightheartedness. “Home Bodies” is a visual dialogue between two very different artists about the nature of process and materiality. ➆

INFO

Pievy Polyte, “From Haiti to Vermont,” on view through March 13 at the South Burlington Public Library Gallery. A closing reception is to be announced.

GET YOUR ART SHOW LISTED HERE AND ONLINE!

PROMOTING AN ART EXHIBIT? SUBMIT THE INFO AND IMAGES BY FRIDAY AT NOON AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT OR ART@SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

From top: “Farmer’s Market in My Way”; “Funny Farmer’s Market”; “Southern Peninsula of Haiti”

VISUAL ART IN SEVEN DAYS:

ART LISTINGS ARE WRITTEN BY PAMELA POLSTON. LISTINGS ARE RESTRICTED TO ART SHOWS IN TRULY PUBLIC PLACES.

Fawn Krieger and David B. Smith, “Home Bodies,” through March 9 at Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. A virtual artist talk moderated by critic and curator Wendy Vogel is Thursday, February 1, 7 p.m. Free. Register at brattleboromuseum.org.

= ONLINE EVENT OR EXHIBIT

FIND ALL ART SHOWS + EVENTS AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

CALL TO ARTISTS ‘BLOSSOMS IN A BLIZZARD’: We are seeking submissions that demonstrate the artist’s relationship with hardship and strength. This may look like healing grief or growing amid adversity. A showcase beginning February 9 is centered on winter’s harsh conditions and the resiliency that results. One or two artworks per artist. Email title, dimensions, medium and price. Deadline: February 2, 5 p.m. The Other Half, Burlington. Free. Info, dama.astuta.designs@gmail.com.

OPENINGS + RECEPTIONS CAT DEL BUONO: “Voices,” videotaped interviews, showing only the mouths, of domestic abuse survivors. Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, through April 21. Info, 362-1405. DODJI KOUDAKPO: “Historic Figures & Nature,” oil paintings by the Togo-born artist. Reception: Saturday, January 27, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Vermont State University-Castleton Bank Gallery, Rutland, January 26-March 15. Info, 468-6047. ERIKA LAWLOR-SCHMIDT: “K Is for Koan, T Is for Tone,” new project-based, site-specific prints, drawings, collages and assemblages that investigate the meaning of those Zen concepts. Second-floor gallery, Studio Place Arts, Barre, January 24-March 2. Info, 479-7069. ‘HEAD FOR THE HILLS’: A group exhibition inspired by the region’s landscape and creatures, both real and imagined. Main-floor gallery, Studio Place Arts, Barre, January 24-March 2. Info, 479-7069. IZZY KOLB: “What if I live life in all the wrong ways?” a mixed-media installation by the senior Art & Design major that questions the experience of social media’s endless entertainment, influence and distraction. Reception: Thursday, January 25, 6-7 p.m. McCarthy Art Gallery, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, through January 27. Info, bcollier@ smcvt.edu. JAMES SECOR & GLEN COBURN HUTCHESON: “View From Prospect Street,” paintings by the Montpelier artists and neighbors. Reception: Friday, February 2, 4-8 p.m. T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, January 30-March 23. Info, 262-6035. JESSICA SCRIVER: “Every Which Way,” paintings in search of truth by the Vermont artist. Third-floor gallery, Studio Place Arts, Barre, January 24-March 2. Info, 479-7069. KIMBERLEE FORNEY: “Painting With Color and Light,” an exhibition of blacklight-painted prints. Closing reception: Wednesday, January 31, 4-5 p.m. Cosmic Grind Coffee Shop, Burlington, through January 31. Info, kimberleef@msn.com. NAYANA LAFOND: “Portraits in Red,” images of Indigenous women who have suffered violence. Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, Southern Vermont Arts Center, Manchester, through April 21. Info, 362-1405. NICK DEFRIEZ: Paintings on glass by the local artist. Reception: Saturday, January 27, 3-5 p.m. The Tunbridge General Store Gallery, January 27-March 17. Info, 889-3525. OPEN AIR GALLERY: A 1.5-mile snowshoe and cross-country ski trail lined with outdoor sculptures by 10 area artists. (Weather dependent.) Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, through March 31. Info, 533-2000. PIEVY POLYTE: “From Haiti to Vermont,” landscape and figurative paintings of the artist’s native nation. Profits of art sales benefit farmers at coffee cooperative Peak Macaya, as well as two Haitian schools. South Burlington Public Art Gallery, through March 13. Info, 846-4140.

‘REFLECTIONS AND SHADOWS’: A group exhibition of artworks by members of the Art Resource Association and Center for Arts and Learning. Reception: Friday, February 2, 4-8 p.m. T.W. Wood Gallery, Montpelier, January 30-March 23. Info, 262-6035. ‘WATERLOGGED BUT RED HOT’: An art-making fundraiser for SPA involving the creative reuse of damaged bricks from the foundation of the building. Silent-auction bids taken in person and online. Studio Place Arts, Barre, January 24-February 3. Info, 479-7069.

THE OPERA HOUSE AT ENOSBURG FALLS

NOW ACCEPTING PRODUCTION PROPOSALS

ART EVENTS ‘MATERIAL WORLD’: A panel discussion about contemporary sculpture led by BCA curatorial assistant Jacquie O’Brien and featuring “Texture & Response” artist Karen Cygnarowicz and Vermont sculptors Kevin Donegan and Meg McDevitt. In person, or register for virtual option. BCA Center, Burlington, Thursday, January 25, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7166. BUILD CARDBOARD CREATURES: Artist Art Costa leads participants in a cardboard sculpture-making workshop inspired by his own sea creatures in the current exhibit, “Sounds Deep.” Kids under 10 must be accompanied by an adult. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, Saturday, January 27, 2-4 p.m. $20-35. Info, 257-0124.

FOR POTENTIAL SUMMER AND HOLIDAY SHOWS IN 2024.

EMAIL OR CALL FOR MORE INFORMATION. PROMO.FOTOH@GMAIL.COM | 802-933-6171 | enosburgoperahouse.org 6h-operahouseatenosburgfalls012424.indd 1

1/22/24 1:00 PM

FAMILY ART SATURDAY: An art-making experience for all ages inspired by the textile work of “Texture & Response” artist Karen Cygnarowicz. Make your own wall hanging. BCA Center, Burlington, Saturday, January 27, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7166. VISITING ARTIST TALK: ROSEMARIE FIORE: The Bronx-based pyrotechnic painter, sculptor and performance artist discusses her work. Red Mill Gallery, Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, Wednesday, January 31, 8-9 p.m. Free. Info, 635-2727. ➆

But wait, there’s more!

additional art listings are on view at sevendaysvt.com/art. Find all the calls to artists, ongoing art shows and future events online.

VT residents $35/day adults $25/day youth (3-17) Children under 3 are FREE with a paying adult!

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

1/22/24 1:36 PM

music+nightlife

Jess Wolfe (left) and Holly Laessig of Lucius

S UNDbites News and views on the local music + nightlife scene BY C HRIS FAR N SW O R T H

Polyphonic She: Lucius Celebrate a Decade of Wildewoman

A debut album is a little like a high school yearbook photo. Sure, it brings back some great memories, but maybe the hair and wardrobe choices haven’t aged that well, you know? First records can also represent an artist’s starting point, so after years of natural evolution, their debut might not sound like the band their fans know and love. Then there’s a record like Wildewoman. Now a decade old (how?!), the debut fulllength from indie-pop vocal outfit LUCIUS launched the then-Brooklyn-based band’s career, bursting with gorgeous harmonies produced by vocalists and cofounders JESS WOLFE and HOLLY LAESSIG. 56

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Mixing the sweet throwback sounds of ’60s female vocal groups with more sonically dark indie fare, Wildewoman established Lucius as a force and became their springboard to success. Media outlets around the globe praised the record, including Rolling Stone and the Guardian. Paste magazine called it “one of the most complete indie pop LPs this year,” noting how it reintroduced “retro girl-group swag to the 21st century at a time when it’s most needed.” “The precious thing about that album was how unprecious we were about it,” Wolfe said as she and Laessig spoke with me on Zoom from Los Angeles, where the band is now based. “There was a detachment from any expectation, so the pulse of the thing isn’t so overwrought. We were just trying to sound like us, and no one had heard of us. Which was great, but you can never really re-create that.”

Fortunately, the band isn’t attempting to. Lucius have planned a seven-show mini tour honoring the decade anniversary of Wildewoman and the cities that supported them in their infancy. Alongside big markets such as New York City, Boston and Chicago, Burlington — or South Burlington, rather — is one of the few small cities to make the cut. Lucius play at Higher Ground Ballroom on Tuesday, January 30. “We wanted to initially focus on places that were really integral in the growth of Lucius,” Wolfe explained. “We were really

focused on building our audience up in the Northeast at first. We lived in Brooklyn; we didn’t want to lose money on the road, so it needed to be close.” The band, which also includes drummer DAN MOLAD and guitarist PETER LALISH, found a home away from home in the Burlington area, playing shows at Higher Ground and ArtsRiot and a memorable set at the 2019 Grand Point North fest in Waterfront Park. “It just seemed like a good fit whenever we played here,” Laessig said. “I still can’t believe it’s been a decade, but when you’re on tour, things start to blur. It’s not until you look back that you start to realize how fun something was or what a cool place that was.” Lucius will perform Wildewoman front to back in its entirety. Rehearsing the older material has given the band a chance to reevaluate its sound and pinpoint aspects of that period it might want to revisit in the future. “With a lot of the new stuff we’ve been working on, it feels like we’re trying to get back to the heart of what Lucius is,” Wolfe said. “Listening back to Wildewoman, the arrangements are so interesting,” Laessig said. “If one line or one melody on that album fell apart, the whole song would; they’re constructed in such a tight way. It’s been really cool to revisit that, and honestly, we feel like it’s something we want to get back to as a band.” Some of those insights can be heard on Lucius’ new single, “Stranger Danger.” An electro-pop-leaning tune full of — no surprise — lush, soaring harmonies contrasted with dark lyrics (“Walk the walk whenever it’s convenient / Turn the other cheek if the money’s lookin’ greener / Where’s the empathy / when you need it?”), the song gives fans a sneak peek at the band’s next phase. “We like to switch things up and not repeat ourselves,” Wolfe said, pointing out the “glitter and fabulousness” of Lucius’ 2022 album, Second Nature. “Where we are right now as a unit, we’re as connected as we’ve been in a long time. So going back to Wildewoman and reconnecting with that mode of Lucius, it feels like the natural next step.” It’s fitting for the band to take that step at Higher Ground. Lucius love Burlington, and Burlington loves them right back. Here’s hoping for another decade.

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WED 1.24

On the Beat

The first new singles of the year from Vermont artists have started to drop, and some great tunes are coming down the pike. First up is from friend of the paper (read: frequent contributor) JUSTIN BOLAND, who’s dropping a lot of new hiphop in 2024 as WOMBATICUS REX. He kicks it off with a savage diss track called “Making Friends Online” that has equal measures of vitriol and self-deprecation, as well as killer bars from the Vermont rapper. “I feel like MARSHALL MATHERS after hitting his peak,” Boland raps over a beat from Vermont producer SKYWISE. “Got unlimited reach and still picking the shittiest beats.” “Diss tracks are almost always a mistake,” Boland wrote on his Soundcloud page. “That said, I have quite a few diss tracks to drop in 2024.” Boland also runs vermonthiphop.com, a vital repository for all things hip-hop in the 802. He recently finished bestowing his yearly Vermont Hip Hop Awards, a gargantuan effort that is both an excellent barometer of who’s hot in the local rap game and a great source of new music to discover. Shout-outs to artist of the year CHARLIE MAYNE, best emcee KONFLIK and best producer CALEB LODISH. All three artists had a big year in 2023, so it’s nice to see the recognition. Pop over to vermonthiphop. com to check out plenty of other worthy winners.

Eye on the Scene Photographer Luke Awtry surveys local nightlife

Mr. Mota

Listening In (Spotify mix of local jams) 1. “FUNK LIKE THIS” by Charlie Mayne 2. “ALL I WANT IS YOUR LOVE” by Ursa and the Major Key 3. “OUT WEST” by Ali T 4. “LOVERS & TIDES” by Kat Wright 5. “JURASSIC BARK” by Doom Service 6. “JUMP START MY HEART” by Atom & the Orbits 7. “SMIRK” by the Big Sip

Scan to listen sevendaysvt. com/playlist

A year after GuitarSam closed in Montpelier, the Capital City once again has a place for musicians to find their gear. Naive Melody Instrument Exchange on 95 State Street celebrates its grand opening on Saturday, January 27. Largely a consignment shop for local musicians to buy, sell and trade equipment, the store fills the void left by GuitarSam after 42 years of serving the community.

ST. MARK BOWLING & ENTERTAINMENT CENTER, BURLINGTON, THURSDAY, JANUARY 18: It’s a rarity these days, but have you ever been in a bowling alley where you could hear the subtleties of your roll? This opportunity still exists in

To mark the occasion, poet and musician TOUSSAINT ST. NEGRITUDE will perform at 6:30 p.m. “As local musicians, we have felt the lack of a brick-and-mortar outlet for the tools of our trade most keenly,” Montpelier musician NATE INGHAM wrote in a press release. He, MANDY PRZYBYLAK and JEFF THOMSON worked to bring Naive Melody to life. “All the instruments we sell will be consigned by members of the public,” the release continues. “We are eager to see what’s out there!”

THUR 1.25 Mono Means One w/ John Ferrara w/ Lara Cwass FRI 1.26

Annie in the Water w/Fungkshui SAT 1.27

The Full Cleveland THUR 2.1

Burning Monk & PREECE play Green Day SAT 2.3

Baked Shrimp

w/ Canopy One might be forgiven for assuming that KYLE THOMPSON, aka FATTIE B, has graced the Radio Bean stage in Burlington tons of times. After all, the DJ and MC has FRI 1.26 been dropping bars and laying beats Emo Night w/ Malachi across the scene for decades, both as SAT 2.3 a solo artist and with groups such as BELIZBEHA and EYE OH YOU. I honestly DJ Chia’s Dancehard Speakeasy thought he’d played just about every Midwinter Carnival stage in the area, but it turns out there THUR 2.8 FULL MELT THURSDAYS was a Burlington club still on Fattie’s Wraz, Mantra Sounds list. Tegeki, Oddpaco “It’s been my dream for a long time to play the Bean,” Fattie wrote me in anticipation of his debut at the nightclub. His DJ set, “Night Fever,” goes down 8v-nectars012424 1 1/22/24 1:39 PM Friday, January 26, and has the local heavyweight all sorts of excited. “I’ll be spinning an all-disco mashup with plenty of remixes, new bangers and old classics,” he said. ➆

Burlington — in the basement rec hall of a New North End church, no less. St. Mark Bowling & Entertainment Center has no TVs, no huge sound system, no black lights or lasers, and definitely no bar. It’s just eight vintage Brunswick lanes from the 1950s, nearly unchanged in their authenticity. Hearing your throw is essential if you want to up your game, something that became important later in life to me, a highly competitive player even as a baby of 8 years old. Make your throw and close your eyes. Listen for how your ball hits the hard maple of the lane — did it bounce or join the surface smoothly? Next is the roll — is it smooth, or bumpy and inconsistent? Finally, you want to hear the unmistakable crack of your ball rocketing through the pins, sending all 10 into a flurry of chaos. Strike! Now just do it 11 more times for that perfect 300 game. And be ready for a whole lot of high fives.

obsessed? Find, fix and feather with Nest Notes — an e-newsletter filled with home design, Vermont real estate tips and DIY decorating inspirations. Sign up today at sevendaysvt.com/enews.

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ANTIQUES/ COLLECTIBLES ANTIQUES MARKET Sun., Jan. 28, 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 flea market atmosphere. Info: Don Willis Antiques, 802-751-6138, montpelierantiques market.com.

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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

music

BANDS/ MUSICIANS BLACK CROWES TRIBUTE BAND! Join Vermont’s top Black Crowes tribute band, Sting Me! Seeking musicians: guitar, keys, drums, vocals, horns. Commitment & rock spirit essential! Visit stingmevt.com for info.

FOR SALE PEAVEY RANGER 212 GUITAR Beautiful amplifier avail. for pickup/delivery in northwest Vermont. Looks & works like new. Age unknown. Price negotiable. Please email horsebaker@hotmail. com.

INSTRUCTION GUITAR INSTRUCTION Berklee graduate w/ 30 years’ teaching experience offers lessons in guitar, music theory, music technology, ear training. Individualized, step-by-step approach. All ages, styles, levels. Rick Belford, 864-7195, rickbelford.com.

Ferrisburgh, VT Location

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(1531) MACH. & AUTO PARTS

Single family, investment and foreclosure

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:

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See how fast you can solve this weekly 10-word puzzle.

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: ★★★

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: ★★

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.

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.

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ANSWERS ON P.76 ★ = MODERATE ★★ = CHALLENGING ★★★ = HOO, BOY!

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UNTITLED ANSWERS ON P. 76

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Legal Notices PROPOSED STATE RULES By law, public notice of proposed rules must be given by publication in newspapers of record. The purpose of these notices is to give the public a chance to respond to the proposals. The public notices for administrative rules are now also available online at https://secure.vermont.gov/ SOS/rules/ . The law requires an agency to hold a public hearing on a proposed rule, if requested to do so in writing by 25 persons or an association having at least 25 members. To make special arrangements for individuals with disabilities or special needs please call or write the contact person listed below as soon as possible. To obtain further information concerning any scheduled hearing(s), obtain copies of proposed rule(s) or submit comments regarding proposed rule(s), please call or write the contact person listed below. You may also submit comments in writing to the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, State House, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 (802-828-2231). _____ Regulations for Lead Control. Vermont Proposed Rule: 24P001 AGENCY: Agency of Human Services, Department of Health CONCISE SUMMARY: The rule provides the requirements for work practices, licensing, and training for lead-based paint activities and renovation, repair, painting and maintenance activities to prevent the creation of lead hazards that cause lead poisoning. This rulemaking proposes the following changes: 1) Amends the information required by the Department from the owners of rental target housing to obtain RRPM firm licenses to work on their own properties. Specifically, the requirement for liability insurance has been removed. 2) Amends the activities licensed owners of rental target housing can conduct when doing RRPM activities on their own properties. 3) Amends items to be consistent with federal law, including adding a hands-on component to the training requirement for a lead-safe RRPM refresher training and adding the definition for “Dry disposable cleaning cloth.” 4) Amends the training requirements for lead-based

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 121.

paint inspectors to be consistent with other states. 5) Amends provisions for clarity. For Further Information, Contact: Meg McCarthy, Vermont Department of Health, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401, Tel: 802-951-0174 Fax: 802-951-1275, E-Mail: ahs.vdhrules@vermont. gov URL: https://www.healthvermont.gov/ laws-regulations/laws/public-comment. FOR COPIES: Natalie Weill, Vermont Department of Health, 108 Cherry Street, Burlington, VT 05401, Tel: 802-863-7280 Fax: 802-951-1275, E-Mail: ahs. vdhrules@vermont.gov _____

BIDS: TOWN OF COLCHESTER LINE STRIPING 2024 The Town is requesting separate sealed bids for roadway line striping of various roads around Town. The scope of work includes a combination of line striping of the centerline and edgeline for a combined total of 517,150 linear feet. Work to be performed in accordance with the technical specifications provided in the Appendix, and the Town of Colchester Department of Public Works Specifications and Standards, effective date of November 12, 2019. All work for this project must be completed by Friday, June 21, 2024.

Antidegradation Implementation Rule. Vermont Proposed Rule: 24P002 AGENCY: Agency of Natural Resources CONCISE SUMMARY: The proposed rule lays out the process for implementing Vermont’s antidegradation policy. Vermont’s antidegradation policy requires that existing uses of waters and the level of water quality necessary to protect those uses shall be maintained and protected. To implement this policy, the proposed rule requires an analysis of water quality impacts, to be conducted during the review of applications for permits authorizing activities that are required to comply with the Vermont Water Quality Standards. The rule includes a list of permits subject to antidegradation review, the required public process, and the three-tiered analysis of water quality impacts: Protection of Outstanding Resource Waters, protection of High Quality Waters, and protection of Existing Uses. The rule also includes an analysis for determining when a reduction in receiving-water quality is allowable, based on evaluation of the subsequent socioeconomic impact of not allowing the proposed activity. For Further Information, Contact: Bethany Sargent, DEC Watershed Management Division, Agency of Natural Resources, 1 National Life Drive, Davis 3, Montpelier, Vermont 05620-3522 Tel: 802-4906131 Fax: 802-828-1544 E-Mail: bethany.sargent@ vermont.gov URL: https://dec.vermont.gov/ watershed/laws.

Questions related to the bid package are due to Lea Sanguinetti in writing by Monday, February 12, 2024. Bids will be received by Randy Alemy, Senior Operations Manager at the Town of Colchester, 781 Blakely Road, Colchester, VT 05446 until 2:00 p.m. on Friday, February 23, 2024 and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud. Each BID must be accompanied by a certified check payable to the OWNER for five percent (5%) of the total amount of the BID. A BID bond may be used in lieu of a certified check. All bidders must notify Randy Alemy on their intent to bid so they can be placed on a Bidders List to receive any issued addenda or other pertinent information. Please notify the Town if email is not an acceptable method for receiving information and provide alternate means of contact. Please contact Randy Alemy at ralemy@colchestervt.gov. For the complete Bid & Contract Documents, please visit the Town website at: https://www. colchestervt.gov/bids.aspx BIDS: TOWN OF COLCHESTER SHORE ACRES STORMWATER The Town of Colchester is requesting separate sealed BIDS from pre-qualified contractors for the construction of the Shore Acres – Cedar Ridge Stormwater Project. The project consists of construction of a series of gravel wetland swales, gravel wetland basins and related drainage improvements along Shore Acres Drive (TH #48) to provide treatment of stormwater runoff from existing rooftops, roads, driveways and other

For Copies: Hannah Smith, DEC Office of General Counsel, 1 National Life Drive, Davis 2, Montpelier, Vermont 05620-3522 Tel: 802-461-8187 Fax: 802828-1544 E-Mail: hannah.smith@vermont.gov.

PUZZLE ANSWERS FROM P.75 5

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT FAMILY DIVISION ADDISON UNIT DOCKET NO. 22-JV-1162 In re: A.M. Order and Notice of Hearing To: Louis Badger, putative father of A.M., you are hereby notified that you have been ordered by the Vermont Superior Court, Addison Family Division to contact DCF family services worker Amy Nichols at 802 798-9096 on or before 02/02/2024 for the purpose of scheduling a genetic test to determine the parentage of A.M. Failure to respond as ordered may result in a default judgment against you and a finding that you are the legal parent of A.M. In addition, you are hereby notified that the State of Vermont has filed a petition to terminate your residual parental rights to A.M. and that the hearing to consider the termination of all residual parental rights to A.M. will be held on February 6, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at the Vermont Superior Court, Addison Family Division, at 7 Mahady Court, Middlebury, Vermont. You may appear remotely by contacting the Clerk’s office at 802 388-7741. You are notified to appear in connection with this case. Failure to appear at this hearing may result in the termination of all your parental rights to A.M. The State is represented by the Attorney General’s Office, HC 2 North, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-2080. A copy of this order shall be mailed to Louis Badger if an address for him is known. Honorable David Fenster Superior Court Judge Date 1/2/2024 Vermont Superior Court Filed 01/02/24 STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.:23-PR-05983 In re ESTATE of Josephine R. Smith NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Josephine R. Smith, late of Essex.

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

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impervious and non-impervious surfaces. Work to be performed under this contract includes construction of new stormwater treatment practices and drainage. Bids will be received by: Karen Adams, Technical Services Manager, Town of Colchester, 781 Blakely Road, Colchester, VT 05446 until 10:00am on Thursday, February 29th, 2024, and then at said office publicly opened and read aloud. A mandatory pre-bid conference for prospective bidders will be held at the Town of Colchester Municipal Offices – Public Works Dept. on Friday, February 9th, 2024 at 10:00am, followed by a site visit to the project location. Please contact Karen Adams (kadams@colchestervt. gov) if you plan to attend. The full bid posting for this project can be found here https://www. colchestervt.gov/bids.aspx?bidID=129

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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: January 8, 2024 Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Stephanie Smith McNamee Executor/Administrator: Stephanie Smith McNamee, c/o Drislane Law Office, PO Box 1080, Williston, VT 05495 Phone number: 802-860-7266 Email: michelle@drislanelaw.com Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: January 24, 2024 Name of Probate Court: State of Vermont Chittenden Probate Division Address of Probate Court, 175 Main Street , Burlington, VT 05401 ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION 4C0887-1R-T 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 – 6111 Application 4C0887-1R-T from The Snyder FC Commercial Properties, LLC, and Rieley Properties, LLC, was received on December 15, 2023 and deemed complete on January 12, 2024. The project is generally described as construction of a multi-family commercial building with 38 dwelling units, and related site improvements. This is Building G, located on Lot C-3B, of the Finney Crossing Master Plan. The project is located at 668 Zephyr Road in Williston, Vermont. This application can be viewed online by visiting the Act 250 Database: (https://anrweb.vt.gov/ANR/Act250/Details. aspx?Num=4C0887-1R-T). No hearing will be held, and a permit will be issued unless, on or before February 5, 2024, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://nrb. vermont.gov/documents/party-statuspetitionform, and email it to the District 4 Office at: NRB. Act250Essex@vermont.gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing. For more information contact Kaitlin Hayes at the address or telephone number below. Dated this January 17, 2024. By: _/s/ Kaitlin Hayes Kaitlin Hayes District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 (802) 622-4084 kaitlin.hayes@vermont.gov STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT FAMILY DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO. 22-JV-1210 In Re: R.T. NOTICE OF HEARING TO: Ashley Thibault, mother of R.T., you are hereby notified that a hearing to terminate your parental rights to R.T. will be held on February 20, 2024 at 9:00 a.m. at the Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Family Division, at 32 Cherry Street, Suite 200, Burlington, Vermont 05401. You are notified to appear in connection with this case. Failure to appear at this hearing may result in termination of your parental rights to R.T. The State is represented by the Attorney General’s Office, HC 2 North, 280 State Drive, Waterbury, VT 05671-2080. Electronically signed pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d) Elizabeth F. Novotny Superior Court Judge Date 1/18/24

TOWN OF WESTFORD DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117 and the Westford Land Use & Development Regulations, the Westford Development Review Board will hold a public hearing at the Westford Public Library (1717 Route 128) & via ZOOM on Monday, February 12th, 2024 at 7:00 PM to review the following application: Site Plan Public Hearing –Collins Property. Applicants: Brandon Collins and William Pebler (approx. 10.08 acres) located on Manley Road in the Rural 10 Zoning District. The applicant is requesting site plan approval to construct an accessory structure over 1,000 square feet. Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/9614208066 6?pwd=dCtwTFZmamoxNy9oNmpPNTdsbUIBUT09 Or Dial +1 929 205 6099 US (New York) Meeting ID: 961 4208 0666 Passcode: 1QgncE For more information call the Town Offices at 878-4587 Monday–Thursday 8:30am–4:30pm & Friday 8:30a.m.-1:00 p.m. Matt Wamsganz, Chairman Dated January 18, 2024 NOTICE CITY OF BURLINGTON FULL BOARD OF ABATEMENT OF TAXES The Full Board of Abatement of Taxes of the City of Burlington will meet in Contois Auditorium and via ZOOM: https://zoom.us/j/97710199021 on Monday, January 29, 2024* to hear and act upon the request for abatement of taxes and/or penalties from: Vermont House Condo Association 120 King Street 049-3-042-000 Vermont House Condo Association 131 Main Street C-2C 049-3-095-007 GoldenJunk LLC 310-320 North Winooski Avenue 040-2-140-000 New Northgate Housing LLC 275 Northgate Road 023-3-049-000 *The City Council Meeting usually begins at 7:00 p.m. The Full Board of Abatement of Taxes Meeting is part of this agenda, no set start time. DATE CORRECTION: The Town of Essex Notice of Public Hearing for the Proposed FY2025 Capital Budget and Five-Year Plan and the Notice of Public Hearing for the Proposed FY2025 Budget, both to be held at the Town Offices at 81 Main St., Essex Jct., VT, and both published in Seven Days on January 17th, 2024, list the incorrect year. Both public hearings will take place on January 29, 2024. For more information, visit www.essexvt.org or call (802) 878-1341. PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE - CITY OF BURLINGTON HOUSING AND COMMUNITY NEEDS ASSESSMENT FOR FIVE YEAR CONSOLIDATED PLAN

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The City of Burlington is developing its five-year Consolidated Plan for Housing and Community Development Programs that it will submit to the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development. A Public Hearing soliciting feedback on the plan will be held in person and online via Zoom at the City Council meeting on Monday, February 12, 2024 at 7 PM. More information on how to access the meeting can be found online at burlingtonvt.portal. civicclerk.com or by contacting rlawrencegomez@ burlingtonvt.gov. Comments will be heard on priorities for housing and community needs in the City of Burlington. Written comments can also be submitted directly to the Community & Economic Development Office by e-mail to rlawrencegomez@ burlingtonvt.gov, or via hand delivery or mail to CEDO, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401. For more information, or information on alternative access, contact Rebeka Lawrence-Gomez, Community & Economic Development Office, at (802) 734-8019.

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78 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST YOUR JOBS AT: PRINT DEADLINE: FOR RATES & INFO:

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE. JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM Electricians! Market Garden Assistant Full description and to apply: trilliumhillfarm.com/ employment.html

We are hiring enthusiastic and capable electricians to install Battery Systems and do equipment upgrades. Candidates must have strong attention to detail, outstanding customer service skills. Travel throughout VT is required. You must reside in VT or near the VT/NH border. Looking for a fulltime apprentice (starting range starts at $29/hr) or Journeyman (starting range starts at $36/hr) PLUS bonuses and benefits. Apply with resume and interest to careers@sundialsolarnh.com.

AN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL BASED IN MIDDLEBURY, VERMONT

SEEKING A SUMMER CAMP DIRECTOR Bridge School is seeking a responsible summer camp director who can develop and manage a robust 2024 Bridge School summer program. The director will lead operations for the entire summer; hire, train and supervise summer counselors; develop, implement and adhere to staff and program policies following Vermont Childcare Program Regulations; manage a high-quality educational program for campers and serve as an ambassador of the Bridge School’s mission. Please email Jen@bridgeschoolvermont.org with your cover letter and resumé to apply!

Grocery Assistant Manager & Manager on Duty Our ideal candidate will ensure a high standard of prompt, friendly, efficient and helpful customer service, maintain retail areas, and effectively oversee the operations of the Grocery Department. Our coop offers competitive pay and benefits and the opportunity to join an outstanding management team. Hunger Mountain Co-op is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that does not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, gender (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. Visit: hungermountain.coop

TOWN OF MILTON IS HIRING:

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC SAFETY WATER/WASTEWATER CHIEF OPERATOR Please visit miltonvt.gov/employment for additional details & to apply.

Teaching Fellowship in Physics The Physics Department at Saint Michael’s College invites applications for a two-year position as a Teaching Fellow in the Patrick ’61 and Marcelle Leahy Center for the Environment starting Fall 2024. The position is not tenure-track, but there is a possibility of conversion to tenure-track at the end of the term. This position will cover a range of undergraduate Physics courses and support classes for Environmental Science and Studies. The College is looking for staff cross-disciplinary undergraduate courses in Meteorology and Climate Change, and a special interest for future courses includes climate modeling. This position will support student-engaged activities in energy modeling and action for social impact on our campus and in collaboration with key community partners. The candidate should be prepared to demonstrate the potential to use inclusive, experiential, and other high impact teaching practices related to the core areas of interdisciplinary work the Center stewards for our campus. For job description, benefits and to apply, please visit: bit.ly/3uGGPTQ.

ALSO SEEKING SUMMER CAMP COUNSELORS Bridge School Summer Camp is seeking creative, responsible, and dynamic individuals. As part of an educator team, you will create and implement a high-quality summer camp experience for local elementary school children. Please email Jen@bridgeschoolvermont.org with your cover letter and resumé to apply! BRIDGESCHOOLVERMONT.ORG

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Navigate New Possibilities™ Your Career at NDI is Waiting

Project Manager

At NDI we are driven by our belief that advanced spatial measurement solutions can help our customers in their aim to improve medical procedures and patient lives.

Full descriptions and to apply: bit.ly/NDIfall2022

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OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR Vermont Information Technology Leaders, Inc. (VITL) is hiring an Office Administrator. The position will be responsible for providing comprehensive administrative support to the CEO and Board of Directors, as well as assisting the Accounting Manager with day-today accounting and human resource tasks. In addition, the Office Administrator supports the leadership team with administrative needs. This dynamic position requires the ability to creatively manage schedules, prioritize tasks, anticipate needs, think critically, and offer solutions to problems with professionalism and confidentiality. The Office Administrator manages the organization’s office operations and is often a liaison to ensure coordination and communication across the organization. Remote in Vermont. For more information go to: vitl.net/office-administrator.

WE ARE HIRING! We are Vermont’s unified public media organization (formerly VPR and Vermont PBS), serving the community with trusted journalism, quality entertainment, and diverse educational programming.

Chief Engineer - Studio Producer/Reporter Engagement Journalism We believe a strong organization includes employees from a range of backgrounds with different skills, experience & passions. To see more openings & apply: vermontpublic.org/ careers. Vermont Public is a proud equal opportunity employer.

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY!

Goddard College, a leader in non-traditional education, has the following full-time, benefit eligible and part-time position openings:

ACCESSIBILITY SUPPORT COORDINATOR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF CAMPUS OPERATIONS To view position descriptions and application instructions, please visit our website: goddard.edu/about-goddard/employment-opportunities/

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC INITIATIVES Join our non-profit senior living community leadership team to chart medium- and long-term plans for EastView’s strategic growth. EastView at Middlebury (Middlebury, VT) is seeking an experienced project development professional to support EastView in advancing its solid financial and cultural foundations through a series of smart growth priorities. This Full-time Leadership position will initially focus on 3 areas: • Profit & Loss management – developing market-based revenue growth initiatives and identifying operational cost efficiencies

Executive Director In the wake of devastating floods of July, the residents of Montpelier VT formed Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience to ensure that the city and surrounding region are prepared to withstand the future climate-related challenges that are sure to come our way. The commission now seeks a Director to execute projects and facilitate education and outreach about the work of the commission while maintaining a focus on equity and environmental justice. This is an exciting opportunity for the right person to have a lasting impact on the City of Montpelier and its people and to have a meaningful role in shaping the future of the emerging fields of climate resilience and disaster management. Send applications to: contactmcrr@gmail.com. Application deadline February 2nd.

• Collaborative affiliations or partnerships – leading an exploration of win/win relationships • Expansion – advancing smart-growth options to expand both the capacity of the community and services provided. For full description & to apply go to: bit.ly/EastViewMiddleburyDIRSI.

Assistant Planner/ Zoning Administrator Northwest Regional Planning Commission (NRPC) is seeking a full-time assistant planner/zoning administrator to work with communities in Franklin and Grand Isle Counties. The position includes serving as the appointed zoning administrator/local planner for up to three municipalities & to assist NRPC with regional and local planning projects. The ideal candidate has knowledge and skills in land use planning and development through professional, educational or volunteer experiences. This position requires effective written and verbal communication skills, the ability to work in a team environment and independently, and a strong customer service ethic. The position will require work in an office setting at local municipal offices and regular night meetings will be expected. For more details see nrpcvt.com/employment. Interviews will begin mid-January. This position will remain open until filled.

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79 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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Sustainable Transportation Coordinator champlain.edu/careers Scan code for more information.

Summer Art Camp INSTRUCTOR Are you an energetic and motivated individual eager to join Davis Studio's team of Summer Art Camp Instructors? We provide week-long camp programming for students in grades 1 – 9, with a focus on art and creativity through different themes. We are seeking someone who is available to instruct 3 to 5 weeks of summer camps (8am-3pm, M-F). Our ideal candidate is organized, has strong communication and classroom management skills, along with a commitment to providing campers with an excellent experience. Requirements: CPR/First Aid Certification, Experienced Art Teacher, Drawing, Painting, Mixed Media Skills Salary: $20.00 - $23.00 per hour Experience: At least 1 year of teaching experience (Required) Send resumes to: mdickerson@davisstudiovt.com.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Shared Living Provider For a 24-year-old young woman Seeking in home support for a 24-year-old young woman in her first apartment in the Old North End of Burlington. She needs support with cooking, cleaning, household tasks and attending appointments. This individual does not have supervision needs but staying in her apartment nightly is required. This individual has a great sense of humor, is very outgoing and enjoys socializing. An ideal candidate would have excellent inter-personal skills and a willingness to learn on the job. Rent and annual stipend included. If interested, please call or text (802) 782-1588 with a summary of your experience.

howardcenter.org • 802-488-6500

YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

80 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Shared Living Provider Seeking a Shared Living Provider for a 34-year-old man. He would live in your home and needs support with cooking, cleaning, household tasks, attending appointments, and managing medications. He has a great sense of humor, is very outgoing, enjoys socializing, pets, politics, and TV shows. An ideal candidate would be kind, LGBTQ+-friendly, and have experience supporting people with disabilities. This individual would prefer to live in a roommate-style arrangement with other adults near his age. He has some supervision needs but can be alone for a couple of hours at a time, has weekday staff supports, and a generous respite budget. Monthly room/board payments & annual stipend included. Interested candidates contact: hausermann@howardcenter.org, 802-343-9150.

howardcenter.org • 802-488-6500

JOB TRAINING. WELL DONE. Join the Community Kitchen Academy! Community Kitchen Academy (CKA) is a 9-week job training program featuring: Hands on learning, national ServSafe certification, job placement support and meaningful connections to community. Plus... the tuition is FREE and weekly stipends are provided for income eligible students! At CKA you’ll learn from professional chefs in modern commercial kitchens and graduate with the skills and knowledge to build a career in food service, food systems and other related fields. Throughout the 9-week course, you’ll develop and apply new skills by preparing food that would otherwise be wasted. The food you cook is then distributed through food shelves and meal sites throughout the community. CKA is a program of the Vermont Foodbank, operated in partnership with Capstone Community Action in Barre and Feeding Chittenden in Burlington. Next session starts February 26th in Barre. APPLY ONLINE: vtfoodbank.org/cka.

F/T Operations Lead Media Technician

Non-Profit Wood Bank Wood4Good Experience with running chainsaws and logsplitters/ heavy equipment, mechanic background or mechanical aptititude. Project managment, organizing volunteers and distributing firewood, maintaining/repairing equipment. Ready to ignite warmth and compassion? Email eric@ wood4goodvt.org.

Love working with youth, we have open positions that pay up to 25.00 per hour!

Admissions Assistant

Scan the QR code to view job descriptions & apply.

Instructional Design & Development Specialist

Career Coach (half-time) Applied Learning Specialist

For position details and application process, visit jobs.plattsburgh. edu and select “View Current Openings” SUNY Plattsburgh is an AA/EEO/ADA/VEVRAA committed to excellence through diversity and supporting an inclusive environment for all.

NETWORK ASSISTANT Join Farm to Plate (F2P) to strengthen Vermont’s food system by increasing economic development, climate resiliency, and access to healthy local foods for all Vermonters. Responsible for providing F2P Network with logistical, administrative, project implementation, and communications support.

THE GRIND GOT YOU DOWN?

FT salary at $52k, great benefits, casual but professional hybrid work environment, and an organizational culture where people feel valued and support forward-thinking solutions to our economic, social, and climate challenges. Full job description: vtfarmtoplate.com/jobs/farm-plate-networkassistant. Send cover letter & resume to jobs@vsjf.org by 2/4/24. VSJF is an E.O.E. committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging in the workplace.

Outreach Coordinator, EPSCoR Are you excited about STEM education that includes the humanities and social sciences? VTSU is hiring an Outreach Coordinator for our UVM EPSCoR 5-year NSF grant-funded project. The project develops a pipeline of educators and next-generation scholars, exposing students and the public to algorithmic thinking and increasing computational literacy. This position will support participants in the program. Participants include teachers seeking Computer Science endorsement, undergraduates in a summer research internship, and students in VTWorks for Women programs. In addition, this position will support STEM-related educational outreach to schools and community organizations to meet the grant deliverables. MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: • Bachelor’s degree in a related field. • 1-2 years of related experience, or similar combination of education and experience from which comparable knowledge and skills are acquired. • Comprehensive Benefits Package including tuition benefits Apply online: bit.ly/VTSUepscor2024.

(802) 862-7662

DELIVERY DRIVERS WANTED We are currently accepting applications for both part time and full time positions. We have several different shifts available. Feel free to stop in to our office at 54 Echo Place, Suite #1, Williston, VT 05495 and fill out an application. You can also apply online via our website at shipvds.com or email Ian Pomerville directly at ian@shipvds.com.

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NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

81 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Now Hiring! WHY NOT HAVE A JOB YOU LOVE?

Farm Manager Position

Successful organic farm growing Chamomile, Calendula, Nettle, and Hyssop etc. In operation for 10 Enjoy your job and be a part of one years in Calais, Vermont, seeking of the Best Places to Work in Vermont! experienced farm manager. Responsibilities include planning, Great jobs in management and planting, and harvesting 17 acres in herbs with additional acreage direct support serving Vermonters in cover crops. Management with intellectual disabilities. includes overseeing all aspects of crop production from greenhouse Visit ccs-vt.org/current-openings to field to harvesting & drying; and apply today. oversight of experienced farmworkers; knowledge of farm machinery. Computer skills required, including Microsoft Office 12/18/23 3:08 PM and data management. Excellent 4t-ChamplainCommServices1220&122723.indd 1 organizational and communication skills. Knowledge of Spanish is a plus. Salary commensurate with experience. Housing available. Do work that makes a difference. Join Team Copley. For more information about our company: fosterfarmbotanicals. com. Please send resumes to: Copley’s Cardiology providers are focused connie@fosterfarmbotanicals.com.

We are Hiring

Cardiac Sonographer

We’re Hiring! We offer competitive wages & a full benefits package for full time employees. No auction experience necessary.

We are hiring a Cardiac Sonographer to join the team. Full and part-time positions open.

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Auction Site Tech (MORRISVILLE, VT)

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Child Care Resource

Child Care Financial Assistance Positions Child Care Resource is hiring 2 positions. Join this small, flexible, friendly nonprofit and make a difference in the lives of Vermont families. Both positions are full time, excellent benefits, competitive salary.

Thomas Hirchak Company is an at will employer. See details at:

Child Care Financial Assistance Specialist: You will carry a case load, work with clients and process assistance. Review applications and determine eligibility.

Email Us: Info@THCAuction.com

For more information about CCR and the positions visit childcareresource.org.

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• Cook (full-time) • Registered Nurse (Resident Care Director)

LEARN MORE & APPLY

THE GARY RESIDENCE

thegaryresidence.com HR@thegaryresidence.com

• Resident Services Assistant

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• Activity & Resident Services Assistant (part-time)

Both facilities offer excellent work environments along with competitive pay and benefits.

PRODUCTION TEAM MEMBER

1/19/24 9:20 AM

Are you passionate about sustainable agriculture? Do you want to work in the Cannabis industry? Sunset Lake Cannabis is now hiring!

We’re seeking an energetic & motivated individual to join our auction team. Techs work an average of 40 hours per week. Email: info@thcauction.com

THCAuction.com

• Medication Tech/Resident Services Assistant (part-time)

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For more info, visit copleyvt.org/careers or call J.T. Vize, Recruiter, at 802-888-8329

Want to make a quick buck in your free time in a fun, fast paced environment? We’re looking for Friday & Saturday Auto Auction Staff. 8:45AM-Noon. Email eric@thcauction.com

WESTVIEW MEADOWS

on finding, treating, and preventing heart attacks and heart disease.

OPEN POSITIONS: Auto Auction Staff (WILLISTON, VT)

Join our Caring Team and Advance Your Career in Senior Living

Front Desk/Financial Assistance Program Assistant: Answer phones, greet clients and assist them with financial assistance application questions.

As a Production Team Member, you will assist in all stages of cannabis production. You will assist in making a variety of products, including hand-trimmed cannabis flower, prerolls and blunts, vape carts, THC and CBD tinctures, CBD topicals, and more! Our production schedule involves various tasks that balance efficiency and job varieties. Production Team Members will become experts in the entire process of turning raw materials into finished products. Qualified applicants should have previous experience working in a fast-paced team environment and maintain a positive professional relationship with a diverse group of co-workers. Fast hands, excellent time management & communication skills are valuable to our team. Schedule: 40 hrs/week, Monday - Friday, 9 am - 5 pm Compensation: $20/hr, PTO, Employee Discount & Product Samples Deadline to apply: February 16, 2024 For a complete job description & how to apply, visit: sunsetlakecannabis.com/careers.

YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

82 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Shared Living Provider Seeking a Shared Living Provider for an active 7-year-old boy. He has a love for trucks, trains and running around! Supervision required as he learns to navigate his environment, he is nonspeaking with an autism diagnosis. Ideal support would be a couple that is active, no other children in the home and no pets at this time. Provider will be an essential member of a treatment team and will provide personal care and medical support. Compensation: $70,000 tax-free annual stipend plus room and board, in addition to contracted supports. Interested candidates contact Mackenzie Geary at mgeary@howardcenter.org or 802.488.6553.

howardcenter.org • 802-488-6500

Outreach Coordinator The Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District is seeking a creative, enthusiastic, and dedicated Outreach Coordinator. This person will create and implement educational programs targeting waste reduction, recycling and composting through a variety of community outreach activities and programs. Each day brings new opportunities ranging from designing and writing content for newsletters, to teaching kindergartners about the importance of recycling, to working with a local business to implement on-site compost systems.

Assistant Manager The Lamoille Regional Solid Waste Management District is looking for a leader who knows how to get work done! The Assistant Manager is part of the management team and collaborates regularly with the Operations Administrator and the Outreach Coordinator to promote the District’s mission. This includes the operation of five District recycling centers and Lamoille Soil Compost, supervision of off-site employees, implementation of policies and programs, and strategic, facility, and financial planning. Experience with personnel and project management are desired skills to be successful.

Inclusive Arts Vermont Seeks

Development Associate FT, Remotely Based Apply by February 18 at inclusiveartsvermont.org/ employment

LOOKING FOR A COOLER OPPORTUNITY?

We invite you to review the full job descriptions at lrswmd.org/job-openings before submitting a resume and cover letter. If you are the right candidate to join this dynamic team, email a current resume and a cover letter to manager@lrswmd.org.

T H E University of Vermont M E D I C A L C E N T E R

H EUniversity EE NN TE Universityofof Vermont Vermont M T HT E MEEDDI ICCAAL LCC TR ER Phlebotomy Apprenticeship Training Program Phlebotomy Apprenticeship Training Program Phlebotomy Apprenticeship Training Program You can invest in your career! Our training program is a paid, You can invest in your career! Our training program is a paid,

can invest in yourcareer! career!Our Our training training program isisa a paid, YouYou can invest your paid, opportunity toinbecome a phlebotomist withprogram no experience necessary, a opportunity to become a phlebotomist with no experience necessary, a opportunity to become a phlebotomist with no experience a high school diploma or GED is required. Selected students willnecessary, be high school diploma or GED is required. Selected students will be provided with textbooks, receive mentoring from program staff, and high school diploma or GED is required. Selected students will be provided with textbooks, receive mentoring from program staff, and prepared to textbooks, take the Phlebotomy Certification Exam! The application provided with receive mentoring from program staff, and prepared to take the Phlebotomy Certification Exam! The application deadline for the Spring 2024 program is Wednesday, February 28th. prepared to take the Phlebotomy Certification Exam! The application deadline for the Spring 2024 program is Wednesday, February 28th. deadline for theemployment Spring 2024on program Guaranteed day oneisofWednesday, the training February 28th.

Guaranteed employment on day one of the training Great pay and full benefits

Guaranteed employment on day one of the training Great pay and full benefits A $2,000 sign on bonus

Great pay and benefits A $2,000 signfull on bonus

External candidates are eligible for a one-time sign on bonus paid over 3 installments. Amounts reflect External candidates are eligible a one-time sign on bonus paid over by 3 installments. gross pay, prior to applicable taxfor withholdings and deductions require law. CurrentAmounts Universityreflect of Vermont gross prior to applicable withholdings and deductions require by law.apply. Current University of Vermont Healthpay, Network employees aretax excluded and additional terms and conditions External candidates are eligible a one-time sign on bonus over 3 installments. Amounts reflect Health Network employees arefor excluded and additional termspaid and conditions apply.

A $2,000 sign on bonus

gross pay, prior to applicable tax withholdings and deductions require by law. Current University of Vermont Health Network employees are excluded and additional terms and conditions apply.

Apply now at www.iaahitec.org/phlebotomy Apply now at www.iaahitec.org/phlebotomy

Apply now at www.iaahitec.org/phlebotomy

The UVM Medical Center will not discriminate against apprenticeship applicants or apprentices The UVM CenterRELIGION, will not discriminate applicants or apprentices based onMedical RACE, COLOR, NATIONALagainst ORIGIN,apprenticeship SEX (INCLUDING PREGNANCY AND GENDER based on RACE, COLOR, RELIGION,GENETIC NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX OR (INCLUDING IDENTITY), SEXUAL ORIENTATION, INFORMATION, BECAUSEPREGNANCY THEY ARE ANAND INDIVIDUAL GENDER IDENTITY), SEXUAL OR ORIENTATION, GENETIC WITH A DISABILITY A PERSON 40 YEARS INFORMATION, OLD OR OLDER.OR BECAUSE THEY ARE AN INDIVIDUAL WITH A DISABILITY OR A PERSON 40 YEARS OLD OR OLDER. The THe UVMUVM Medical Center willwill not discriminate applicants apprentices Medical Center take affirmative against action toapprenticeship provide equal opportunity in or apprenticeship based RACE, COLOR, RELIGION, NATIONAL ORIGIN, SEX (INCLUDING AND GENDER THe UVM Medical Center will take affirmative to provide equal opportunity in of apprenticeship andon will operate the apprenticeship program action as required under Title 29 of PREGNANCY the Code Federal IDENTITY), GENETIC INFORMATION, OR BECAUSE THEY ARE INDIVIDUAL and willSEXUAL operate the program as required under Title 29 of the Code ofAN Federal Regulations, partORIENTATION, 30.apprenticeship Regulations, partOR 30.A PERSON 40 YEARS OLD OR OLDER. WITH A DISABILITY

THe UVM Medical Center will take affirmative action to provide equal opportunity in apprenticeship and will operate the apprenticeship program as required under Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 30.

PUBLIC FINANCE MANAGER The Lamoille County Planning Commission (LCPC) seeks a highly skilled, self-motivated, Finance Manager to join our team of dedicated professionals in a public service organization. Working directly with the Executive Director, responsibilities include management of LCPC’s financial accounts, development of indirect cost rate proposals, financial reporting to the Executive Director and Board, budget tracking, state and federal grant and contract management, financial aspects of grant reporting, management of payroll and staff benefits, annual audit preparation, and general oversight of office financial operations. Knowledge of QuickBooks Accounting Software is required. Knowledge of federal or state grants management is a plus. Ability to work well with staff and the public is essential. LCPC is the regional planning commission for the ten towns and five villages in Lamoille County. Our mission is to assist municipalities and to work collaboratively with them to address regional issues, including housing, transportation, land use, energy, disaster recovery, water quality and health. The position is based at the office in Morrisville with a hybrid schedule that includes remote work. Please email a letter of interest, resume, and salary requirements to Tasha Wallis, Executive Director at tasha@lcpcvt.org. This position will remain open until filled. LCPC is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Find 100+ new job postings from trusted, local employers in Seven Days newspaper and online. Follow @SevenDaysJobs on Twitter

See who’s hiring at jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Are you looking for an innovative, dynamic, and collaborative place to work?

Join us at Lake Champlain Waldorf School to deliver a holistic and developmental approach to education.

Open Positions: • First Grade Teacher • Fourth Grade Teacher

www.lakechamplainwaldorfschool.org

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY!

Center for Learning & Leadership (CLL) Administrative Specialist The Vermont Network seeks an experienced administrator who is detail oriented and a systems thinker with a desire to use their skills to support building a world where all people can thrive. The CLL Administrative Specialist will provide administrative, logistic and technical support to the Vermont Network’s new Center for Learning and Leadership on Gender-Based Violence. The CLL Administrative Specialist will work closely with the Director of Finance, Center Director and other staff in supporting various leadership and training initiatives from the ground up. The ideal candidate for this position is highly self-motivated, energized by building new systems, has impeccable collaboration skills and thrives in a highly collaborative environment working with others toward common goals.

The Vermont Network is a purpose driven organization working to uproot the causes of violence to support all people to thrive and 2v-LakeChamplainWaldorfSchool1220&122723 12/18/23 1 9:40 AM we welcome candidates who share this horizon and encourage people from marginalized groups and communities to apply. We prioritize the wellbeing of our staff, take our culture seriously, think big and orient towards what is possible. All positions are hybrid Waterbury and Home Office.

MOVING PROFESSIONALS

Local moving company looking for movers! Previous experience is not required. We will train the right candidates! Applicants must have a valid driver’s license, have the highest level of customer service and work well in a team atmosphere. Competitive wages!

Please email: parker@ getonsnow.com to apply.

Rhino’s hiring is hot right now! Get on board in time for their busy season. Check out our website for all job listings, which include:

Production 1st shift $18.00/hr, Sign-on Bonus: $1,500

Production: 3rd shift $18.00/hr + $1.50 shift differential. Sign-on Bonus: $2,000

Sanitation: 2nd Shift $18.00/hr + $1.00 shift differential. Sign-on Bonus: $1,500

Earn some “Dough” at Rhino Foods! rhinofoods.com/about-rhino-foods/jobs-and-careers

Check out these openings and others on our career page:

*Rhino Foods runs sex offender checks on all employees

Restorative Approaches Coordinator and Coach

LRC is hiring a 32-40 hr/wk Restorative Approaches Coordinator and Coach (RACC) to actively promote restorative practices at LRC and within the wider Jennifer@vtmoving.com. community. This effort will be guided by a school-wide restorative model, incorporating principles of applied educational neuroscience and adult education theory. The RACC is part of LRC’s Youth Team and will work collaboratively with other LRC 2v-VTMovingCo050119.indd 1 4/26/19 12:20 PM Lake Champlain Island programs in the promotion of restorative practices.

Seeking a full-time caretaker for Lake Champlain island in Vermont for May - October. Skill sets needed are: strong work ethic and selfmotivation; expertise with maintaining and running boats, farm machinery and solar systems; building & property maintenance; hospitality skills for weekly rental property. Monthly stipend with 3-bedroom log home, vegetable garden and utilities provided.

83 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

For more information and the full job description, visit our website at vtnetwork.org. Send cover letter and resume to Jamie Carroll at jamie@vtnetwork.org by February 9, 2024.

Please call 802-655-6683 for more information or email resume to:

CARETAKER

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

This position is ideal for someone with an understanding of restorative work in schools, excellent communication, collaboration, and organizational skills, and those who are interested in a workplace that promotes employee well-being and is known for its inclusive and collaborative work environment. A bachelor’s degree or equivalent work experience required. The hourly pay rate is between $21.97 and $26.55. A generous benefits policy provides $12,000 annually for each employee to pay for the benefits they need, such as: medical, dental, vision, supplemental insurance and retirement. Additional benefits include 27 paid days off and 17 paid holidays, pre-tax dependent care deductions, paid family medical leave, an annual training stipend, and life insurance. Please submit a cover letter and resume to: info@lrcvt.org. LRC is an equal opportunity employer and invites applications from professionals with lived experience. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

VERMONT STATE COURTS - BURLINGTON

JUDICIAL ASSISTANT Looking to enter the legal world and make a difference? $20.40 per hour, permanent full-time positions. The Judicial branch of state government is rapidly expanding. We offer a competitive rate with top-notch health, dental, paid time off and pension. The successful candidate has 2 years’ general office experience, is a team player, good communicator, able to use technology, organized, and seeking a prestigious and professional atmosphere.

COURT SECURITY OFFICER Recruiting for a full-time, permanent Court Officer. The position provides security and ensures safety to courthouse occupants, as well as oversight of courtroom operations. High School graduate and two years in a responsible position required. Starting pay $18.37 per hour. Permanent positions come with excellent benefits, paid holidays and leave time. For more detailed descriptions and how to apply: bit.ly/ VTStateCourtsJobs2024. Open until filled. E.O.E.

YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

84 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Chittenden County Clerk The Assistant Judges of Chittenden County are currently seeking a dedicated and self-motivated individual to fill that role of part-time County Clerk, requiring 30 hours per week over a five-day schedule. The ideal candidate should possess strong interpersonal skills, be proficient in bookkeeping, have knowledge of QuickBooks, and be familiar with tasks such as managing elections, creating and maintaining budgets, and passport issuance (training provided to the right candidate). Attention to detail is a key requirement for this position.

Position Opening (UNION)

MEMBER SERVICES REPRESENTATIVE WEC was founded in 1939 to bring electricity to rural Vermont communities and to provide our members with a voice in their energy future. WEC continues today with that same spirit as our pioneering founders with a commitment to our environment, communities and our member-owners. We are a notfor-profit cooperative utility serving our member-owners in 41 towns in central Vermont’s rural landscape. General Summary of Job Responsibilities: Reliable, detail-oriented person with excellent customer service skills needed in a fast-paced, team-oriented office that works with WEC members to perform a variety of billing functions and data entry. Primary duties of the position include answering the telephone, working with members, responding to billing inquiries, receiving and processing payments, collecting delinquent accounts, and entering billing data. Must be able to communicate effectively with members and employees of the Cooperative, & with representatives of other organizations as required. Requirements: High school diploma with emphasis on business courses and two years’ experience in an office environment or an associate’s degree in business required. Knowledge of Microsoft Office and cashiering experience preferred. Submit cover letter and resume to Teia Greenslit, Director of Finance & Administration, Washington Electric Cooperative, P.O. Box 8, East Montpelier, VT 05651, or teia.greenslit@wec.coop. Date of Posting: January 12, 2024 Salary Range: $24.27 to $31.58 Days and Hours of Work: Weekdays. Between the hours of 7:30AM - 5:00 PM.

As the primary presence in the Chittenden County Courthouse on a daily basis, the County Clerk will play a vital role as the eyes and ears overseeing Chittenden County properties, including the Courthouse and Sheriff’s Department building. Collaborating closely with the Assistant Judges and the building supervisor, the qualified candidate will assist in the management of county properties. Interested candidates are invited to submit a cover letter and resume to Suzanne.Brown@vermont.gov. The compensation for this position ranges from $45,000 to $55,000 based upon experience, and it includes a generous benefits package. 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401 The County of Chittenden is an equal opportunity employer.

Case Manager (Multiple Positions Available)

State Health Insurance Program (SHIP) Coordinator Work at an organization that cares as much about you as the clients it serves! Our employees appreciate their health benefits, employer paid retirement plan contributions, flexibility, professional development opportunities and positive work environment.

Application Deadline: Applications will be accepted until the position is filled.

We seek new team members who can empathize with others, are comfortable with computers, are strong communicators and are enthusiastic about growing as professionals.

Washington Electric Cooperative is an E.O.E.

For more information, visit: cvcoa.org/employment.html.

Anticipated Start Date: January 30, 2024

New, local, scamfree jobs posted every day!

jobs.sevendaysvt.com

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NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

85 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Operating Room Registered Nurse (RN) NORTHEASTERN VERMONT REGIONAL HOSPITAL (NVRH): Fun, fabulous, well-oiled, OR team seeks RN who’s organized, a great communicator, has excellent attention to detail - and can tell a joke or two! NVRH offers competitive wages, loan repayment, generous paid time off, career advancement and an exceptional benefits package. But, we also offer a thriving, fast-paced environment with co-workers who bring the fun, while providing exceptional care of our patients.

Human Resources Assistant $23-26/hour, DOQ

Apply now and experience the rewards of being in a supportive and thriving environment at NVRH.

This is a full-time administrative position responsible for providing comprehensive and efficient human resource support and services to the Town of Shelburne employees. The HR Assistant will be responsible for recruitment and onboarding, records management, benefits administration, HR reporting, training and development, and other HR related projects. We are looking for a self-motivated problem solver who is resourceful and organized with excellent interpersonal and customer service skills. We are excited to shape this position to the skills and interest of the right person who will be energized by working in the public sector. The Town of Shelburne offers competitive salaries and an excellent benefits package. Visit shelburnevt.org/jobs to see full job description and employment application.

NVRH.ORG/CAREERS.

To apply, submit application and resume to Susan Cannizzaro at scannizzaro@shelburnevt.org. The Town of Shelburne is an equal opportunity employer.

Communications Content Specialist The Communications Content Specialist will play a key role in producing materials and content that elevates Northeast Wilderness Trust’s profile across the region and beyond. The Specialist will develop content for all platforms including the website, enews, social media and printed material. Visit newildernesstrust.org/ about/employment to learn more.

Licensed Clinical Social Worker $70.00/hour Work 8-16 hours per week at the Northlands Job Corps Center in Vergennes, VT. Hours flexible but no evenings or weekend work available. You choose amount of hours per week. Remote work a possibility. Please call Dan W. Hauben ASAP at 888-552-1660.

Tree Crew Foreperson

The Town of Stowe Electric Department is seeking a Tree Crew Foreperson to lead our three-person tree crew. This role is responsible for providing clear and effective leadership, technical advice, and guidance to the tree crew, ensuring the safe removal of trees and brush near and around high voltage power lines. These responsibilities are vital to our ability to provide safe and reliable electricity in an efficient manner. Must understand and be capable of training others in basic and advanced rigging techniques. Climbing experience and a valid Vermont CDL are required. $35-$40 per hour.

First or Second Class Lineworker The Town of Stowe Electric Department is seeking a Certified 1st Class or 2nd Class Lineworker to join our team of highly skilled professionals.

This role is responsible for ensuring customers receive safe and reliable electricity in an efficient manner. Tasks include working on de-energized and energized lines utilizing rubber glove practices in all scenarios. A valid Vermont CDL is required. $49.28/hour First Class/$40.90/hour Second Class. Benefits include: • 6 Weeks PTO After First Year • Low-Cost Health Insurance/Employer-Provided Dental • $100k Life Insurance • 401(a) & 457(b) Retirement Plans • Excellent Work Environment View full job description at StoweElectric.com/jobs.

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YOUR JOBS AT JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM FOR FAST RESULTS, OR ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST CONTACT MICHELLE BROWN: MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

86 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

Administrative Assistant C General Work Performed: This position reports to the VSEA Director of Operations. The position performs administrative and office support activities. Duties may include but are not limited to: fielding telephone calls, receiving and directing visitors, word processing, creating spreadsheets, database administration and filing. Extensive software skills are required, as well as strong communication skills. Core Duties Include: • Processing Grievances for the Field Team • General filing and document processing • Answering incoming calls and directing them to appropriate extensions/individuals • Greet and direct members and visitors coming to VSEA; help maintain the scheduling of conference rooms/meetings • General database administration • Querying employee information from the database • Preparation and production of membership mailings • Work with committees as assigned by the Director of Operations • Administration of the Supplemental Dental and VSEA Supplemental Insurance programs • Event support for Council and Annual Meeting as assigned by the Director of Operations • Chapter support as assigned by the Director of Operations • Construction of RIF notices • Mailing of committee appointment letters Send resumes to: vsea@vsea.org.

Agricultural Programs Specialist The Agricultural Programs Specialist is responsible for directly supporting agricultural producers with nutrient management planning, data collection and entry for participation in programs, leading agricultural conservation-related projects from start to finish, writing grant applications and proposals on behalf of agricultural producers, coordinating agriculturerelated events, and providing technical assistance related to conservation projects, agronomics, soil health, viability programs, and other topics, as appropriate. More info here: franklincountynrcd.org/post/ fcnrcd-is-hiring-an-agriculturalprograms-specialist.

• Are you driven by a powerful mission? • Do you want more than a job? • Do you want to help build lifesaving eyewear? If So, We Want You!

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Job Recruiters: • Post jobs using a form that includes key info about your company and open positions (location, application deadlines, video, images, etc.).

New 8 hour Manufacturing Shifts!

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M-F 7am-3:30pm / 3:30pm-12am

POSITIONS AVAILABLE: Analytical Lab Technician Product Engineer Assembly Team Member

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Manufacturing Operator Mold Technician Coating Technician

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Get a quote when you post online or contact Michelle Brown: 865-1020, ext. 121, michelle@sevendaysvt.com.

Eligible for Benefits on Day 1 - Robust Medical, Dental & Vision Paid Time Off, 401K Match Training & Career Growth / Paid Parental Leave / Tuition Assistance / Work Life Balance

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Apply online at www.revisionmilitary.com/careers Revision Military is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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Experienced Residential Carpenter Silver Maple Construction is seeking a fulltime, benefits-eligible Carpenter focused on high-level customer service & the execution of exceptional quality work.Here at Silver Maple, we want everyone to feel valued and do the work that inspires you while maintaining a work-life balance better than many others in this field. • Competitive Weekly Pay (based on experience) • Comprehensive Medical, Dental, and Vision Plans • Paid Parental Leave • 15 days Paid Time Off

• 7 Paid Holidays • 401k Retirement Plan + Company Match • Commuter + Mileage Reimbursement • Life, Disability And Accident Insurance & MORE!

To learn more, please visit silvermapleconstruction.com, email hr@silvermapleconstruction.com, or call our office at (802) 989-7677.

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

87 JANUARY 24-31, 2024

JOIN OUR FACILITIES DEPARTMENT Custodian starting pay at $18.75/hr Grounds Member range starting at $19/hr Electrician range starting at $25/hr REGISTER NOW Plumber range starting at $25/hr APPLY ONLINE HVAC Technician range starting at $25/hr AT WWW.CCV.EDU OR www.smcvt.edu/jobs Some positions are eligible for shift differential pay AT THE CCV LOCATION NEAREST YOU 5h-StMichaelsCollegeFACILITIES011724 1

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Litigation Attorney SRH Law PLLC, a mission-driven law firm and Certified B Corporation®, seeks an attorney with at least 5 years of litigation experience to assist in leading the firm’s active civil and administrative litigation practice. Our litigation practice consists of environmental and general commercial litigation in state and federal courts, often for clients promoting renewable energy, affordable housing, and downtown revitalization. We also conduct administrative litigation before the Vermont Public Utility Commission, Act 250 District Commissions, and other administrative tribunals at the federal, state, and local levels. Candidates should have significant experience in all phases of litigation, at least some experience managing cases independently, & outstanding written & oral communication skills. As a mission-driven firm, SRH Law works with clients— including businesses, nonprofits, cooperatives, government entities, and individuals—who share our commitment to making a difference in their communities and the broader world. We take our inspiration from our clients’ good work and help them excel in their business or mission by resolving their legal issues with creativity and integrity. We strive to create a new model for legal practice that offers the ability to do important work on issues we care deeply about, while still maintaining a healthy work-life balance. This position offers the opportunity to join a skilled team of lawyers and build a meaningful and rewarding litigation practice. Competitive salary depending on experience and excellent benefits -- employer-paid health insurance, excellent work life balance, hybrid work model, 401(k) plan with employer match, family leave, dependent care account, free parking and paid vacation. We are an equal opportunity employer and we seek to increase diversity within our firm. Interested persons should e-mail a letter of interest and resume to applications@srhlaw.com. Applications considered on a rolling basis until position is filled.

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Get a quote when posting online. Contact Michelle Brown at 865-1020, ext. 121, michelle@sevendaysvt.com.

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WE’RE LOOKING FOR dynamic, mission-driven people who want their work to make a positive difference in Vermont and for Vermonters. The Community College of Vermont is Vermont’s second largest college, serving nearly 10,000 students each year. CCV is deeply rooted in Vermont communities, providing students of all ages opportunities for academic and professional growth through flexible, innovative programs and exemplary support services. We are looking to fill the following positions across the state. Come join our incredible staff!

NORTHERN LIGHTS RESOURCE ADVISOR CCV Center Flexible

COORDINATOR OF STUDENT ADVISING Northwest Region Benefits for full-time staff include 14 paid holidays, plus vacation, medical, and personal time, automatic retirement contribution, and tuition waiver at any Vermont State College for staff and their dependents (eligible dependents may apply waiver to UVM). Visit ccv.edu/about/employment/staff-positions. CCV values individual differences that can be engaged in the service of learning. Diverse experiences from people of varied backgrounds inform and enrich our community. CCV strongly encourages applications from historically marginalized and underrepresented populations. CCV is an Equal Opportunity Employer, in compliance with ADA requirements, and will make reasonable accommodations for the known disability of an otherwise qualified applicant.

PAULA ROUTLY

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY REAL JANUARY 25-31 beliefs. The vast majority of the world’s people have believed in magic and divinity. Does that mean it’s all true and real? Of course not. But nor does it mean that none of it is true and real. Ultra-rationalists who dismiss the spiritual life are possessed by hubris. Everything I’ve said here is prelude to my oracle for you: Some of the events in the next three weeks will be the result of magic and divinity. Your homework is to discern which are and which aren’t.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): Several wise

AQUARIUS (JAN. 20-FEB. 18)

“All good writing is swimming under water and holding your breath,” wrote author F. Scott Fitzgerald. I’d like to expand that metaphor and apply it to you, Aquarius. I propose that your best thinking and decision making in the coming weeks will be like swimming underwater while holding your breath. What I mean is that you’ll get the best results by doing what feels unnatural. You will get yourself in the right mood if you bravely go down below the surface and into the depths and feel your way around.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): Aries author Dani Shapiro has published six novels, three bestselling memoirs and a host of articles in major magazines. She cofounded a writer’s conference, teaches at top universities and does a regular podcast. We can conclude that she is successful. Here’s her secret: She feels that summoning courage is more important than being confident. Taking bold action to accomplish what you want is more crucial than cultivating self-assurance. I propose that in the coming weeks, you apply her principles to your own ambitions. TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): Throughout

history, there has never been a culture without religious, mythical and supernatural

people have assured me that the pursuit of wealth, power, popularity and happiness isn’t as important as the quest for meaningfulness. If you feel your life story is interesting, rich and full of purpose, you are successful. This will be a featured theme for you in the coming months, Gemini. If you have ever fantasized about your destiny resembling an ancient myth, a revered fairy tale, a thousand-page novel or an epic film, you will get your wish.

your life, Leo? Now is an excellent time to upgrade your skill at expressing abilities and understandings you wish everyone had.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): In 1951, filmmaker Akira Kurosawa made a movie adapted from The Idiot, a novel by his favorite author, Fyodor Dostoevsky. Kurosawa was not yet as famous and influential as he would later become. That’s why he agreed to his studio’s demand to cut 99 minutes from his original 265-minute version. But this turned out to be a bad idea. Viewers of the film had a hard time understanding the choppedup story. Most of the critics’ reviews were negative. I bring this to your attention, Virgo, with two intentions: 1) I encourage you to do minor editing on your labor of love. 2) But don’t agree to anything like the extensive revisions that Kurosawa did.

is unaccompanied by signposts,” wrote author Holly Hickler. I disagree with her assessment, especially in regard to your upcoming future. Although you may not encounter literal markers bearing information to guide you, you will encounter metaphorical signals that are clear and strong. Be alert for them, Cancerian. They might not match your expectations about what signposts should be, though. So expand your concepts of how they might appear.

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): I have selected a poem for you to tape on your refrigerator door for the next eight weeks. It’s by 13th-century Zen poet Wu-Men. He wrote: “Ten thousand flowers in spring, the moon in autumn, / a cool breeze in summer, snow in winter. / If your mind isn’t clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.” My wish for you, Libra — which is also my prediction for you — is that you will have extra power to empty your mind of unnecessary things. More than ever, you will be acutely content to focus on the few essentials that appeal to your wild heart and tender soul.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): I wrote a book called

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Psychologist

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): “Life as we live it

Pronoia Is the Antidote for Paranoia: How the Whole World Is Conspiring to Shower You With Blessings. Among its main messages: There’s high value in cultivating an attitude that actively looks for the best in life and regards problems as potential opportunities. When I was working on the book, no one needed to hear this advice more than me! Even now, I still have a long way to go before mastering the outlook I call “crafty optimism.” I am still subject to dark thoughts and worried feelings — even though I know the majority of them are irrational or not based on the truth of what’s happening. In other words, I am earnestly trying to learn the very themes I have been called to teach. What’s the equivalent in

Carl Jung wrote, “Motherlove is one of the most moving and unforgettable memories of our lives, the mysterious root of all growth and change; the love that means homecoming, shelter, and the long silence from which everything begins and in which everything ends.” To place yourself in rapt alignment with current cosmic rhythms, Scorpio, you will do whatever’s necessary to get a strong dose of the blessing Jung described. If your own mother isn’t available or is insufficient for this profound immersion, find other maternal sources. Borrow a wise woman elder or immerse yourself in Goddess worship. Be intensely intent on basking in a nurturing glow that welcomes you and loves you exactly as you are — and makes you feel deeply at home in the world.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In a

set of famous experiments, physiologist Ivan Pavlov taught dogs to have an automatic response to a particular stimulus. He rang a bell while providing the dogs with food they loved. After a while, the dogs began salivating with hunger simply when they heard the bell, even though no food was offered. Ever since, “Pavlov’s dogs” has been a phrase that refers to the ease with which animals’ instinctual natures can be conditioned. I can’t help but wonder what would have happened if Pavlov had used cats instead of dogs for his research. Would felines have submitted to such scientific shenanigans? I doubt it. These ruminations are my way of urging you to be more like a cat than a dog in the coming weeks. Resist efforts to train you, tame you or manipulate you into compliance.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Before

poet Louise Glück published her first book, Firstborn, it was rejected by 28 publishers. When it finally emerged, she suffered from writer’s block. Her next book didn’t appear until eight years after the first one. Her third book arrived five years later, and her fourth required another five years. Slow going! But here’s the happy ending: By the time she died at age 80, she had published 21 books and won the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize in Literature. By my astrological reckoning, you are now at a phase in your own development comparable to the time after Glück’s fourth book: well-primed, fully geared up and ready to make robust progress.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): In honor of this pivotal time in your life story, I offer four pronouncements. 1) You can now be released from a history that has repeated itself too often. To expedite this happy shift, indulge in a big cry and laugh about how boring that repeated history has become. 2) You can finish paying off your karmic debt to someone you hurt. How? Change yourself to ensure you won’t ever act that way again. 3) You can better forgive those who wounded you if you forgive yourself for being vulnerable to them. 4) Every time you divest yourself of an illusion, you will clearly see how others’ illusions have been affecting you.

CHECK OUT ROB BREZSNY’S EXPANDED WEEKLY AUDIO HOROSCOPES & DAILY TEXT MESSAGE HOROSCOPES: REALASTROLOGY.COM OR 1-877-873-4888

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

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Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com WOMEN seeking... CREATIVE, KIND, OUTDOORSY AND BEAUTIFUL Seeking a fellow nature extremist. I want an active, compatible partner who wants to hike mountains, tent out, build bonfires, river walk or watch the stars. To enjoy all that the outside world has to offer. Someone who is all into me and can love me back as much as I love them. I want an us. Sprite, 56, seeking: M, l PRACTICAL, OPEN-MINDED, ROMANTIC THINKER I’m old, so been there, done that. However, I am age agnostic and enjoy young people because they have unique perspective. I need people in my life who provide thoughtful, interesting viewpoints, can discuss topics without prejudice, crave physical pleasure and make me smile. Love to travel and be outside. I am a quiet but never a wallflower. MysticMuse, 61, seeking: M, l SOUND MIND AND SOUND BODY This international type prioritizes friendship because it’s more easily achieved than romance, and because some of the most rewarding romances emerge unexpectedly when people get to know each other in a relaxed manner, over time. I’m drawn to cerebral, ethical people with a sense of humor who want to share athletics, a love of nature, culture and/or thoughtful, spirited debate. Mireya, 63, 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. photos of l See 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

NO-DRAMA RIVER LOVER Seeking conversations, walks, a meal with a man. Compatibility with where we each are in life. Hanging out with friends, watching a movie, just talking. Love learning about science, metaphysics, new music but also appreciate dad jokes to send to my grandkids and binge-watching Netflix. Like mystery books. What are you serious about, and what makes you laugh? greentara, 65, seeking: M, l

KIND, GARDENER, CURIOUS, CREATIVE, ACTIVE I love the Vermont outdoors. Spend my time with family and friends, gardening, creating, cross-country skiing, swimming, kayaking, walking my dogs, playing tennis and molding clay. I live intentionally and have a healthy, active lifestyle. I am hoping to share experiences with new friends and have good conversations. Lovesdogs, 66, seeking: M, l

LOYAL, DEPENDABLE, DIFFERENT, LOVING I am a mature single woman of color who is open-minded, real and comfortable in my uniqueness. I am looking for white mature man for companionship and friendship. I value peace, joy and am not interested in any drama. Mami8, 40, seeking: M

THIS COULD BE FUN?! Seeking a cocaptain for my zombie apocalypse fight club (crap, I just broke the first rule of zombie apocalypse fight club!). Training strategies include hiking, swimming, eating well, wining and whining about work, baking (or anything that lets me replace existential dread with frosting), and hopefully doing our part to support our community where we can. Who’s with me?! Thiscouldbefunoratleastafunnystory, 48, seeking: M, l

OLD FIDDLES MAKE SWEET TUNES Independent and creative. Looking for someone to hang out with on the weekend. More of a temperate weather person — considering a move in a few years where it’s warm in the winter. If we ever get some snow, would love to find a good sledding hill. summerchild, 63, seeking: M, l COFFEE ’N’ CUDDLES I’m laid-back, love my family, friends and dogs. Have become a homebody but looking for someone to change that or who does not mind staying in sometimes. I enjoy dining out and going to Cape Cod whenever possible. I’m no supermodel; if that’s what you need, I’m not it. If you would like to know more, just ask. jenjen33, 50, seeking: M, l INDEPENDENT, HONEST, OUTDOORSY, FUNNY, CREATIVE I am an active person who values honesty, integrity and positivity and enjoys all that life has to offer. I enjoy music of all types, especially live music. I am looking for a positive, drama-free gent who enjoys and appreciates life and is interested in travel, arts and culture and is kind to the environment, people and animals. Bella2024, 66, seeking: M, l MUST LOVE DOGS I’ve been unattached for several years but feel this is the time to start looking. I’m getting ready to retire, and I will have more time to devote to a relationship. I love to travel and would love a companion for these adventures. Bunique316, 69, seeking: M, l SILLY GAL SEEKS JOY-BASED LOVER Do you want a woman with all the attributes of a middle-aged mom but none of the kids? Do you like women whose idea of dressing up is putting on a pair of earrings and a scarf? Have you ever taken a class that wasn’t required by a judge? Then you are a catch. How are you still single? stisme, 47, seeking: M, l CLASSY, WARM, INTELLIGENT, NICE-LOOKING LADY Seeking a warm, intelligent, active, health-conscious, reasonably attractive man (70 to 80) with whom to share my beautiful home on the lake. Of course, dating relationship and love must come first! AnnieL, 75, seeking: M, l

SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

UPBEAT, CARING, KIND Raised on a farm, I’ve lived in Germany, Scotland and New York City. I’m an artist, life coach with a PhD and love to learn. I enjoy hiking, walking, being in nature and dancing to anything with a groove. Friends say I’m thoughtful, kind, calm (I don’t always feel that way!). I care for myself physically, psychologically and spirituality and spend time volunteering. Psyche, 75, seeking: M, l SINCERE, ACTIVE AND EASYGOING I lead a healthy lifestyle and enjoy staying fit. Exercise, being in nature, dancing, meditation and cooking all bring me joy. My friends say I’m thoughtful, a good listener and very expressive. I appreciate a sense of humor and a good laugh. I believe that open communication is key to a successful relationship. Ontheroad, 65, seeking: M

MEN seeking... LOVING GOD Open-minded and always up for an adventure. Easygoing, but with a sense of humor. Not afraid to show vulnerability. Love learning new things, trying out new things. Reliable but also independent. Hardworking with ambitions and goals. Fun-loving but can be serious when needed. Looking for someone who shares my values and beliefs. Intelligent yet sensitive soul. Not afraid to take risks. Hoping to find someone with a similar outlook in life. ernest0147, 63, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, l LIVING AND LOVING THIS MIRACLE Living in paradise. Hiking or walking in the woods year-round. Active with woodworking making furniture. Paddleboarding/kayaking. Physically and emotionally healthy, active and playful. I’m seeking a long-term relationship with someone who is also physically and emotionally healthy. Hanbleceya, 62, seeking: W, l FUN-LOVING Fun, anyone? Creampie, 41, seeking: W, Cp

EASYGOING, SINCERE NATURE LOVER OK, here goes: I’m a fit hard worker who likes to be out in the fresh air and sunshine doing most activities. Responsible and loyal, I’m a realist. Life is fun but can be difficult alone. I would love to have a best friend to come home to every night. Thanks for your time. Drafthorse_50, 50, seeking: W, l FINDING PEACE IN VERMONT This is a challenge. I feel like I’m on a dating TV show. A good day includes friends, family and exercise. Hiking and bicycling are so good for you, both body and soul. The shortness of motorcycle season angers me, but at least winter hikes are mosquito-free. Vermont is stunning. Want to explore? Seeking_Vermont, 60, seeking: W, l SENSUAL, RESPECTFUL, EXPLORER, LOVING, PRAGMATIC I am a reasonably intelligent, sane, mellow man, an “average Joe” type who enjoys connecting with others who appreciate sensuality, respect, excitement, and the exploration of what the human soul and body have to offer. Sharing interests, be they in the garden or the bedroom, is always an adventure of new things to smell, taste, caress, plant and explore. —E. Elidrill, 61, seeking: M, W, Cp, l THOUGHTFUL AND ACCEPTING I’m a mild personality who likes to avoid the spotlight outside my inner circle. I appreciate what I’ve learned, what I’ve earned and what I’ve been given, and I’d like to share warmth, kindness, conversation and wit with someone like-minded who has space for that in their life. littleraven, 44, seeking: W, l SERIOUSLY SEARCHING FOR SUCCESSFUL SERENDIPITY Searching for the Katia to my Maurice. Traveled all around the world. Visited 48 states and really spent time getting to know them and their people. Been all over Europe, backpacked through the Balkans, lived in Italy, hiked across Britain. Been to New Zealand as well and plan to trek across Asia someday. Musician, chef, philosopher, the oldest of souls. RobMarch, 33, seeking: W, l HARDWORKING, HONEST, KIND VERMONTER Middle-aged, hardworking native Vermonter looking for an honest, kind and fun woman to spend time with. Let’s go out to dinner, watch the sunset and have a real conversation about who we are and what we’re hoping for out of life. I’m drama-free and would like to form a friendship first and hope it turns into something more. Working76, 65, seeking: W, l HONEST, OPEN PERFECTIONIST Easygoing, open-minded, quick to help. Young at heart. Looking for a significant other who makes me whole. Lots of acquaintances, but best friends are a breed apart and special to me. Prefer rural versus urban. Try to learn something new each day. Skier10, 81, seeking: W, l LOOKING FOR MY DISCREET LOVER I’m an honest married man looking for another married man for a discreet relationship. I’d prefer a dominant top and a guy who loves to be pleasured on a regular basis. borpsalm69, 48, seeking: M ADVENTUROUS AND FUN I am a 56-y/o, very open-minded male looking for an honest, open, fun relationship, especially, with a couple or an individual. I do not have any preconceived ideas of what this looks like, just that it be enjoyable, adventurous, fun and open. UrsaMinor37, 57, seeking: Cp, l

MATURE LADIES WELCOME I am down-to-earth, honest, loyal. I’m interested in mature ladies, white, sexy and honest. Let’s go meet up for coffee, soup and chitchat. Kapital78, 46, seeking: W, l LOOKING IN VERMONT I’m new to Vermont and trying to see what’s out there. I’m open to meeting all kinds of people. Prefer casual at first. Maybe friends with benefits that could turn into more. Me: WM, six feet, larger build. SevenDates, 42, seeking: W, TW HARDWORKING, FUN-LOVING GUY Hi. I’m retired, looking for a more serious relationship. I’m financially independent and a good-natured human being. Father of three wonderful daughters. I enjoy laughing and making others laugh. Cheers. Julio21, 65, seeking: W, l

GENDER NONCONFORMISTS

seeking...

PLAYMATE WANTED, CROSS-DRESSER I love to dress, and I am looking for someone who can accept that side of me. I love the outdoors and fish and hunt. Love cars. paula69269, 74, seeking: W, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking... TRANSFEMININE PERSON LOOKING FOR FUN! Open-minded person with a good sense of humor seeks same for exploring. Hoping to meet someone who loves me for who I am. VTPyzon, 62, seeking: W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp BI BOTTOM CD FOR FWB I am a bi bottom CD. I’m looking for a FWB and other CDs. I am an educated, mature working type with a femme side. Clean and COVID-vaccinated. Bim4mfwb, 73, seeking: M, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp

COUPLES seeking... LAID-BACK, DRAMA-FREE Hi. We are looking for a single lady FWB — someone we can talk to and go out with. Someone who is respectful and kind. No drama, please. We would like to get to know you first through some texting or messaging before we meet. Streeter3845, 42, seeking: W FUN COUPLE LOOKING FOR EXPLORATION We are a secure couple who enjoy the outdoors, good wine, great food, playing with each other, exploring our boundaries and trying new things. We are 47 and 50, looking for a fun couple or bi man to play and explore with us. We are easygoing, and we’d love to meet you and see where our mutual adventures take us. vthappycouple, 50, seeking: M, Cp, Gp LOVERS OF LIFE We are a 40s couple, M/F, looking for adventurous encounters with openminded, respectful M/F or couples. Looking to enjoy sexy encounters, FWBs, short term or long term. sunshines, 43, seeking: M, W, Q, Cp EXPLORING THREESOMES AND FOURSOMES We are an older and wiser couple discovering that our sexuality is amazingly hot! Our interest is another male for threesomes or a couple. We’d like to go slowly, massage you with a happy ending. She’d love to be massaged with a happy ending or a dozen. Would you be interested in exploring sexuality with a hot older couple? DandNformen, 67, seeking: M, TM, NC, Cp, l

i SPY

If you’ve been spied, go online to contact your admirer!

dating.sevendaysvt.com

HOMETOWN HOTTIE AT THE CO-OP To the hottie in the buffalo plaid jacket and wide-brimmed hat: Thank you for flashing a glimpse of your winning smile. The co-op didn’t have what I needed, but seeing you made my day. When: Monday, January 15, 2024. Where: co-op. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915930 DOLLAR TREE, ST. J You were in line. I was after you. Wow, you were gorgeous. You kept turning around. I was getting to wonder, She might be interested. Wow, she has it all. 5’6, dark hair and curvy. Sure would like to get to know you better. When: Friday, January 12, 2024. Where: Dollar Tree, St. Johnsbury. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915929 GLOUCESTER GAL IN GORGEOUS GETUP While visiting Montpelier, you perused the racks at the Getup and tried on a delightful secondhand coat — several times. “This one’s too tight, though,” you said, but I thought you looked smashing. Coat or no coat, I was smitten with your style, and I hope that our paths cross again someday, because pondering your form was anything but ponderous. When: Sunday, January 14, 2024. Where: Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915928 SEEKING PROJECT MANAGER We were in line. You were talking to your friend and another lady you met about how you are a project manager. I didn’t want to interrupt, but I wanted to speak with you more about your job, how you got into it, the systems you use, etc. Drop a line if you would like to chat. TY! When: Sunday, December 17, 2023. Where: Marshalls, Williston. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915927

NORTH END YOGA FLAME We ended up next to each other that Friday night. A chance encounter I’ve dreamt of ever since. Your smile lit up the room; your red sweater said the rest. We may not have spoken, but your glances said it all. I wish I’d said hello. Tell me I’m not dreaming and we’ll shavasana together again, for real this time. When: Friday, January 5, 2024. Where: Sangha, North End. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915926 YOU LOVE TO FISH You work at Idletyme in Stowe. You love to fish. You have an amazing smile. If you are single, I would love to exchange fishing stories. When: Monday, September 11, 2023. Where: at a restaurant in Stowe. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915925 POUTINE AND GUINNESS AT CORNERSTONE I recommended the Gunner’s Daughter. You tried it and chose the Guinness. You were alone on one side of the bar, and I was having a drink with my ex on the other. You seemed to tolerate my playful banter. Any interest in getting together where I can introduce you to some other dark beers you’re sure to dislike? When: Tuesday, January 9, 2024. Where: Cornerstone, Barre. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915924 NYE HIGHER GROUND AFTER MIDNIGHT We were talking about our 13y/o daughters when I was rudely interrupted by my friend. I would like to talk more! When: Monday, January 1, 2024. Where: Higher Ground. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915923

Ask REVEREND 

Irreverent counsel on life’s conundrums

Dear Reverend,

I recently started seeing a 30-year-old woman whom I like. I’m 50, and she has expressed thinking I’m so much older than her, like it was bothering her even though at first it didn’t seem to be an issue. Should I break it off now before I get more attached, because it will break us up anyway? Or is this something that she

may decide doesn’t matter because she likes me enough? I have no children, but I do want one or two, so I will need to find a woman around 35 or younger to do this without taking a big risk on the health of the child. What advice can you give me?

Father Time (MAN, 50)

I MISS MISS MICHIGAN You were breaking your way into the UVM medical scene. I was working on my unfunded mechanical engineering master’s. I didn’t get your name because you didn’t sign it on the petition, and you didn’t get mine because I didn’t, either. Can we meet again? I have another can of spray paint. When: Sunday, January 7, 2024. Where: UVM campus. You: Woman. Me: Gender non-conformist. #915922 HOT ROD AT PRICE CHOPPER In the frozen food section. I glanced over to see you, a beauty, holding chicken nuggets. You were handsome and tall with glasses wearing a baby Yoda T-shirt. In the parking lot, I saw you driving away in your Subaru. We waved before you left. Wanna share those nuggets over an episode of “The Mandalorian”? When: Thursday, January 4, 2024. Where: Price Chopper. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915921 BURLINGTON ECHO, WATERFRONT BIKE PATH I was biking by in the dark. You went out of your way to say hi. A warm and beautiful smile! I could stay out in this cold all night thinking about it and still feel your warmth and peace. But instead I biked home and say hi from here. What up? Show me how to walk sometime? When: Saturday, January 6, 2024. Where: Burlington. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915920 WARM GOLD IN GREEN STATE I spy: a warm smile on the amber-haired 420 goddess checking IDs. Am I just another customer flirt, or does the wild poet sparkle in my eyes as I smile back shine past the deceptive walker (from hip replacements much younger than it would seem)? Find you interesting in many ways, so up for anything from 420 friends on. When: Tuesday, January 2, 2024. Where: Green State Dispensary. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915919 DANCING IN SILVER DRESS Beautiful woman dancing with festiveness and gaiety on New Year’s — the joy of watching you move made my night! I was too drunk to think of asking you out! Happy New Year! When: Monday, January 1, 2024. Where: T. Rugg’s. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915918

Dear Father Time,

SUGAR MOMMY I am Mark by nickname, 46, loyal, down-to-earth and a fun guy looking for a sugar mommy. Fun-loving, caring, sharing lady. Especially role play. Go out, adventure, lover, etc. When: Sunday, December 31, 2023. Where: Seven Days. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915917

I SPY MY WOODLAND ELF The universe has a beautiful way of operating. To the top of Katahdin. Secret swimming spots. Traveling in a van to explore this world. Summer fun with little ones. Camping under the stars looking into each other’s soul. Getting lost for hours in one another. We are here together unconditionally, unwavering. I will spy you through this life into others. When: Wednesday, December 27, 2023. Where: Calais. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915911

RAVEN-HAIRED WOMAN AT STAPLES We chatted in the checkout line — old dogs, new tricks. I thought you were charming and very attractive. I’d love to talk shop with you. When: Thursday, December 28, 2023. Where: Staples Plaza, Williston Rd. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915916

WHITE SUBARU, LOWE’S PARKING LOT You were parked, waiting for a few bags of stone. I came over to pet your dog. We had a nice conversation about your project. You have the best smile. Wishing I had gotten your name and number. When: Thursday, December 14, 2023. Where: Lowe’s parking lot, South Burlington. You: Man. Me: Man. #915910

RAVEN-HAIRED AT STAPLES We made some jokes in line at the checkout — old dogs and new tricks. Found you quick-witted and attractive. I’d like to meet up and talk shop. When: Wednesday, December 27, 2023. Where: Staple Plaza. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915915 BEST BUY STORYTELLER M, thanks for sharing your stories while we waited; laughter is definitely part of my love language! Surprised to feel it while pop-in shopping. Hope the world is small enough to share more laughter with you! —G. When: Thursday, December 28, 2023. Where: Best Buy, Williston. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915914 SUSIE, POOL GODDESS! From the first moment that our eyes met, I knew it was meant to be. Nothing worthwhile is easy. You are worth every ounce of effort and more! We can celebrate our karmic fate at Victoria Falls! Can’t imagine tropical adventures with anyone but my best friend! When: Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Where: Essex. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915913 LOOKIN’ GOOD IN GREEN A couple bunches of green kale — and looking stunning in sage green tights. (OK, turns out green’s my favorite color.) So I did not one but two double-takes and wished I needed more than just kale myself. Any chance green’s your favorite color, too? If so, it’s a sign! We should get green tea together. When: Wednesday, December 27, 2023. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915912

I’ve never thought it was a great idea to date someone old enough to be your parent or young enough to be your child. A 20-year age gap certainly meets that criteria for me, but there are absolutely couples who have been able to make it work. You say you just recently started seeing this woman, so it seems a little early to throw in the towel. If she has mentioned that the age difference is an issue for her, you need to discuss it further and find out if it’s really a barrier to the growth of your relationship. More importantly, do you know how she feels about having children? Not everybody wants ’em. Using a woman’s optimal childbearing age as a filter for finding a partner seems a little animal-husbandry-ish to me. You aren’t scoring any

MIDDLEBURY CO-OP LOOK-ALIKE You: brother from another mother of my now-ex boyfriend. Me: shameless middle-aged woman, unapologetic about my type (charming, Italian). A little more conversation? When: Wednesday, November 29, 2023. Where: Middlebury Co-op. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915909 TESLA TURMOIL I was walking down Pearl Street when I noticed you trying to parallel park a Tesla that clearly wasn’t going to fit. I tried to guide you, but you told me to “get a car of my own.” Care to go car shopping sometime? When: Thursday, December 14, 2023. Where: Pearl St. You: Man. Me: Man. #915908 BRIDGE BONDING I was crossing the bridge over the Winooski River when you were looking at the water. I asked what you were looking at, and you said nothing, and that people didn’t really talk to you anymore. After I walked away, I realized I really did want to talk to you. If you want to hang, give me a ring. When: Sunday, December 17, 2023. Where: Main Street. You: Gender non-conformist. Me: Man. #915907

romantic points there. Not to mention that women over 35 have babies all the time. My mother had me when she was 41 — a long time ago — and I’m fine and dandy. Have you thought about your ability to father a child at an advanced age? Although it’s possible for a man to remain fertile into his later years, sperm quality and motility gradually decline after age 25. DNA in aging sperm can start to deteriorate after 40. You might want to talk to your doctor before you go looking for a baby mama. I don’t want to be a Debbie Downer, but finding the woman who wants to have children with you can take time. If you are truly yearning to be a father now, you may want to explore options for making it happen on your own, like foster care or adoption. Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend What’s your problem? Send it to asktherev@sevendaysvt.com. SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

I’m a 72-y/o male who would love to sensually experience a mature woman in her 70s or 80s. Phone number, please. #L1719 I’m a GWM looking for some manto-man interaction in Rutland County. Age/race not important; just be you. Call/text. #L1712 I’m a 65-y/o male seeking a 55- to 65-y/o female. I am a hardworking man, loving and kind. I enjoy gardening (vegetables and flowers), snuggling by a campfire/ camping, cooking, hunting and fishing. Seeking a woman who is honest and caring. Someone to spend time with and see where it goes. #L1717 SWF, mid-60s, slender. Loves: wildlife safety, non-predator pets, honest ones, kept-real dynamics and excellence with style. Hates: Psychos and phonies, techobsesseds and scams. ISO of well-established guy, 60s to 70s — rather saintly. Also, hates old buildings — I like new! #L1722 I’m a 73-y/o woman seeking a male age 68 to 78. Would like to spend my birthday with a friend. I am trying to pare down my things. Lots of antiques and family treasures. And I’m still working — need a break — midFebruary. I like sports — football, etc. Reading and movies. Please write me with your thoughts and phone number. #L1720

I am a 35-y/o M, thirsty for love. I am looking for a good-hearted woman who will accept that I am her ADAM. I promise to give you my best. You will never be disappointed. #L1721 I’m a 79-y/o woman seeking a man who is in his 70s. Want friendship and companionship. Also like fishing as well and crafts such as knitting, crocheting and sewing. #L1718 I’m a single female, 47, 5’6, red hair, blue eyes, 206 pounds, looking for the one who will marry me and is very well off financially wealthy to fulfill my dreams with. #L1716

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SEVEN DAYS JANUARY 24-31, 2024

For 55-y/o M wannabe geek: I’m your huckleberry. Intense discussions and companionship are my game. Say when. My fave character. Demure, not exactly; yes, down to earth. You said intense — I’m your girl! I’m 55 also. Hope to hear back. #L1715 I’m a male, early 60s, seeking a female, 21 to 50ish. Married in nonsexual relationship. Seeking sex — safe, discreet, disease-free. I’m told I’m goodlooking and don’t look my age. Passionate about performing oral. Looking for goomah in Chittenden County. No computer. I have never strayed before. #L1714

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Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness letters. DETAILS BELOW. 55 M — tall, educated, wannabe hippie geek who’s into science fiction, creative writing and autumn in Vermont — desires to make the acquaintance of a sophisticated, demure, down-to-earth female comrade between the ages of 50 and 64 for intense discussions and companionship. #L1711 I’m a male “man” seeking a female. I am a 68-y/o man seeking a woman for friendship and companionship. Age appropriate. Would like to play and spend time together. #L1713 I’m a 72-y/o man seeking a woman for friendship and companionship. Age not important. Looking for a woman who is satisfied with one special man in her life and young at heart. #L1710 64-y/o GWM seeking new friendships with other GMs. (This is not an ad looking for sex!) Seeking in-depth conversations and sincere and real connections. Caring and fun-loving describe myself. Looking forward to hearing from you! #L1709

I’m a female in my 60s seeking a male, 57 to 73. I’m a very outgoing lady. I like to be treated like a queen! I want a man who likes to get out and about and do things together. Honest, kind, adventurous. #L1706 Seeking kinky individuals. Deviant desires? Yes, please! Only raunchiness needed. Have perverted tales? Hot confessions? Anything goes! No judgment. I only want your forbidden fantasies, openminded. I dare you to shock me. Replies upon request. Not looking to hook up. #L1707 I’m a 64-y/o male seeking Sammijo, 59. I am a lifelong Vermonter. I am a sugar maker and retired. I like to hunt and fish and go for rides. I have a dog and a cat. No internet. #L1704 I’m a GM looking for fun. Nice guy likes everything. Age/race not important. Also interested in a three-way. Any M/M or bi couples out there? Call/text. Rutland County. #L1700

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