Seven Days, February 1, 2023

Minding the Stores

Peter Edelmann is transforming an Essex mall into a town center and Vermont “experience”

BY KEN PICARD, PAGE 26

SIZZLING SOUNDS

FEBRUARY 2023

DONATIONS BENEFIT

Ridgeline Outdoor Collective (1st - 15th)

A non-profit dedicated to developing and improving outdoor recreation opportunities in the Green Mountains.

Neck of the Woods Vermont (16th - 28th) Providing strengths-based care, play and learning to children to help guide their development as healthy, positive, resilient community members.

Lawson’s Finest Taproom, 155 Carroll Road, Waitsfield

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“ NSB IS A BIG PART OF OUR IDEAS FOR GROWTH AND OUR DAY-TO-DAY OPERATIONS. ”

— Jessica Burke, Owner

CHIEF CONCERNS

Burlington city councilors are questioning the leadership of acting Police Chief Jon Murad after he allowed off-duty officers to moonlight as private security at the River Watch condo complex amid a department staffing crisis.

eir concerns could put in jeopardy Mayor Miro Weinberger’s plan to install Murad as the city’s permanent police chief. Murad previously seemed to have the six city councilor’s votes he needs to be confirmed — the council currently has 11 members — but at least two of those votes are now up in the air.

Councilor Ali Dieng (I-Ward 7) said his trust in the chief is shaken. Councilor Ben Traverse (D-Ward 5) said his vote has always hinged on Murad demonstrating a “broad, diverse coalition of community support” but acknowledged that benchmark might now be harder for the acting chief to reach.

e agreement to patrol the complex was “an error in judgment and a breach of the public’s trust,” Traverse told Seven Days in a text message last week. “ e community needs to hear directly from AC Murad as to why this arrangement was permitted.”

Burlington officers were hired last fall to conduct private patrols at River Watch, a 215-unit development off Riverside Avenue that had been dealing with a rash of thefts. Documents show that officers logged about 221 hours between October 28, 2022, and January 16, 2023, and were paid at least $17,893.

emoji

that POP QUIZ, HOTSHOT

Jake DeArruda, a Ludlow native, did Vermont proud by winning on “Jeopardy!” Who is “awesome”?

UNFRIEND REQUEST

A Vermont State Police trooper is accused of illegally accessing a suspect’s Facebook account and reading his messages. Dislike.

Records dating back to 2018 show that the River Watch gig was the only private patrol of its kind; others were for one-off events such as parades. e deal was inked at a time when city officials were repeatedly complaining that staffing woes had left the department unable to respond to calls for service.

Weinberger first asked councilors to appoint Murad as permanent chief a year ago, but the council’s six Progs sank the nomination with a 6-6 tie vote. e council makeup has since shifted to favor Democrats.

Weinberger said he’ll bring Murad back for reappointment, though it’s unclear if he’ll succeed, especially when at least one Dem — Traverse — isn’t a sure bet. Other Democrats either didn’t respond to interview requests or didn’t provide a clear response. Councilor Mark Barlow (I-North District) said he will support Murad regardless. Progressives, meanwhile, said the situation only validates their decision last year to reject Murad.

Outgoing Councilor Perri Freeman (P-Central District) said even if the union contract allows such patrols, Murad’s decision to let them proceed was unethical.

Said Freeman, “It frustrates me that it did not raise a red flag.”

Read Courtney Lamdin and Kori Skillman’s full story at sevendaysvt.com.

PUP’S PILGRIMAGE

Sophie, a 15-year-old shih tzu from Burlington, has made canine history: She’s likely the first pup to have peed in nearly every town in the state — and she appears to be the first pooch to have visited each one.

Stephanie Young, executive director of the 251 Club of Vermont — an organization of enthusiasts whose objective is to visit all the state’s towns and cities — does not know of any other dog that has completed the feat. e nonprofit, which formed in 1954, has nearly 5,000 active members. (Including the newly formed city of Essex Junction, the state now has 252 cities and towns, but the club is not changing its name.)

$400,000

That’s the amount of combined bonuses that Caledonia County sheri Dean Shatney gave to himself and his sta shortly before his term ended, VTDigger.org reported.

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

1. “‘UNVAXXD’ and Proud: A Vermont License Plate Proves Eye-Catching” by Anne Wallace Allen. A reader spotted a car in Montpelier sporting this plate.

2. “Crime Pays: Burlington Police Officers Land a Lucrative Side Gig” by Courtney Lamdin & Kori Skillman. Cops took a side job policing condos off Riverside Ave.

COLLECTIVE ACTION

UVM Medical Center support sta — some 2,200 people — voted to unionize last week. Getting organized.

QUEEN OF THE ICE

Charlotte Brynn of Stowe recently brrrr-ought home three gold medals from the ice swimming world championship in France. Time for the sauna?

Sophie’s owners, Glenn McRae and Hollie Shaner-McRae, adopted her in 2008, then began their every-town quest in 2015. Luckily for the couple, Sophie, who enjoys dressing up for Halloween and wears booties in winter, is “very chill,” a trait that came in handy for the long car rides to each municipality.

McRae and Shaner-McRae researched each town before visiting and sought the best places to bring dogs. Sophie has a soft spot for town greens, which proved especially lavish locales for her ceremonial wee.

“We actually spent longer in each town because she was interested in sniffing,” ShanerMcRae explained.

Sophie’s favorite towns were St. Johnsbury, home of the Dog Chapel at Dog Mountain, and Rupert, where Merck Forest &

3. “Longtime Sailing Center Is a Casualty of the Lake Champlain Real Estate Boom” by Anne Wallace Allen. e International Sailing Center is losing its Malletts Bay lease and seeking another location.

4. “Vermont Chefs, Bakers and Beverage Producers Named James Beard Award Semifinalists” by Jordan Barry. Five chefs were named semifinalists for the honor.

5. “Boxcar Bakery Is on Track in Essex Junction” by Jordan Barry. Sisters-in-law MK and Stacey Daley opened in October and already have regulars streaming in. @caseylyly

tweet of the week

being a Vermonter is opening all of your windows on January 28th because it’s a balmy 40° outside and your apartment could really use an airing out /// #VT #BTV

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSVT OUR TWEEPLE: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER

Farmland Center offered an unparalleled sniffing experience. Sophie also enjoyed vanilla creemees, though she refused to comment on her favorite.

e trio visited its final municipality, Winooski, in November 2022. But that’s not the end of the journey: McRae and ShanerMcRae plan on doing it all over again. ey say they are excited to learn more about each town and will try to visit every public library in the state.

Sophie will be tagging along, though “she’s 15 and a little bit grumpy about being yanked out of the car every hour for a stop,” McRae said.

First pooch to visit every Vermont town … twice?

RACHEL HELLMAN

COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

Sophie and Glenn McRae at Lake Elmore

Acting Police Chief Jon Murad

SPEAKING FROM EXPERIENCE.

publisher & editor-in-chief Paula Routly

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

ARTS & CULTURE

coeditors Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

AssociAte editor Margot Harrison

Art editor Pamela Polston

consulting editors

Mary Ann Lickteig, Elizabeth M. Seyler

Music editor Chris Farnsworth

cAlendAr writer Emily Hamilton

stAff writers Jordan Barry, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard, Sally Pollak

proofreAders Carolyn Fox, Angela Simpson

AssistAnt proofreAders

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

DIGITAL & VIDEO

digitAl production speciAlist Bryan Parmelee

senior MultiMediA producer Eva Sollberger

MultiMediA journAlist James Buck

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 executives

Robyn Birgisson, Michael Bradshaw

Account executives Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka

MAnAger Katie Hodges

events & ticKeting

legAls, life lines And super reAder coordinAtor

Kaitlin Montgomery

personAls coordinAtor Jeff Baron

ADMINISTRATION

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CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

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CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

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FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

CIRCULATION: 35,000

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A WAY TO PAY

I was reading through the “Who Cares?” article [January 11], about Vermont’s dysfunctional childcare system, when the amount families spend per month on childcare jumped out at me: $1,350 to $1,500. Why, that’s about the cost of fuel to fly one F-35 jet bomber for 15 minutes!

If just one of the 24 bombers that assault our neighborhoods every day were grounded, imagine the number of childcare slots that might open up!

The National Defense Authorization Act, which was recently passed by the U.S. Senate, includes additional funding for the F-35, despite the news that another fighter-bomber has crash-landed in Georgia.

Retiring senator Patrick Leahy, godfather of the deal that brought the 35 to Vermont, voted for it. Sen. Bernie Sanders was among 11 who were against it.

One wonders which path our new Sen. Peter Welch will follow?

Robin Lloyd BURLINGTON

PEOPLE’S POLICE

The Progs have offered a counterproposal to the mayor’s safety proposal, and it is certainly an appropriate time to do so [“Burlington Progressives Release Public Safety Plan,” January 17, online]. The mayor’s plan was a typically mainstream approach of too little, too late. It also failed to address a number of issues that the people of Burlington wish to see addressed. The simple fact is that the mayor has vetoed the civilian police oversight board issue, and it is now on the

CORRECTIONS

Last week’s cover story, “Ms. Balint Goes to Washington,” misreported the length of Balint’s tenure in the Vermont Senate. She served for eight years.

Last week’s story “Defacing the Issue” included an incorrect date for Burlington City Arts’ panel discussion on the ethical implications of AI. It will be held on March 29.

Another story in last week’s issue, “Crime Pays,” incorrectly described the City of Burlington’s liability for police officers’ actions while they are working for the River Watch condo association. The contract says the association won’t hold the city liable.

ballot this March for the people to confirm what their councilors have voted for.

There is a need for the voice of the people to be heard. The mayor blocks any move he can by the people’s voted representatives, without any recourse for the citizens. The police chief is bound by the terms of the contract negotiated with the police union that provide a maximum penalty of two weeks’ suspension for assaults that might reasonably be greeted with prison time in a court of law. A civilian review board could make a reasoned and legitimate judgment on the correct punishment for flagrant behavior by police officers. We all saw the videos you published [“Violence Caught on Camera Leads to Brutality Claims Against Burlington Cops,” May 3, 2019]. No one thinks that a two-week suspension was an adequate penalty for the behavior we saw.

Will this compromise Burlington’s ability to recruit new officers? Welltrained officers should not worry that they will run afoul of the new committee. If they do their jobs right, without bias or violence, they have nothing to fear.

Barbie Alsop BURLINGTON

TACKLING TOXINS

[Re “Lawmakers Approve New Pesticide Rules for Vermont,” January 19, online]: The Vermont PFAS/Military Poisons Coalition urges Vermont legislators and state agencies to take the environmental threat posed by PFAS, pesticides and other toxins more seriously. As evidenced by the newly passed Vermont Agency of Agriculture Revised Rules on Pesticides, our agencies are not collaborating to

protect Vermonters or listening to what we have to say. Coalition members want our legislature and agencies to take the following measures to ensure public health and environmental safety:

• Reinstate statutory language mandating pesticide reduction. Vermont is no longer working toward reducing its pesticide use at a time when it is clear that we must change our practices.

• Require that any pesticides used be lab-certified as PFAS-free. Ban pesticides known to contain PFAS from use.

• Require the Vermont Department of Health to work closely with all state agencies revising rules that have public health or environmental impacts. The fact that the health department was not consulted on the pesticide rules until December 19 is disgraceful, demonstrating the lack of important collaboration between agencies.

• Pass a law requiring all state agencies and legislators to use the precautionary principle before enacting rules and legislation. We need a paradigm shift where our government cares more about people and planet and less about profit.

• Issue a directive banning state agencies from purchasing products containing PFAS and other toxins; leverage our tax dollars and the state’s buying power to stop companies from using these toxic chemicals.

What we do to our Earth we do to ourselves and future generations.

Marguerite Adelman WINOOSKI

Adelman is the volunteer coordinator of the Vermont PFAS/ Military Poisons Coalition.

HBOT WORKS

[Re “Applying Pressure: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Breathes New Life Into Treating Long COVID and Other Ailments,” January 18]: Three years ago, I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. My treatment consisted of 48 radiation appointments and a year of hormone therapy. One of my side effects was blood coming from my bladder. Eighteen months ago, it got so bad that I was hospitalized for five days.

The doctors at the University of Vermont Medical Center told me that this was an extremely frustrating side effect of radiation treatment for the patient and the doctors, because no one could tell me how long it might last and, if it stopped, whether it would start again. They suggested that I investigate hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I ended up getting my treatment at the Absolute Wellness Healing Spa on Williston Road in South Burlington. Owner Colleen Hartford has a modern German hyperbaric chamber that is very user-friendly. I started going five times a week, for an hour and a half.

Mascoma

proud

AGAINST CANCER

In the middle of my Vermont sessions, I went to Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center to interview Dr. Nicole Harlan, one of the doctors at their treatment center. She told me that they get their most durable results with radiation damage, diabetic sores and crushing injuries. The protocol there is 2.4 atmospheres for an hour and a half a day for eight weeks, a total of 40 treatments.

When I told her that my treatments were at 2.0 atmospheres, she told me that they should be for two hours instead of an hour and a half. I made that adjustment and, in the middle of my treatment, the bleeding in my bladder stopped and has not returned. My feeling is that it’s a very safe procedure with little or no negative side effects and a possibility of much better health as a result of bathing your body with extra oxygen.

Robert Fuller LINCOLN

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Women’s

Hockey vs Merrimack

support the February 3: 6 pm

Tickets: UVMathletics.com

To raise awareness and support for

RALLY AGAINST CANCER

RALLY

Bank is

to

NEWS+POLITICS 13

From the Deputy Publisher

A Friend in Need

Mentoring programs help Vermont youths but desperately need volunteers

‘Bigger Than Basketball’

Black high school athletes speak out about racism in sports

Give Way, Vessels

Longtime Lake Champlain sailing center finds itself adrift

Power to the Campers

A youth-activism camp in Marshfield stands up to a zoning complaint from the town

FEATURES 26

Snow Day

251: Skiing on the cheap at Cochran’s in Richmond

Winner’s Row Morrisville’s Concept2 rowing machines propel the action at the World Rowing Indoor Championships

ARTS+CULTURE 42

Host of Meanings

Poet and translator with Vermont ties receives NEA grant Tree of Life eater review: ’Bov Water, Northern Stage

Warm Welcome

Craft activist Jayna Zweiman comes to Winooski in support of blanket project for refugees

COLUMNS

FOOD+ DRINK 36

Music on the Menu

Burlington’s Paradiso Hi-Fi spins tunes and plates

Badge of Honor

Vermont chefs, bakers and beverage producers named James Beard Award semifinalists

Top Shelf

Hinesburgh Public House defines “community restaurant”

MAGNIFICENT

SATURDAY 4

IT’S ELECTRIC

Andrew Crust, the final candidate for music director of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, makes his case at the Flynn in Burlington conducting Electric Dreams. This high-energy program includes works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Canadian composer Jocelyn Morlock and hits its crescendo with a newly commissioned concerto by Latin Grammy Awardwinning composer Roberto Sierra, featuring electric violinist Tracy Silverman. SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 62

WEDNESDAY 8

First Language

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 65

FRIDAY 3

Stick It to Cancer

The University of Vermont’s hockey and basketball teams unite with its cancer center to present Rally Against Cancer, a series of games benefiting research and care. Fans are encouraged to wear lavender and bid on player jerseys at the first game at Burlington’s Gutterson Fieldhouse, where the women’s hockey team will square off against Merrimack College.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 62

SATURDAY 4

Track and Field

Amateur naturalists and community scientists of all stripes team up for Winter Tree and Tracking Bioblitz Day at Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington. Led by AmeriCorps member Jacob Crawford, participants take photos of the trees and animal tracks they find in the forest, to be uploaded to iNaturalist.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 62

SUNDAY 5

Snow Burn

Deep winter gets an injection of heat at Ice on Fire, the Capital City’s annual festival of warmth and whimsy. Visitors at the former grounds of the Montpelier Elks Club enjoy an afternoon of music, storytelling, dance and family activities, capped off by a bonfire at dusk.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 62

SUNDAY 5

Derring Doo-Wop

Vermont’s oldest barbershop-style ensemble, the Green Mountain Chorus, stops by Westford Common Hall. The Winooski-based warblers treat listeners to hits from decades past, ear-tingling harmonies and gleeful shenanigans, while a community pie raffle offers extra, delicious fun.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 63

ONGOING

Floral Imperative

Art lovers already craving the return of spring enjoy “Winter Blossoms,” a group show by Benjamin Barnes, Sachiko Yoshida and Robert Chapla at the Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild Backroom Gallery in St. Johnsbury. The exhibit features watercolor, oil and acrylic paintings of every flower under the sun.

SEE GALLERY LISTING ON PAGE 50

Hanna Leliv Lada Kolomiyets Daryna Gladun and Veronika Yadukha four of Dartmouth College’s visiting Ukrainian writers and translators, make a joint appearance at Norwich Bookstore to read from their work. The evening also features discussions of poetry, language and translation theory.

Veronika Yadukha

Camp Counsel

This summer, would the kids in your life like to practice hip-hop dance, learn to use a laser cutter, or build a kayak and paddle it the length of Lake Champlain? Would they enjoy horseback riding, harvesting and preparing their own food, or building Rube Goldberg machines?

All these activities are on offer at Saturday’s 26th annual Kids VT Camp and School Fair at the Burlington Hilton. Staffers from more than 30 local programs will attend. There’s a list of exhibitors and information about many more summer programs in the camp fair guide inside this week’s Seven Days.

I attended my first camp fair in 2011, after Seven Days bought Kids VT and took over the event. My kids were 2 and 5 at the time, too young for camp, but I spent hours talking with exhibitors and collecting brochures, marveling at all the options.

In 2012, my wife and I signed 6-year-old Graham up for a day camp session at YMCA Camp Abnaki, a traditional all-boys camp in North Hero. It went pretty well. The following spring, while writing a story for Kids VT, I talked with Solomon Neuhaus, a 12-year-old Abnaki camper from Plattsburgh, N.Y., who convinced us to keep sending Graham there.

When I asked Solomon what he loved about camp, he could barely contain his enthusiasm.

“Oh man, everything,” he gushed. “At school, there’s a teacher trying to boss me around, tell me what to do. At home, my parents boss me around, tell me what to do. At camp, they lay out the ground rules on the first day. It’s like, ‘Have fun — and flush.’ That’s it, pretty much. It’s awesome.”

His advice to other kids assuaged my fears of sending Graham to an overnight session: “Go. You’ll love it,” he said. “Don’t be scared … Nobody is going to be a bully. Plus, it’s going to be a lot of fun.”

A decade later, I can report that Graham loved Camp Abnaki as much as Solomon did. After two years of day camp, he returned for seven summers as an overnight camper for up to a month at a time. His sister, Ivy, has had a similar experience at Camp Hochelaga.

As I was putting together the camp guide, I remembered Solomon and looked him up online; he was happy to talk.

He’s 22 now, finishing his senior year studying entrepreneurship at SUNY New Paltz and playing varsity basketball. After 10 summers as a camper, he

returned for another as a counselor-in-training and one as a full-fledged counselor. If COVID-19 hadn’t canceled camp in 2020, he might have gone back again.

He’s still passionate about his time at Camp Abnaki. He loved the pickup basketball games, trading Magic: The Gathering cards and joining camp-wide contests like Zombie Apocalypse, where half the boys were zombies and the other half were human survivors.

“I literally, no exaggeration, have nothing but positive memories,” he told me.

He still keeps in touch with other campers and his fellow counselors, and he said his camp connections are different from any of the other relationships in his life: “As cliché as it sounds, it really is a brotherhood.”

Every parent I know wants their child to have those kinds of friendships.

The other thing Solomon cherished about his time at Abnaki: There were no screens. Abnaki, like most camps, doesn’t let kids bring their digital devices.

“You think you’ll hate it,” he said, “but it’s so amazing how entertained everyone is all the time at camp. You realize you can still have fun playing outside.”

If you want your kids to rediscover that feeling, think about sending them to camp this summer. And consider going yourself — some of these programs have family sessions, too.

Cathy Resmer

Publisher Paula Routly will be away until February 8; her next column will appear in the February 15 issue.

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Solomon Neuhaus as a counselor at YMCA Camp Abnaki

SAILING CENTER TRIES TO FLOAT ON

ABORTION SHIELD LAW PROPOSED

MARSHFIELD CAMP FIGHTS THE MAN

A Friend in Need

Mentoring programs help Vermont youths but desperately need volunteers

BY COLIN FLANDERS • colin@sevendaysvt.com

It doesn’t take long to peg Hunter Townsend and Alex Gordon as old friends. It’s clear in the way they reminisce, stumbling over details blurred by time, and in how comfortable they are pushing each other to try new things. A couple of years ago, the two flew in a small, singleengine plane, the adventurous Alex at the helm (alongside an instructor), the heightsaverse Hunter sweating in the back.

Indeed, Hunter and Alex are like any other pair of companions you’ll encounter — except, perhaps, for their ages. One is 73; the other is 15.

Hunter, a retired boarding school teacher who lives in South Burlington, and Alex, a bright and ambitious Burlington ninth grader, were introduced through a youth mentoring program at King Street Center seven years ago. Since then, they have skied and hiked mountains, volunteered at food shelves, and tried just about every flavor Ben & Jerry’s has to offer.

“I’ve tried to give him as many different experiences as I could,” Hunter said

last week. “And he has been very willing to say yes.”

Alex chimed in: “The way I see it, I don’t have anything to lose by jumping on any opportunity I have to do something with Hunter. It can only be a learning experience.”

Alex, whose single mother signed him up for the mentoring program in hopes of finding him a male role model, described his time with Hunter as “the best experience” of his short life. “He’s just someone to do fun stuff with,” he said of Hunter. “Someone that can help me go through things — to lean on.”

Vermont mentoring programs provide children and teens a chance to bond with supportive adults outside their immediate family. Such connections have become all the more important during the isolating days of the pandemic.

They’ve also become harder to find. Programs have never been able to recruit enough volunteers to match with every kid in need of a mentor, and their leaders say

BTV’s Amtrak Train Service Is Off to a Strong Start

BY ANNE WALLACE ALLEN anne@sevendaysvt.com

Early numbers reveal strong ridership on the 6-month-old Ethan Allen Express rail service between Burlington and New York City.

Using statistics from Trains in the Valley, a rail advocacy organization in western Massachusetts, Vermont rail booster Carl Fowler reported that the extended Ethan Allen Express route — which began service to Burlington on July 29 — surpassed advocates’ expectations by transporting 7,800 riders in October and 8,000 riders in November, the most recent months for which figures are available.

“To put it mildly the news is good,” Fowler, a member of the Vermont Rail Advisory Council, announced on Facebook on January 20. He celebrated not only the success of the Burlington service but also evidence that extending the route — which used to terminate in Rutland — didn’t siphon passengers from the Vermonter, the other Amtrak train in northern Vermont.

In fact, the Vermonter had its highest one-month ridership ever — 11,700 riders — in November, Fowler said.

The Ethan Allen Express travels up the western side of the state, stopping in Castleton, Rutland, Middlebury and Ferrisburgh on the way to Burlington. The Vermonter runs once a day between Washington, D.C., and St. Albans, traveling up the eastern side of the state through Brattleboro, White River Junction and Essex Junction.

they are supporting some 700 fewer pairs now compared to just three years ago.

To reverse this trend, advocates want the state to increase funding for mentoring programs to $1 million a year, five times more than the current investment. The money would help agencies that specialize in mentoring programs hire more staff, who could spend more time recruiting and supporting desperately needed volunteers.

“Historically, we’ve seen all over the country [that] when Amtrak adds additional services, they don’t cannibalize each other,” Fowler said in an interview. “Rather, they grow the market.”

EDUCATION

“Mentoring is foundation-building,” said Kimberley Diemond, executive director of Big Brothers Big Sisters Vermont, a statewide mentoring agency. “But because it’s not crisis-oriented, we don’t get the merit we deserve. We need support.”

On Wednesday, February 1, the mentoring community was scheduled to hold its annual celebration at the Statehouse, where its members planned to encourage lawmakers to back their funding request.

Rail advocates still have other goals for beefing up service in Vermont. One is to restore rail service between St. Albans and Montréal; it ended in 1995 during Amtrak budget cuts. Fowler sees Montréal’s 4 million residents as an opportunity.

Restoring that service would require track repairs and establishing a customs and immigration system at the train station in Montréal, said Deb Carbin-Fox, a Bellows Falls resident who is the head of the advocacy group Vermont Rail Action Network.

“What they have proposed ... is you do a pre-check when you leave Vermont, and you don’t stop anywhere else until you get into Montréal.”

A carbon emissions bill before the House Transportation Committee calls for the state to provide food service on the train, with Vermont products; work with Amtrak to improve its rail booking service; and help pay for securing the Montréal connection. ➆

Nadine Trafton (left) with her son, Alex Gordon (right) and his mentor, Hunter Townsend

DARIA BISHOP

‘Bigger Than Basketball’

Rheadlines frequently over the past year and a half. But often, media coverage of these events doesn’t include the voices of students of color, who are most affected by the behavior.

In January, a TikTok video that included the N-word was posted by a Champlain Valley Union High School girls’ basketball player, leading players at four schools, including Rice Memorial and Burlington high schools, to opt out of scheduled games with the CVU team.

After video, Rice sophomore Atika Haji, one of just three Black players on the Catholic school’s basketball team, emailed the newspaper, asking that the voices of Black student athletes be heard.

Healthy starts here!

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Last week, Atika and four girls’ basketball players from Burlington High School — junior Anyier Manyok, senior Gamana Haji, sophomore Sienna Pitts and junior Hawa Awayle — to hear their perspectives on the CVU situation and racism in school sports.

The issue made the Vermont news in 2021, when Enosburg Falls High School soccer players and spectators were alleged to have directed racial slurs at Black Winooski High School players. At the time, Winooski superintendent Sean McMannon said the incident was part of a pattern of “racial violence” against student athletes in Winooski, the only majorityminority school district in the state. Later

her from school leadership clubs and had her begin a restorative justice process, Bunting wrote, although he didn’t say how long the suspension lasted.

I THINK THE REASON WE’RE SO FIRM ABOUT THIS … IS THAT SO MANY OTHER RACIST THINGS HAVE HAPPENED IN OUR BASKETBALL COMMUNITY.

‘Bigger Than Basketball’

Students have also acted on their own. The predominantly white Mount Mansfield Union High School and Essex High School girls’ basketball teams both canceled their January games with CVU, following the lead of Rice and BHS.

At the January 23 girls’ basketball game between Mount Mansfield and Burlington, MMU players presented BHS players with shirts that said “Be the Change” to show solidarity in standing up against racism.

Despite those expressions of support, the Black players who spoke with Seven Days said they more commonly feel a lack of understanding from white players and coaches, as well as what they perceive as bias from referees. The teens also feel that schools have failed to act decisively enough against offenders.

Below are excerpts from the conversation with the five students.

On seeing the TikTok video

The video showed a white CVU player pulling the hair of a Black member of her family as a voice-over says, “Got your [N-word] — but you can get ’em back at your local Chevrolet dealership.” It was posted for less than an hour, but a recording circulated widely among students.

GAMANA HAJI: I wasn’t really surprised, more disgusted and confused. Like, Why would you even post this? — if there even was a thought process.

HAWA AWAYLE: I didn’t think it was funny at all. I was also confused, and I would like to make note that it wasn’t a trend on TikTok. There wasn’t more than one video posted like that.

ANYIER MANYOK: My first thought was … how CVU would deal with it. How would our division or league deal with it? Is she just going to get a slap on the wrist for this? — which we felt she did.

SIENNA PITTS: We, as a team, after practice, we had a little discussion about what we wanted to do going forward before our game against CVU. And our athletic director was asking us if [we] wanted to play them, and it was a group decision. We were like, “I think it’s just best if we don’t play them.”

ANYIER: We actually had a conversation as a team, and we said that we think she should be suspended for five games, minimum, and then she should be allowed to play. I think if other teams saw that

she was suspended for five games — that specific player — then everyone would be like, “OK, fine, we’ll play them [because] she was punished.” But now, nobody’s playing.

On CVU’s reaction to the situation

After BHS postponed the CVU game, CVU principal Bunting and activities director Ricky McCollum met with Burlington players and administrators.

SIENNA: [They] wanted to hear our perspectives, and they wanted to be there to answer any questions and concerns. The conversation didn’t really go anywhere. [Bunting] was asking us to trust him and to know that this situation is [being] dealt with. I was kind of thinking, How can I trust someone that I’ve never met? And I asked him, “How can I trust you?” and he kind of redirected the question back to me in a way that just didn’t make any sense, and he didn’t answer my question. So, I guess that kind of made me feel a little disrespected in a way, and it made me feel frustrated.

GAMANA: I feel like CVU came into this playing defense instead of open to actually listening to the feedback the students — more importantly, students of color — were trying to give to them. I don’t think that they came wanting to receive anything. Imagine the Black people that saw that video, like imagine what we’ve been going through for all these years. I think they want us to give empathy, but

we’re not getting empathy, so why would we be giving empathy back?

ANYIER: They gave us a list of some of the discipline that [the offending student] was receiving, and one of them was that she’s learning about racism. I’m in an English class right now that’s dedicated to learning about African American history. That’s not a punishment. So, we were just asking for more, and our feelings were minimized.

ATIKA HAJI: Within the [CVU] administration, there were just a whole bunch of people taking responsibility for her. The principal wrote that email basically apologizing for her. The CVU girls’ team had posted on their Instagram account taking responsibility for her, but we have not gotten a personal apology from her — from the person who actually made the video.

On other experiences of racism in school sports

ANYIER: I think the reason we’re so firm about this … is that so many other racist things have happened in our basketball community. We were playing in summer league in July, and Gamana had beads in her hair and she was told by a referee she wasn’t allowed to play unless she covered her beads up. I remember when I was in sixth grade — I was only 12 years old — I had two braids in, and this referee came, and he pulled my hair, and he said, “If this is not real, you have to take it out or else you can’t play.” And I’m like, “OK, we’re gonna sit here for

two hours while I undo my braids.” And that’s never happened to a white girl and their hair, you know?

ATIKA: [Last season], there was one incident where our [Rice] boys’ basketball team had played at St. Albans, and in their student section … during a free throw, they had screamed the N-word. I think it was by a younger student who wasn’t even in the high school.

GAMANA: It’s like a thing: Burlington, we need to be on our best behavior on the court or on the field. The refs don’t like us because we’re mostly Black. We have these thoughts going into our games, but … why do we have these refs reffing our games? How is that fair to us? Where is our protection? And schools … like Enosburg, who are notorious for their racism, how are they still allowed to play in these sports games? Being an athlete is a privilege. It’s not something that everybody should be allowed to do, and if you can’t respect the game, if you can’t respect the people you’re playing against, you just shouldn’t play.

I JUST DON’T LIKE HOW MANY WHITE PEOPLE ARE TELLING US TO BASICALLY JUST GET OVER IT.

GAMANA HAJI

Girls’ basketball players from Burlington and Mount Mansfield Union high schools gathering in solidarity

On the effectiveness of measures the VPA has taken to curb racism

HAWA: I think that statement that gets read before every game is not going to stop all these problems that are happening — whether it’s racism or homophobia. They could do something different, and I’m not exactly sure what that could be. But that statement isn’t going to solve the problems.

On the community’s response to the incident

GAMANA: At least from BHS, we’ve got a lot of support, and we’re very appreciative of it. From other schools, they’ve also been supportive, but since they don’t have a heavy Black population at any of the other schools, they’re all coming from this point of view [of] “You guys should be empathetic, and you guys should lean toward the way of forgiveness.” And it’s not that we’re not empathetic or forgiving people. It’s just

GAMANA: I also think, just as a whole state, Vermont claims to be very progressive and … before the games, there’s a lot of “zero tolerance for this” and “zero tolerance for that.” And then they go and tolerate this. I feel like there should just be this line that if you cross it, you’re done.

ANYIER: I was talking to a friend of mine’s mom, and she said that there should be … a group of student athletes where these situations [are] brought to them, and then they decide what the punishment should be or what should happen. I think that would do a lot of good, just because we’re the people that are being harmed, and we have all these adults that are making decisions for us when they’re not going through the things that we’re going through.

that, what is there to be forgiving toward? We haven’t been properly apologized to. And I just don’t like how many white people are telling us to basically just get over it.

ATIKA: I know that people within the [CVU] community have just been like, “Oh, you guys are being dramatic. You guys just don’t want to play [CVU] because you know you’re going to lose.” I mean, win or lose, it’s more than just basketball. They just don’t see it how we see it.

ANYIER: I felt like they saw this as a stupid video a teenage girl made rather than racism, which is why everyone thinks we’re being dramatic.

GAMANA: At what point does it just become unacceptable to do certain things? At our big ages, we know right from wrong, and we know that our actions have consequences. We don’t want to not play CVU. I feel like that’s something that people are misinterpreting. But it’s bigger than basketball. ➆

Give Way, Vessels

Longtime Lake Champlain sailing center finds itself adrift

BY ANNE WALLACE ALLEN • anne@sevendaysvt.com

Arising tide of development in northwestern Vermont has claimed a fixture of the Malletts Bay community, the International Sailing Center, which for decades has provided an affordable route for young people to learn to sail.

The sailing center and school is losing its lease and looking for another berth on the Lake Champlain shoreline. With a GoFundMe campaign creeping past $30,000, a little more than half of its goal, owner Robin Doyle is struggling to find a way to transfer 30 boats from the Colchester property she has used for more than 40 years and to set up her program somewhere nearby.

Doyle’s problems began, she said, when her landlords informed her in November that they wouldn’t be renewing her lease. Instead, they intended to lease the property to local businessperson and landlord Rick Bove, who has plans for the site, according to his brother and business partner, Mark, who didn’t elaborate.

“It was a real bombshell,” Doyle said, adding that she contacted the landlords to ask whether she could stay. “The landlords really gave me no recourse or option for discussion,” she said.

When the sailing center goes, Doyle said, so will a decades-long tradition of community activity that included weekly races, boat rentals, programs with the Boys & Girls Club of Burlington and Colchester Parks & Recreation, and monthly barbecues.

Gone too, Doyle said, will be a community gathering place where friendships flourished over decades.

“A lot of sailors have broken hearts right now,” Doyle said. “It’s really sad that all these people are being forced to disband when they really enjoy being around each other.”

Doyle’s low-budget operation is being pushed out by economic growth that has altered the prospects and lives of renters and property owners in much of northwestern Vermont.

As Burlington’s economy has grown, so, too, has the value of its lakeside real estate. Interest in boating picked up during the pandemic, and marina owners have reported little trouble filling their slips, even as the Canadian boaters who made up a large share of their customer base were forced to stay away for two years.

The Bove brothers, who have a portfolio of commercial and residential real estate holdings, recently bought the Moorings

BUSINESS

Leonard wrote in an essay published on January 25 on the website sailinganarchy. com. She called for ideas and donations from sailing stalwarts everywhere. “A wealthy local businessman has somehow taken over the lease; it’s unknown what purpose he has in mind for [the sailing club’s] lot,” she wrote.

That businessman, Rick Bove, was the subject of a November 2021 Seven Days cover story that outlined a litany of problems at affordable apartments he and his brother own.

marina, a nearby neighbor of the sailing center on Malletts Bay.

Mike O’Brien, who represents Lake Champlain marina owners and boat dealers as president of the Vermont Boat & Marine Association, said the local marina business is stronger now than it’s been in a decade.

“Especially in Burlington, everyone is shoehorning things in where they can,” O’Brien said. The city has three large marinas. “Burlington is pretty much full.”

Malletts Bay, which is home to many lakeside homes and cottages, is about six miles north of Burlington’s waterfront district and has fewer marinas and associated amenities, such as restaurants. Locals who watch the real estate market, however, expect that to change as demand continues to increase for property in Chittenden County.

The Lake Champlain shoreline is dotted with marinas, which range in size from simple boat ramps with a few moorings to full-service destinations that include clubhouses, concierge service and restaurants.

Like boating itself, marina real estate is pricey. The North Hero Marina, listed at $3.5 million, sold last year to a couple from Montana.

The International Sailing Center is modest, with a small building and some

moorings. Chana Datskovsky, assistant director of the sailing school, said the business wouldn’t need much in a new location: a room for holding classes, beach space for dinghies and some moorings.

O’Brien said it’s possible they can find something; older marinas outside the more populous areas tend to have simple boat ramps and little other infrastructure.

“The further north you go, you probably have a better chance,”

O’Brien said. But, he added, “I think it’s going to be tough for them.”

Doyle grew up in a sailing family in Connecticut and started out as an instructor at the sailing school after she graduated from the University of Vermont in 1981. She bought the operation in 1987 and said she’d hoped to pass the business on to her staff members eventually.

“I want to keep the business running for future generations,” she said.

To that end, Doyle has rallied friends and supporters to assist through GoFundMe with boat storage and startup costs somewhere else. And her allies are helping to spread her message about the sailing center’s struggle.

“The landlords gave Robin no warning or ability to meet new terms or negotiate in any way,” Colchester resident Della

Jasen Boyd, whose son interned at the sailing center, called for a boycott of Bove businesses and products. The family, which once operated Bove’s Café in downtown Burlington, has a wholesale line of Italian food products that bears its name. Boyd asked supporters not to moor their boats at Bove’s marina “until they relent on the plans to drive the ISC out of business” and to boycott Bove businesses “until they work a deal with the ISC that protects this institution in Malletts Bay.”

Rick Bove did not return messages about the proposed boycott.

Complicating the crosscurrents of changing property values, last year Colchester residents approved a sewer project along West Lakeshore Drive — the site of the sailing school’s home. While the project is aimed at protecting Lake Champlain from pollution, it will enable more commercial development in the area, and “it will push out small businesses in favor of rich people getting richer and decrease access to the lake for people of average means,” Leonard wrote.

Leonard’s boyfriend, Colchester sailor Allen Baker, has asked a lawyer who worked at the sailing school in the 1980s for help, with no results. Now he’s reaching out to all the sailors he knows for donations.

“There’s hardly anyone on the East Coast I haven’t contacted about this,” said Baker, who has five boats in the sailing center yard. To Baker, the center’s situation embodies a larger shift he’s seeing on the bay, with the advent of more expensive powerboats and personal watercraft. He likes the sailing center, he said, because it makes the expensive pursuit of sailing accessible to the masses.

“This is a unique institution; there is nothing else like it on the lake,” he said. “It’s a really eclectic group. You don’t have the shiniest new boat, but you get the real experience.” ➆

A LOT OF SAILORS HAVE BROKEN HEARTS RIGHT NOW.

ROBIN DOYLE

Boats on Lake Champlain

The legislative push comes at a precarious moment for Vermont youths. Rates of anxiety and depression, on the rise well before COVID-19, have continued climbing amid the pandemic’s disruption of routines and social activities. National surveys show more teens are feeling lonely, while Vermont schools are reporting more behavioral issues and higher truancy rates.

Research suggests children in mentoring programs are both more likely to graduate and less likely to engage in risky behaviors such as drug or alcohol use. Teenagers who have supportive relationships with an adult outside their family have also been found to report greater satisfaction with their lives.

“What mentoring provides is someone who is not paid to support this child,” Diemond said. “They know this person is here because they care about them, not because they have some financial interest. That’s extremely important for youth to understand: that they’re valued, that there’s someone who cares for them innately.”

Despite the benefits, mentoring agencies say the state has provided scant support over the years. In 2011, on the heels of the Great Recession, lawmakers reduced the amount of funding for mentoring programs from $250,000 to $170,000, where it has remained ever since.

Meanwhile, agencies that specialize in mentoring programs say they’re finding it harder to secure money from other sources. “The grants we normally go for, they’re overwhelmed with organizations trying to apply for funding,” Diemond said. “It’s become a much more competitive market.”

Mentoring programs, which can be based in schools or run out of nonprofit community organizations, have still managed to do a lot with the little money they have received over the years. Most are

run by part-time staff, and all rely solely on volunteer mentors.

But programs were having trouble finding enough volunteers even before COVID-19 — and the problem has only worsened since. At Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont, the pre-pandemic backlog hovered between 80 to 100 children a year. It’s since grown to 140, “and that’s without any advertisement for the program,” said Diemond, who estimated that she receives about one adult applicant for every four children on the waiting list.

School-based programs — through which pairs meet in classrooms for an hour a week to read, play games or just chat

— have been hit particularly hard. Many schools weren’t accepting visitors during the first two years of the pandemic and didn’t have the capacity to facilitate remote mentoring sessions. Those that did found that children weren’t as interested, having already spent their entire days staring at a screen.

And though most schools have reopened their doors to mentoring this year, volunteers, who skew older, can still be hesitant to go into classrooms. Everybody Wins! Vermont, a statewide, literacy-based mentoring program, is serving fewer than half of the 600 pairs it maintained before the pandemic, according to executive director Beth Wallace.

Surveys suggest that the expected time commitment is the biggest barrier to mentoring, especially now, three years into the pandemic. “Everyone is exhausted,” Diemond said. “People feel like they don’t have the bandwidth to do anything extra.”

Program directors have responded by trying to stress the fact that people can serve as a mentor with as little as an hour commitment a week. “It’s really a low-lift,

high-reward thing to do as a volunteer,” Wallace said.

In exchange for their time, mentors say, they receive their own, much-valued benefits.

Kym Duchesneau wanted to stay connected with her community after retiring from her job as recreation director in the Town of Milton, so she signed up for a local mentoring program. When they first met, Duchesneau’s new friend was young enough that she had to ride in the back seat of Duchesneau’s car. Now, she’s about to get her driver’s permit.

“I’ve learned so much from her perspective as a young person navigating this world and COVID, to all kinds of issues: social justice, social media,” Duchesneau said.

Other mentors report forming similar bonds. While volunteers need to commit to only a single year, many continue for much longer. They include Chad Butt, executive director of MENTOR Vermont, who was recently the best man at the wedding of a young man he had mentored.

“I started working with him when he was 14; he’s 30 now,” Butt said. “That mentoring relationship has grown over the years and turned into a lifelong friendship.”

Meanwhile, Hunter, the South Burlington mentor, said he has cherished watching Alex grow over the past seven years — even when it has resulted in some nicks to his own pride. He can no longer beat the 15-year-old at chess or keep up with him on the ski slopes. He can, however, see the ways he’s made an impact on Alex’s life.

Case in point: After last year’s foray into flight, Alex joined the Vermont Civil Air Patrol. He’s now thinking about applying to the United States Air Force Academy. ➆

INTERESTED IN MENTORING?

To volunteer, contact Big Brothers Big Sisters of Vermont at 802-689-0092, or visit mentorvt.org/become-a-mentor for a list of programs in your area.

MENTORING IS FOUNDATIONBUILDING. BUT BECAUSE IT’S NOT CRISIS-ORIENTED, WE DON’T GET THE MERIT WE DESERVE.

KIMBERLEY DIEMOND

Hunter Townsend (left) and Alex Gordon

STATEHOUSE Bills Would Protect VT Reproductive Care Workers

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM kevin@sevendaysvt.com

Doctors, nurses and support staff worry they could face legal exposure or harassment if they treated patients who traveled to Vermont from the increasing number of states where reproductive and gender-affirming care is banned or restricted. Now, Vermont lawmakers are considering bills to protect these health workers.

Two bills making their way through the legislature would clarify that such services are legally protected in the state. S.37 would protect them from ramifications such as increases in insurance rates or professional disciplinary action for providing the services. Hearings on that bill begin next week in the Senate Health and Welfare Committee.

H.89 focuses on legal protections, including prohibiting Vermont courts from cooperating with criminal or legal challenges that originate in other states.

The so-called shield law is modeled after one passed in Massachusetts last year. The House Judiciary Committee dove into the draft bill last week, wrestling with the complex legal and constitutional questions that have arisen since the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022 and left regulation of abortion to the states.

Rep. Martin LaLonde (D-South Burlington) noted that several states have not only restricted access to such care within their own borders but also have made it clear that they will try to prevent residents from seeking the care elsewhere.

“When the residents come to Vermont and receive reproductive or gender-affirming care, these states will try to hold Vermont providers criminally or civilly liable,” LaLonde told the committee last week. The bill would “check the overreach of other states,” he said.

The bill would block Vermont courts from honoring out-of-state subpoenas compelling people to testify in civil cases stemming from health care decisions. It would also prohibit state employees from cooperating in investigations into the health care procedures. And it would give medical providers the right to countersue and recover financial damages if they were charged or sued for the care.

The ability of a physician in one state to provide care to a patient in another — such as through telehealth or prescriptions for abortion pills sent by mail — complicates the issue, legislative attorney Michele Childs said. The threat of civil litigation against Vermont providers is real because other states have passed laws to make it possible, Childs explained. ➆

Power to the Campers

A youth-activism camp in Marshfield stands up to a zoning complaint from the town

BY RACHEL HELLMAN • rhellman@sevendaysvt.com

It has all the hallmarks of a quintessential New England sleepaway camp: group games, swimming trips, bonfires and sing-alongs. Campers can expect to walk away with deep friendships and maybe a bad sunburn.

But beyond all that, campers attending Uprise! Youth Activism Summer Camp also learn how to make protest banners and engage in nonviolent direct action. Attendees are taught labor rights; even the tree climbing has a political dimension — it can be a useful tactic for evading police during protests. Campers end the summer session by staging a rally, usually in Montpelier, complete with press releases, chants, and calls for action of one sort or another.

Now, though, the 5-year-old Marshfield camp finds itself the subject of unwelcome attention from town zoning officials, who have filed a complaint in state court charging that the camp has been operating without a required permit. Although Uprise! applied for — and received — a permit to operate in 2019, Marshfield’s zoning administrator, Kathleen Hayes, said the camp failed to acquire the necessary operational permits after that.

To receive a conditional use permit, the camp would face a hearing process to allow neighbors to voice concerns, and it would pay a fee of $175. Town administrators encouraged Henry Harris, the camp’s founder and owner, to apply for a multiyear permit to avoid having to reapply.

But Harris maintains that the camp’s activities are protected by the First Amendment and shouldn’t require a permit, labeling the town’s insistence as “theater of the absurd.” (But in some thing of a stage aside, he acknowledged that “we probably should have just filed our permits.”)

Harris, who grew up in the Northeast Kingdom, has plenty of experience sticking it to the Man. He’s worked for decades as a volunteer organizer, advocating for food sovereignty and racial and economic justice. The 44-year-old activist makes his living as a carpenter, but organizing has always been his passion.

Harris is one of the founders of A Center for Grassroots Organizing, a Vermont-based incubator for social action. After surveying land in the Hudson

Valley, Harris and friends chose Marshfield in 2018 as an ideal location for the center, which they had been dreaming up for years. With their history as a magnet for back-to-the-landers in the 1960s and proximity to unconventional Goddard College, Marshfield’s rolling hills proved an apt location for a leftist organization looking to plant roots.

Now, the campus that hosts Uprise! serves as a hub for grassroots efforts, spearheaded by a loose network of committees. The projects include the Regeneration Corps, an educational initiative for high schoolers interested in agriculture; the Northstar Collective, an effort to combat local food insecurity; and Just Construction, a band of volunteers who carry out free construction projects for social justice leaders of color.

And, since 2018, Uprise! Youth Activism Summer Camp has sprung to life most summers with protest-minded purpose.

Harris and a few friends came up with the idea for the camp in 2016 when protesting the transportation of fracked oil in Albany, N.Y. The activists observed

Campers protesting in Montpelier in 2019

that although young people would bear the brunt of the climate crisis, they weren’t being included in organizing work often enough.

The camp has grown in popularity since its first year in 2018, when just 15 campers attended. In two years, the number doubled to 30.

Uprise! is free to campers. Families can donate the formal cost of tuition, which is around $450, but there is no obligation to do so.

Counselors, who are often artists and organizers from around the country, get a $200 tip, and “mentors of color” receive an additional $1,000 stipend. Harris said that’s to ensure that campers have the chance to work with nonwhite organizers.

“It was an incredible experience,” said Thea Gahr, a printmaker from Portland, Ore., who worked at Uprise! in 2021. Although Gahr said there “was a little bit of chaos around working out money stuff,” the biggest payoff was the community she gained. “I got paid, but in a different way,” she said.

The sleepaway camp runs for eight days, culminating in a protest that is organized, staged and managed by the campers themselves. The young adults need written consent from their parents if they want to take on a “high-risk” role in the planned action but operate otherwise with minimal interference from staffers.

“There was never a feeling of being treated like a little kid,” said Sawyer Totten, who started going to the camp when he was 13. One of Totten’s favorite memories from camp was when Harris was chased by a cow at a nearby farm (“He’s a big ball of love,” Totten said of Harris). Totten also fondly recalled staging a demonstration

in front of a TD Bank in Montpelier in 2021 as part of a broader protest against the expansion of the controversial Line 3 pipeline in the Midwest.

The protest that day included dance, song and a 30-foot-long snake puppet meant to represent the pipeline. The year before, campers staged a “dig-in” in front of the Vermont Statehouse, planting scores of medicinal plants to protest legislators’ lack of action on climate change.

Traditionally, campers gather to compare notes after a protest, then go for a celebratory swim.

current zoning beef, which heads to court soon. Harris argues that as an accessory business of a state-recognized farm, the camp should be shielded from permitting requirements by Act 143, which expands protections for on-farm activities. But he’s also struggling with mounting legal fees. Negotiations with the town went nowhere.

“I believe most people are favorable to what he is doing,” said Hayes, the town’s zoning administrator. “As far as the town is concerned, this all had to do with the fact that he needed a permit and didn’t want to get it. Plain and simple as that.”

Last summer, Harris decided not to hold Uprise! at the Center for Grassroots Organizing because of the ongoing dispute with the town. Instead, he hosted an international conference for agriculture educators. He said the ongoing legal situation makes having the camp unlikely this year, though he hopes to hold a smaller youth event.

Harris acknowledges the awkwardness of the camp’s legal situation. “Here we are saying, ‘Hey, if you can engage your community, if you can get your message heard, if you can speak truth to power and persevere, you can win,’” he explained.

So far, at least, no one has called for a

Rachel Hellman covers Vermont’s small . She is a corps member of Report for America, a national service program that places journalists in local newsrooms. Find out more at

WE’RE TEACHING THEM THAT YOU CAN GO OUT, YOU CAN BREAK THE RULES, AND BE WAY MORE HUMANE AND ETHICAL THAN THE PEOPLE WHO MADE THE RULES. HENRY HARRIS

FEEDback

DO YOUR RESEARCH

We were disappointed to read another article [“Applying Pressure: Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy Breathes New Life Into Treating Long COVID and Other Ailments,” January 18] in Seven Days that puts business interests (couched within patients’ lived experience) before science. Current research does not support acupuncture, herbal medicine or hyperbaric oxygen therapy for the treatment of long COVID; however, your recent articles interviewed professionals promoting their own anecdotes regarding potential longCOVID treatments to your readers.

Local business stories are not a substitute for evidence from rigorously designed research published in peer-reviewed journals. These articles [“COVID Long-Haulers Struggle With Debilitating Symptoms, Few Treatment Options,” November 30, 2022] read as free marketing for those businesses, rather than fact-based reporting on a current health/science matter or a human interest story on the experience of patients in our community.

Promoting unproven treatments for long COVID is irresponsible journalistic practice and risks exploiting the desperation of patients expending scarce physical, mental and financial resources in search of relief. Long-COVID patients most need access to evidence-based health information, providers who will listen and believe them, fair access to social services, and investments in research to develop treatments.

Krista Coombs, MTCM BENNINGTON

Mel Symeonides, PhD WILLISTON

Anne N. Sosin, MPH THETFORD

DYING FOR MORE

I read your “Death Issue” [October 26] with great interest but must let you know you left out a very important part of how we die today in the United States.

Vermont’s progressive laws allowing medical aid to the dying leave out several other ways a person can self-determine their method and time of death. It also keeps the process squarely in the realm of health care, when what people really need is “death care.”

As an end-of-life doula, I have been trained to be that nonmedical helpmeet in support of the dying and their family/support system at the end of life — sometimes the most important chapter they will ever experience.

To experience a “good death” is the final wish of so many. I hope your reporting will cover this newer layer of support out there.

Pauline Meridien PAWLET

Meridien is an eldercare doula.

POLICING THE POLICE

[Re “Crime Pays: Burlington Police Officers Land a Lucrative Side Gig,” January 24]: There seems to be a straightforward solution to the River Watch condo’s private security question, if one applies the basic rules of the use of publicly funded property, such as police cruisers, uniforms, guns, etc. River Watch can hire off-duty cops as private security guards for whatever price the two parties settle on. River Watch and/ or the private security guards provide their own equipment to get the job done. Taxpayer-funded public property, such as cruisers and uniforms, can’t fairly be used for private purposes, such as profit for the security guards.

Of course, it’s a sad state of affairs that private citizens need to pay to protect themselves. I just hope that everyone remembers which individual politicians and which political party in Burlington was shouting loudest to defund the police — and holds them responsible.

Let’s learn from our mistakes and let our city government and police chief create a well-paid and properly funded force that is held strictly accountable to upholding our values of community service, inclusivity, humanity, empathy and public safety. If the cops can utilize their expertise to provide a service and make some extra cash on the side without using our taxpayer-funded property, good on ’em.

Jonny Adler STOWE

horrible increase in crime since Burlington Police Department funding was slashed.

It took over two years to get the “problem tenant” cited to finally be evicted. The criminal activity did not stop with his eviction. Portraying the off-duty officers who agreed to work extra hours as doing something wrong is inexcusable.

Councilor Zoraya Hightower would know these facts if she asked her neighbors or read the board minutes of this association, of which she is a member. Instead of criticizing people for trying to protect themselves, you should put the blame where it belongs — on the city councilors who undercut the BPD budget and are attempting to micromanage police services. You should blame the media who reported that there are only two officers policing the entire city during the graveyard shifts. This was an open invitation to anyone who wants to come to Burlington and commit crimes. Elect people who will adequately fund BPD.

Theresa Lefebvre BURLINGTON

Lefebvre is a resident of River Watch.

[Re “Crime Pays: Burlington Police Officers Land a Lucrative Side Gig,” January 24]: Councilor Zoraya Hightower was instrumental in shrinking the police force. Now she lives in a condo complex where the association had to hire private security because of an increase in crimes, caused by her idea of cutting the police force. The situation got better after the landlords were able to evict the troublemaker. Although, just a short time before that, Hightower tried to create a new “just cause” eviction law, which would make it close to impossible to evict such tenants. Now she complains about police officers taking side gigs for double the money in desperate but well-off neighborhoods.

Keep complaining, and soon only acting Police Chief Jon Murad will be patrolling the streets by himself. I do not know where his limit of patience is, but I think we should send his sainthood application to the Vatican.

To actually make this town safe, I propose moving the Progressives to a new-age retreat close to the Canadian border; giving them some firewood, pots and utensils; and letting them terrorize the naïve wildlife. Meanwhile, here in Burlington, you would hear the huge sigh of relief from every brick, every cinder block, every broken window. Even the lake would splash happily. Applications for police jobs would pile up on Murad’s desk.

Headlines are meant to entice clicks. And different things appeal to different readerships. For [“Crime Pays: Burlington Police Officers Land a Lucrative Side Gig,” January 24], the same story appearing in a different publication might have had success with the headline: “Double Standard: City Councilor Who Voted to Defund Lives in Private Community That Pays Thousands Each Week for Extra Policing.”

Michael S. Maher BURLINGTON

There are several misleading statements in [“Crime Pays: Burlington Police Officers Land a Lucrative Side Gig,” January 24]. We residents of River Watch are not receiving “enhanced police services because its residents can pay for it.” Residents here have chosen to live in an association where we share the cost of maintaining common property. We also must all share the cost to repair the damage done by these criminals, whether we can afford it or not. We are spending money we can ill afford in an attempt to protect our residents and property from the

But before that happens, would anybody know the contact for “Saturday Night Live” agents? I would like to talk to them, because there is enough material here for another 100 years. This city is full of talented clowns.

Evzen Holas BURLINGTON

[Re “Crime Pays: Burlington Police Officers Land a Lucrative Side Gig,” January 24]: My opinion is that the Burlington City Council and mayor’s office should be focused on solving the ongoing crime situation in Burlington rather than focusing on people who are forced to do something about the situation on their own.

What is wrong with this picture? We need to vote in all new city council members who have some common sense.

Carol Brown BURLINGTON

Brown owns and rents out a condo in River Watch.

FILE: ROB DONNELLY

lifelines

OBITUARIES

Robert Foley

MARCH 20, 1930-

JANUARY 16, 2023

NORTH HERO, VT.

Robert Tappan Foley, 92, of Philadelphia, Pa., and North Hero, Vt., died at his home on January 16, 2023.

Robert Foley was born on March 20, 1930, in Winter Park, Fla., the son of Sherwood and Eleanor (Tappan) Foley. He grew up in a house next door to the Seminole Hotel on Lake Osceola in Winter Park, which his father owned. He attended Asheville School in Asheville, N.C., beginning in 1944 and graduated in 1948. Bob entered Haverford College that year and graduated Phi Beta Kappa in 1952. After college, he spent two years as a clerk in the U.S. Army and was stationed in Columbia, S.C. He then joined the Philadelphia firm of Towers, Perrin, Forster & Crosby as an actuary. He worked there until he retired in 1982.

His work as an actuary was the beginning of a lifelong interest in technology, computers and all things mechanical. It was while working in

Peter Richard Wimble

JANUARY 17, 1955DECEMBER 20, 2022

ST. ALBANS, VT.

Peter Wimble, 67, passed away on December 20, 2022, in Burlington, Vt. He was born on January 17, 1955, in Burlington to Richard Wimble and Lillian (Lavalette) Wimble.

Peter graduated from Essex Junction High School in 1973. He served in the Air National Guard in Vermont, Colorado and Texas.

Peter was married to his high school sweetheart and love of his life, Monica (Yandow) Wimble, for 46 years.

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

to take pictures of the steamboat Ticonderoga as it sailed past the family camp.

He had an enduring love of travel that developed at an early age from journeys with his parents and sister Anne. Bob’s explorations included extensive travel in Europe, Australia and China, as well as multiple transatlantic crossings on the Queen Elizabeth and Queen Mary 2 when he and Priscilla would visit London for a few weeks of theater and music.

Philadelphia that he met his future wife, Priscilla Rose, and on October 13, 1979, they were married at King’s Chapel in Boston. He was predeceased by Priscilla, who died in 2009.

From the very first year of his life, Bob spent summers at his family’s multigenerational home on the shore of Lake Champlain in North Hero, Vt. ere he developed close ties to aunts, uncles and cousins, who formed a small family community and lifelong relationships. Bob was at home on the water and knew well the character and history of Lake Champlain. As a young man, he would row out in the lake

He took special pride in his marriage, and he and Priscilla enjoyed entertaining friends and family both in Philadelphia and Vermont. Together their generosity was considerable, and they mentored several Philadelphia families who were recent arrivals to the United States from China and Vietnam. His philanthropy extended to the Philadelphia Orchestra, Island Arts of North Hero, Vt., the North Hero Historical Society, Shelburne Museum and the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

As anyone who knew him will attest, Bob was modest and self-effacing. He also

he went with his quick wit, big heart and grand sense of humor.

had a sense of adventure. In his youth, he and a group of friends traveled from North Hero down Lake Champlain, the Champlain Canal and the Hudson River to New York City and back, camping along the way. On another occasion, he canoed down the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, and, as he recalled later, by the time he returned, his brown hair was bleached blond by the sun.

He is survived by his sister, Anne Doucet, of Jaffrey, N.H., and numerous cousins and close friends.

His family would like to express particular gratitude to his cousin June Vouriotis, who oversaw his care in recent months, and to Hollis McElwain, his cousin by marriage, who provided companionship in Vermont.

ey would also like to thank the staff at the Barclay in Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia, who provided care and kindness throughout his many years there and particularly during the last months of his life.

A gathering of friends and family will be held in North Hero this summer.

John P. Barron

1961-2023

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

John P. Barron, 61, of Essex Junction, Vt., passed on January 16, 2023, at his residence, surrounded by his family. e son of June Elizabeth (Pasho) Barron and Harold “Jack” Barron, John grew up in Huntington, Vt., with six siblings and close to his many aunts, uncles and cousins.

Deeply motivated by family, John brought comfort and joy to people young and old; knowing him has been described as like “putting on your favorite pair of slippers.” Even during chemotherapy treatments, he could be found working on projects around the house, the warm home he shared with his wife, daughter, grandchildren and great-granddaughter. With a soft-spoken faith in God, John walked that faith each day in love toward everyone he came across, mentoring to the world what a devoted husband, brother, father and friend truly looks like.

He immensely enjoyed traveling, particularly in small-town America.

Pete was an avid baker and enjoyed many homeimprovement projects. He easily made friends wherever

Peter underwent a double lung transplant in 2011, which gave him a new outlook on life. He enjoyed living every day to its fullest, and he demonstrated that to all around him. From parachuting out of a plane to traveling to find the best Halloween town to finding the biggest burger, nothing was too big or too small to become an adventure when you were with him. Spending time with friends and family was his biggest passion.

Peter leaves behind his wife of 45 years, Monica (Yandow) Wimble; son, Benjamin Wimble, and his wife, Jenny (Marchessault)

Wimble; daughter, Charlette Wimble; brothers Michael Wimble and Timothy Wimble; sisters Susan (Wimble) Joyce and Lori Wimble and their spouses; and many loving nieces and nephews, for whom he was a favorite uncle.

He was predeceased by his parents, Richard and Lillian Wimble; sister Sally (Wimble) Colby; and brother Brian Wimble.

A celebration of life will be held at a later date. Contributions can be made to Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Mass. Please consider becoming an organ donor. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

An avid drag-racing fan, John happily shared his extensive knowledge with anyone. His passion brought the family together camping on trips to New England Dragway in New Hampshire and anniversary trips to Sanair Super Speedway in Canada. John spent countless hours in a small hobby room dubbed by his grandchildren as “Papa’s Tree House,” building model replicas, reading and enjoying a good John Wayne film. Sporting a healthy sense of humor consisting of snappy oneliners, John embraced the joys of life, from his extensive vinyl music collection to his love of nature. In his own lingo, John would “go drown a worm” (go fishing), “take the bullets for a walk” (go deer hunting) or “see big blue” (the ocean) — and he savored every moment. Other memories include playing cards on Texas Hill, dances in the garage, roasting hot dogs in the snow and being pulled around the yard on the snowmobile. While there were many layers to John and his big heart, the deepest by far were what family and friends meant to him. He even taught his wife to play a strong cribbage hand and to throw a good game of dice.

e Barron family would like to extend deep gratitude to Dr. Rehman, nurse Cori, and the staff of the oncology and radiology clinic, who all gave loving care to John over the past year and a half. ank you also to Sandra, Julie and Prairie for hospice service during these final months, as well as your support and tender love in his final hours. Your support allowed our entire family and his two close friends Bill and Keith to fulfill John’s desire to stay in his home. ank you.

Services will be private and at the convenience of the family. You may honor John by listening to the song his Lord used to comfort his spirit over these past months, “Over the Rainbow” by Israel Kamakawiwo’ole. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

lifelines OBITUARIES,

VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES

Helen Morse

MAY 12, 1929-

JANUARY 21, 2023

ESSEX JUNCTION, VT.

Helen Morse, born in St. Johnsbury, Vt., on May 12, 1929, to Walter and Clara Rodgers, passed away peacefully at the home of her daughter, Jan Morse, and husband Peter Gillespie in Essex Junction, Vt., on January 21, 2023.

Helen grew up with her brother, Walter Jr. (Sonny), and upon graduation worked at Fairbanks, Morse and Company until her marriage to Gordon Morse on January 5, 1952. ey raised two children, Janice and Michael, while she also managed Gordon’s excavating business from their home.

My beautiful Mom. What a lovely, one-of-a-kind Energizer Bunny of a woman she was! Always buzzing around yet always taking the time to show her limitless love for her family, close and extended, and to all her friends. And the kids! To all the kids she met along the way, especially the Pine St. Gang. Popcorn, Kool-Aid, removing slivers, pajama parties and using her kitchen timer to ensure that each of

Vernon Merchant

APRIL 3, 1934-

JANUARY 24, 2023

BURLINGTON, VT.

Vernon L. Merchant, loving husband and father, passed away on January 24, 2023, at the McClure Miller Respite House in Colchester, Vt. After a three-year battle with Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease, he peacefully went home to be with Jesus, surrounded by his wife, daughter and eldest granddaughter. He was 88 years old.

Vernon was born on April 3, 1934, in Winooski, Vt., to Henry and Blanche (Miller) Merchant. An active member of the Vermont National Guard for many years, Vernon worked heartily with his hands as a TIG welder, boasting 50 years of

Joe Moore was performing. She knew Danny Coane and Dennis Willmott, charmed Ray Vega at Juniper, enjoyed the sunsets at Breakwater Café, and saw Tony Bennett at the Flynn. She hosted both birthday and strawberry shortcake parties well into her eighties. And she grew to love her neighborhood. One day, she returned home to find the kids on her street lined up on her lawn, waiting for hugs.

the 10 children on our street got an equal turn on the swings. And those glorious, noisy birthday parties! We are blessed that she took so many photos that we can now cherish forever.

Being so gregarious helped Mom through life’s ups and downs. But her move from St. Johnsbury to Essex Junction when she was 79 wasn’t easy for her. Along the way, she had lost her son, husband and parents. She gradually put down new roots, joining the senior center, attending numerous events and making new friends. We could barely keep track of her! She also attended all of our numerous potlucks and musical events. She was a regular at On Tap, especially when her dear friend

Mom lived her last days as she lived her life, with dignity, grace, optimism and as much humor as she could muster.

Helen is survived by her daughter, Jan, and her husband, Peter; her beloved granddaughter, Cassidy, and her husband, Mitsu; and precious great-grandchildren, Isabella and Indigo. Also surviving Helen are her much-loved nieces and nephews and their children; Peter’s brother, Bill; and his sister and brother-in-law, George Ann and Steven. She was predeceased by her parents, Walter and Clara; her husband, Gordon; their son, Michael; her brother, Walter Jr.; her grandniece, Sarah; and her in-laws, Robert and Marian Morse.

ank you to all of our family and friends who have been

so caring and attentive during all our ups and downs, especially during these past three years. e phone calls, cards, messages, flowers and treats have all been so appreciated. Special thanks to Lucy, Patty, John Dawson, Cassidy, Joe, George Ann and Steven, Matt and Erica, Helen, Jr., and John Payne for your constant contact. And also to our wonderful caregivers Jennie, Christine and Betsy, along with many others. Our saviors!

I’m forever grateful to the University of Vermont Medical Center ICU staff, as well as staff on Miller 4 and McClure 6, who treated Mom like royalty during her numerous hospitalizations. Last but not least, the kind and compassionate angels at UVM Home Health & Hospice. Sandra, you’re the very best! Most of all, to my beautiful and loving husband, Peter, whom Mom adored and who became our rock as Mom aged.

ere will be a celebration of Helen’s life in Essex Junction in the late spring. e date will be posted in March.

In Helen’s memory and if you are so inclined, please make a plan to stay in touch with your elderly neighbors, family members and friends. ey can be so often overlooked.

Carolyn Fernandez

AUGUST 6, 1922-JANUARY 18, 2023

NORTHFIELD, VT.

Carolyn Wakefield Fernandez, born on August 6, 1922, no longer young and filled with days, died at age 100 on January 18, 2023, in her Northfield home, surrounded by her loving sons and other family members. She will be remembered for her innumerable accomplishments and contributions to the community, as well as for her elegance, wry wit and impeccable taste.

Raised in Morrisville by her mother, Ethel Wakefield, she graduated from People’s Academy in 1939 before attending Vesper George School of Art in Boston, where she studied art appreciation and clothing and interiors. For six years, she worked for Windsor Art Galleries as a window dresser and purchaser of fine art objects. She then became an assistant buyer in the antiques department at Jordan Marsh, where she received a certificate in merchandising. Later, she was an instructor of art history, art appreciation and clothing at Vermont College in Montpelier. She met the love of her life, handsome World War II veteran Sergeant Julio (Cheezie) Fernandez, whose parents, Arsenio and Jovita, had immigrated to the central Vermont area from Santander, Spain, only decades before. Raising her three sons, Vincent, now of Richmond, Vt., and Stephen and Peter of Northfield, she made for her beloved family a comfortable and stylish home.

experience between Vermont Structural Steel and Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation. On May 30, 1956, he married the love of his life and his high school sweetheart, Suzanne J. Feeney.

Together for 71 years, Vernon and Suzanne raised four children. He had a

healthy passion for fishing and enjoyed finding a deep, clear hole to drop a line for trout. An avid photographer with a love for black-andwhite photos, he was also a skilled carpenter with an exceptional talent for his craft and a quick-witted poet, never passing up the opportunity to dole out a quirky limerick or catchy jingle. Vernon was a regular attendee of Ignite Church in Williston, Vt., and cared deeply for his church family. He had many wonderful friends and deep relationships that brought him great encouragement, and he was never ashamed of sharing his love of Jesus with anyone that crossed his path.

Vernon is survived by his beloved wife, Suzanne, and his four children: Tim and Kelley Merchant, Steve and

Lynn Merchant, Judy and Joseph Senesac, and Kris and MaryJane Merchant. He also leaves behind a legacy of seven grandchildren whom he loved more than life itself: Abigail and her husband, Winston; siblings Levi and Lily; and siblings Brooke, Bethany, Bridget and David.

Visiting hours will be at Lavigne’s Funeral Home in Winooski, Vt., on Sunday, January 29, from 1 to 4 p.m. ere will also be a celebration of his life on Monday, January 30, 11 a.m., at Ignite Church in Williston, Vt., with a graveside service to be held in the spring. In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests considering a donation to the McClure Miller Respite House, 3113 Roosevelt Hwy., Colchester, VT 05446.

From 1981 to 1985, Carolyn assisted in the evaluation of over 450 antique quilts for the Vermont Quilt Festival; she became a member of the board of trustees and the chair of the search committee in 1983. Carolyn also studied dated quilts and textiles in the collection of the Shelburne Museum as a certified art dealer and appraiser with the Vermont Antiques Dealers’ Association and member of the New England Appraisers Association.

Her buttermilk doughnuts, sold at the family market from the ’60s to the ’80s and in later years at other local businesses, were a much-celebrated town tradition. In addition to her professional accomplishments, Carolyn was an avid traveler, sojourning to Spain with her lively sistersin-law, Nina Fernandez-Platt, Irene Fernandez-Anderson and Julia Fernandez-Popowski, all married to high-ranking military officers. She also visited other parts of Europe, including Italy, Austria and Switzerland, with her daughterin-law Jennifer and granddaughter Lisa.

She is survived by her three sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. e Fernandez family would like to thank Carol Patterson, Carolyn’s personal health attendant, and the rest of the excellent staff at Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice for their endless love and tireless care.

A celebration of Carolyn’s life will be held in the spring at the Methodist Church in Northfield. Further details will be made available by Kingston Funeral Home, memorials.vtfuneralhomes.com/carolyn-fernandez/ 5124050/index.php.

Celeste Pasqua Bartoletti Hahn

APRIL 12, 1925-JANUARY 30, 2023

BURLINGTON, VT.

In the wee hours of January 30, 2023, Celeste passed peacefully from this life, surrounded by much love. “Well done, my good and faithful servant. Come, share your master’s joy.”

Celeste’s life began as the bells were ringing for Easter Sunday, April 12, 1925, in Orsogna, Italy, at the home of her parents, Argia and Antonio Bartoletti. She was immediately christened with the new Easter Vigil baptismal waters and given the name Celeste Pasqua, meaning “Heavenly Easter.” When she was 4 years old, the family, which included her siblings, Maria and Carlo, crossed the Atlantic Ocean to begin a new life in America.

The Bartolettis lived in an apartment in the Italian section of the North Bronx, N.Y., settling in across the hall from older cousins. Italian traditions were honored, and she and her siblings attended Italian parochial schools. Celeste attributed her strong faith

IN MEMORIAM

Tobias “Toby” Andros Tomasi

1973-1990

In loving memory of Tobias “Toby” Andros Tomasi

Born February 3, 1973, in Decca, Bangladesh. Died December 28, 1990, in Williston, Vt.

Meditation XVII

“No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of the continent, a part of the main ... Any man’s death diminishes me, because I am involved in mankind...”

—John Donne

For his family, from Alice Siegriest and Ruth Furman

to her parents, her Catholic schooling and her decision to join the Catholic Evidence Guild, which trained members to stand on the street corners to share the Catholic faith.

In 1951, Celeste visited Rome to meet first cousins and attend a world congress of the laity, where she met the pope. Upon her return to New York City, Celeste acquired a secretarial position at Rockefeller Center. Being the daughter of a tailor and a seamstress, she fit right in with the fashionable city work life.

It was love at first sight when she met, at daily mass, the man she would eventually marry: William A. Hahn, a native Vermonter and graduate student turned professor. Bill and Celeste, wishing to raise their family in the country, moved to a farmhouse in Jericho, Vt. Celeste came to embrace country living and brought Italian and Catholic traditions into their home.

Celeste and Bill later purchased a natural food store in South Burlington. Together, with the help of their six children, they ran the store for 25 years.

Once Bill and Celeste decided to move into Burlington, Celeste used her beautiful voice

Robin Mazza Boyer

MARCH 18, 1958JANUARY 27, 2023

COLCHESTER, VT.

Robin Mazza Boyer, age 64, of Colchester passed away on January 27, 2023, at the McClure Miller Respite House surrounded by her loving family. She was born in Burlington on March 18, 1958, to the late Robert E. Mazza and Martie Mazza.

Robin graduated from Colchester High School in 1976 with the first graduating class. She lettered in three sports at CHS: basketball, softball and field hockey. Robin married the love of her life, Bobby Boyer, in 1977. Robin and Bobby celebrated their 45th anniversary in October.

to sing for masses and funerals. She was a proud member of the Vermont Italian Cultural Association, which she helped to organize.

In the final years of her life, Celeste was blessed to live at Memory Care at Allen Brook, where the entire staff cared for her with genuine affection.

Celeste was predeceased by her husband of 50 years in 2004. She is survived by her children: Stephanie, Mary (Steve), Michele (Ron), Will (Dorie), Monica and Francesca; by her grandchildren: Christina (Jill), Adele (Jason), Mary, Sam, Andrew (Julia), Jeff (Lila), Joseph (Cindy), Anna (Justin), Michael (Sarah), Nicole, Charles (Simonne), William (Kelly), Theresa, Genna and Anthony; and by two dozen greatgrandchildren (so far), numerous nieces, nephews and friends.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the care of Boucher & Pritchard Funeral Service, a division of the Ready Family.

Visiting hours will begin at 9 a.m. on Saturday, February 4, at Boucher & Pritchard Funeral Home in Burlington, Vt. Celeste’s funeral mass will follow at noon at St. Joseph Cathedral.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Celeste’s memory are appreciated to Memory Care at Allen Brook, 99 Allen Brook Ln., Williston, VT 05495 or the Vermont Right to Life Committee, P.O. Box 1079, Montpelier, VT 05601.

READ, POST, SHARE + COMMENT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LIFELINES

Robin is survived by her mother, Martie Mazza; brother, Robby Mazza, and his wife, Carla; three children, Carrie, Justin and Jeffrey; four grandchildren, Megan Marchant, Athansia Boyer, Gunnar Boyer and Dominic Boyer; and two nieces, Lauryn Crutchfield and Lindsi Douglas. Robin lived for her grandchildren and enjoyed time boating, traveling in the camper with family, crafting, quilting and taking weekend trips to the casino.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Robin’s name to the American Cancer Society. A celebration of life will be announced at a later date. Please visit awrfh.com to share your memories and condolences.

Minding the Stores

Peter Edelmann is transforming an Essex mall into a town center and Vermont “experience”

BY KEN PICARD • PHOTOS BY LUKE AWTRY

Saturday night was all right for the 400-plus music fans in the Double E Performance Center in Essex listening to the band Get Together play the music of Elton John and Queen. While front person Josh Panda belted out a powerhouse version of “Rocket Man,” images of stars and galaxies drifted behind him on a 60-foot-wide movie screen.

During the slower tunes, the crowd of people mostly in their forties, fifties and older stayed in their cushy stadium seats — that is, until pianist Tyler Mast launched into a raucous rendition of “Crocodile Rock.” As Mast pounded the keys of the theater’s Steinway grand piano, audience members rose to their feet, many dancing in the aisles with cocktails in hand.

Theater owner Peter Edelmann, 70, danced energetically by the stage, his frizzy, salt-and-pepper ponytail bobbing to the music.

“You think people needed this?” he asked, surveying the crowd with a smile. “I feel like a kid in a candy store.”

The sold-out rock show in January was a departure from the typical fare in the T-Rex Theater, a large-format movie auditorium that Edelmann opened in 2010 to showcase blockbuster movies in 3D. But Edelmann, who owns the 10-screen Essex Cinemas, the surrounding shopping center and the Essex Resort & Spa down the street, isn’t a typical developer. And his latest effort to repurpose the T-Rex as one of Chittenden County’s premier concert venues is just one piece of a broader vision.

Beginning in 1993 when he purchased a financially beleaguered inn and a then-dying strip mall, Edelmann has been trying different ways to make those spaces community-oriented and commercially viable. A few years ago, he rebranded the shopping center as the Essex Experience, a step toward transforming a soulless and generic outlet mall into a vibrant hub of small, locally owned businesses that focus on Vermont products and services.

Its evolution has been slow. As a businessman who invested heavily in cinemas, food, hospitality and traditional retail, Edelmann endured years of financial setbacks and disappointments. The state abandoned its decades-long plan to build a regional highway that would have sped thousands of consumers directly to his businesses. The New England Culinary Institute left his food-themed resort. Amazon decimated his brick-and-mortar retailers, and online streaming services stole his theatergoers.

When COVID-19 shuttered nearly all of his businesses in March 2020, it looked like the final nail in the coffin. Edelmann still had a $200,000 property tax bill to pay.

But now, after nearly three years of the pandemic, the Essex Experience has finally turned around and is almost fully leased. Most days its parking lot is busy, if not full, often with out-of-state vehicles.

PETER IS A SAVVY GUY.

I THINK IF THERE’S ANYONE WHO CAN PULL IT OFF, HE CAN.

JEFF CARR

Essex Experience owner Peter Edelmann in the 18th-century barn used as a concert band shell

People are flocking to its craft brewery and distillery, cannabis dispensary, therapeutic salt cave, and the state’s largest gallery of locally produced art. (Yes, an oxygen bar and cidery are coming, too.)

The shopping center’s tenants reflect Vermont’s changing demographics and community values. Twenty-two of its 23 businesses are locally owned, including 12 by women or people of color. Its food stores and restaurants serve organic, sustainable and locally sourced meats,

cheeses and produce. In warmer months, its village green hosts gourmet food trucks and live concerts in a repurposed 18th-century barn.

The driving force behind the renaissance of the Essex Experience is Edelmann himself, an entrepreneur brimming with enthusiasm and new business ideas. His tenants describe him less as a landlord than a business partner, adviser and friend. And now that his efforts are finally bearing fruit, Edelmann has attracted

international attention for promoting local and sustainable business growth.

Essex town officials are rooting for him to succeed. After last year’s long-anticipated divorce of the Town of Essex from what is now the City of Essex Junction, the Essex Selectboard approved a master plan that designates Butlers Corners, the area encompassing Edelmann’s properties and the nearby intersection of Vermont routes 289 and 15, as its official town center. That plan, which still needs voters’ approval, designates the area for economic growth that “emphasizes the human experience.” The word choice doesn’t seem coincidental.

With its emphasis on interesting and unique local businesses, the Essex Experience offers consumers things they won’t find at the big-box stores of Williston. And with free parking and none of the public safety concerns that have plagued Burlington in recent years, some shoppers may decide that it’s worth the drive. One marketing slogan Edelmann considered: “It’s far out, but not that far out.”

“What Peter is doing [at the Essex Experience] is making it a retail destination, where you go because the stores are worth going to,” said Jean O’Sullivan, economic development coordinator for the Town of Essex, who speaks to Edelmann almost every day. “It’s what all of these malls around the state should be doing.”

Edelmann’s plan isn’t fully realized. His businesses still face headwinds, not the least of which is convincing consumers, many of whom grew accustomed to shopping online during the pandemic

and remain wary of large public gatherings, that the Essex Experience deserves another look.

“Peter is a savvy guy,” said Shelburne economist Jeff Carr, who lived in Essex for 29 years and served on its selectboard from 2000 to 2009. “I think if there’s anyone who can pull it off, he can.”

‘Not a Typical Landlord’

Foot traffic was slow on a snowy weekday as Edelmann walked into Purple Sage, the 7,500-square-foot salon, spa and holistic healing center that moved into the Essex Experience five years ago. When owner Kim Scofield saw Edelmann arrive, she jogged over and gave him a big hug.

Purple Sage, which has been in business for 14 years, offers a variety of personalcare and new-age services: massages, facials, ionic detoxifying foot baths and sessions in a salt cave. Edelmann said he often brings musicians to the salt cave before they perform at the Double E “for their vocal cords. Or afterwards, just to chill out.”

For years, Scofield rented a smaller space next to Cody’s Irish Pub & Grille in Essex, where her landlord was Rick Bove, who has tangled with tenants and local code enforcement over his properties.

“You want to talk about night and day for landlords?” Scofield said with a smirk.

“Peter’s not a typical landlord,” she said later, when Edelmann wasn’t around. “I’ve had multiple businesses and rented multiple spaces. This is the first time in my 42-year career that I’ve worked with someone that I really like.”

What’s so special about Edelmann?

“He has an amazing vision,” she said. “And he’s been incredibly supportive.”

When Scofield needed to renovate her space, Edelmann directed her to contractors who did quality work at a reasonable price.

Edelmann also includes all of his business owners in his plans and seeks their input. As Scofield explained, he holds monthly “town meetings” with them to check on their welfare and update them on new developments.

Edelmann is also conscientious about only leasing to businesses that won’t compete directly with one another, she said. Purple Sage routinely gets referrals from the Essex Resort & Spa, which Scofield considers “a sister company.” In turn, she sends clients there when her employees are booked.

During the pandemic, Scofield added, Edelmann never pressured her for a rent check if she was running late, nor did he charge her interest, as previous landlords

A sold-out show in the Double E Performance Center

Get Together front person Josh Panda

Get Together piano player Tyler Mast

Minding the Stores «

had. “It’s more than just business,” she said. “He feels like family.”

Across the parking lot, a new addition to the Essex Experience, Nusantara, opened in November. The name, the Indonesian word for Indonesia, suits the boutique’s offerings: antique Chinese cabinets, Balinese sculptures, Nepalese printing blocks, and cotton wraps from India and West Timor, as well as crystals, beads and singing bowls. Hanging in the middle of the store is a large disco ball, handmade by Yolanda Baker, who also made ones for Beyoncé, Madonna, Studio 54 and the Saturday Night Fever movie set.

Nusantara itself isn’t a new business, explained partner and creative director Kim Harris. Owners Steve Mustukas and Meg Clippingdale founded it 42 years ago. The couple travel the world accumulating many of the items they sell. For years, Nusantara wholesaled goods out of a Rutland warehouse, Harris explained, before the couple met Edelmann and Mustukas declared, “This is the spot.” Now they have a retail space — and a showroom for their wholesale clients.

How is Edelmann as a landlord?

“Unbelievable,” Harris said. “He really believes in the businesses that are here, and he puts his heart and soul into it. He checks on us every day and [asks], ‘How’s it going? What do you need?’ He’s been amazing.”

If You Update It…

Some Vermonters may bristle at the idea of designating a shopping mall as the economic and cultural heart of a community. The Essex Experience looks nothing like a stereotypical Vermont town center — there’s no folksy general store, picturesque church spire or covered wooden bridge. A McDonald’s restaurant and a Hannaford supermarket mark one entrance, an Ace Hardware store the other.

The place looks very different from the shopping plaza that Edelmann purchased in 1994 with business partners whom he bought out long ago. The Lang Shopping Center was home to a supermarket known as Martin’s (later purchased by Hannaford) and other mom-and-pop shops. Half the storefronts were empty, and the rest were on life support. “It was falling apart,” he said.

Nevertheless, Edelmann saw an opportunity. Essex was growing, and a new highway that would run right by his businesses was under construction. IBM had arrived in Essex Junction in the 1950s and drew waves of out-of-staters to work there as the information age took hold. IBM’s

Vermont workforce peaked at about 8,500 in the 1990s, just about the time Edelmann showed up.

Among those new arrivals were Linda Myers and her husband, Marty, who moved to Essex in 1978. An IBMer, Marty served on the Essex Selectboard and in the state legislature, while Linda, a journalist, worked at the Essex Reporter from 1984 until 2001, mostly as its managing editor.

“My husband was a very astute man in terms of business and community, and I know that he thought very highly of [Edelmann],” recalled Myers, whom thengovernor Howard Dean appointed to her husband’s House seat upon his death in 2001. She also served on the Essex Selectboard for 13 years.

“In my own dealings with Peter, I always found him to be easy to talk to and willing to give information,” Myers added. “And his plan for that area was very reasonable.”

That plan in the mid-1990s involved rebranding the center as Essex Outlets, also known over the years as Essex Outlet Fair and Essex Shoppes & Cinema. The original purpose of outlet stores was to enable large national brands — Polo, Tommy Hilfiger, Brooks Brothers, Ralph Lauren — to shed excess inventory that they couldn’t sell at full price. Most outlet malls sprouted in smaller suburban communities near metro areas.

Edelmann had previously developed outlet malls in California, including his first, the 500,000-square-foot Las Americas Premium Outlets on the border of San Diego and Tijuana, Mexico. He believed that opening one in Essex could make it

Purple Sage owner Kim Scofield in her therapeutic salt cave

Lounge area at Uncommon Coffee

Meredith Mann, owner of Magic Mann cannabis dispensary

a tourist destination akin to Manchester Center.

Edelmann was already expanding the inn — he constructed another building in 1998 that added 26 more rooms and the spa — then opened Essex Cinemas in 2001. An outlet mall seemed like a natural fit.

“But all of that was a bet on the fact that the Circ was going to come through,” said longtime Essex resident Tom Torti, who was president of the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce from 2006 to 2020. “It would have brought a ton of traffic there and made it very easy to get to.”

The Circ, or Chittenden County Circumferential Highway, was a sprawl ing federal highway plan conceived in the 1950s and designed in 1973 to move people in and around Burlington. It would have connected Interstate 89 in Williston to Route 127 in Colchester and the Southern Connector in Burlington, effectively creating a ring around the Queen City.

FOR ME, THE ANSWER WAS COMMUNITY, ART AND MUSIC.

PETER EDELMANN

Essex and IBM favored building the artery to ferry the company’s workers to and from its Essex Junction campus quickly, Torti explained. The first — and only — segment completed, now called Route 289 in Essex, has one exit at the Essex Resort and two that bookend the shopping center.

The Circ could have fundamentally changed Chittenden County, and Burlington business interests feared that it would decimate the city’s downtown. The project ran into a multitude of issues, including permitting delays, environmental concerns, pushback from other communities and ballooning expenses. Its proposed bridge across the Winooski River between Williston and Essex would have cost more than the highway’s original price tag, Torti noted.

It became clear that the Circ would never be completed long before 2011, when then-governor Peter Shumlin finally pulled the plug.

In the meantime, the national retail landscape was changing. By the mid2000s, major retailers were manufacturing goods meant for their outlet stores. And as outlet malls sprouted throughout the country, their novelty wore off, and their draw as tourist attractions waned.

The Man Behind the Experience

Edelmann agreed to meet for an interview over lunch at the Tavern, the more casual of the two eateries at the Essex Resort. He arrived wearing rimless glasses, a green sweater, jeans and hippie-like macramé bracelets on one wrist. Edelmann sports a scraggly beard, a ponytail and the tanned, weathered face of a man who spends a lot of time outdoors. An avid tennis player, he’s made many contacts and business deals on the courts.

WHAT’S AT THE ESSEX EXPERIENCE?

“People originally went [to Essex Outlets] because it was something new to do,” said Torti, who served on the Essex Planning Commission from 1994 to 2000 and the Essex Selectboard from 2000 to 2006. “But it quickly became a little bit of a wasteland. There was not a lot happening.”

Despite the shopping center’s struggles, Torti said he was always impressed by Edelmann’s stewardship. Even when stores were vacant, the center never looked blighted. Torti also appreciated Edelmann’s “win-win approach” and his willingness to address town officials’ concerns.

“There was always something more genuine about Peter,” he added. “He’s not your typical black-hat developer that people like to rail about. I think he’s the real deal. And he’s proven that over the years.”

Carr, who knew Edelmann from his decade on the selectboard in the 2000s, noted that the developer also had to sidestep years of bickering between the town and the Village of Essex Junction, especially over where development should occur.

“Peter had to navigate all that noise, at the same time trying to stay focused on what businesses would succeed,” Carr said. “I don’t know who else would have had the commitment to do what he’s done. I give him an A for sticking with it.”

Today, the last remaining nationalbrand outlet store at the Essex Experience is Famous Footwear. When a national dollar-store chain offered Edelmann $1 million for an acre of land, he turned it down.

“The successful developer is someone who … doesn’t try something that’s ubiquitous,” he explained. “For me, the answer was community, art and music.”

Edelmann exudes the chill vibe of a Zen surfer, which belies his vigorous work schedule and seemingly boundless entrepreneurial spirit. Behind the casual appearance is one of the biggest taxpayers in Essex. The Essex Cinemas is assessed at $4.8 million, the Essex Experience at $7.2 million and the 18-acre inn at $9.4 million.

Edelmann and his wife, Jessica Ebert Edelmann, an attorney, live on Lake Champlain in Colchester on the site of the former Buff Ledge Camp. The private girls’ summer retreat earned national notoriety for the purported alien abductions of two camp instructors in 1968; UFO enthusiasts occasionally still show up in their driveway.

In retrospect, Edelmann seemed destined to run a shopping center — though it was the inn, not the mall, that first brought him to Vermont.

Edelmann was born in Germany and came to the U.S. by boat in 1956, when he was 3. His family settled near Elmira, N.Y., where Edelmann’s parents went to work in a factory.

“Being a German in the ’50s was a tough time because [World War II] was still very raw and very recent,” he said. “We were the immigrant family who wanted to learn English as quickly as we could.”

Edelmann’s father went into real estate, eventually becoming the president of a company that built strip malls. In the 1960s, he developed the first indoor mall in the Elmira area.

“I kind of grew up in the shopping center world,” Edelmann said. Beginning at age 12, he often joined his father at industry conventions in Miami. Yet he never intended to follow his father’s path. “It just didn’t interest me,” he said.

Nevertheless, he learned about developers and what he called “the timbre of conversations of real estate people.”

After college and graduate school, Edelmann bummed around for a few years, working odd jobs in construction and factories before landing a position with Southmark, one of the largest real

estate investment firms in the country. He wound up in southern California. He and a group of investors put together a deal worth more than $160 million to develop the Vail Ranch in Temecula, Calif.

While working on that project, Edelmann was asked to go to Zurich, Switzerland, to examine the finances of another company. There he met Bob Botjer, an American expatriate who was interested in a Vermont company that bought and sold homes in Killington. Because Edelmann knew finance and real estate, Botjer asked him to visit Vermont and take a closer look. The company was also the developer of the Inn at Essex, now the Essex Resort.

Edelmann eventually advised Botjer not to get involved. However, Edelmann fell in love with Burlington and thought that the inn, which was in foreclosure, had potential. So in 1993, he put together a group of investors and acquired it.

The day they closed, what was then the IBM Credit Union announced that it had purchased the Lang Farm Shopping Center. Knowing something about that business, Edelmann approached the credit union’s president. Two months later, Edelmann and his partners purchased the shopping center, too. He was officially a Vermonter.

Getting an Education

At Junction, the Essex Resort’s restaurant for fine dining, decorative place settings hang upside down from the ceiling while diners enjoy exquisitely prepared appetizers of foie de poulet, pickled peach and burrata, and charcuterie plates of housemade duck prosciutto and Vermont blue cheese.

The inn’s culinary theme extends into its luxurious rooms, which are decorated with utensil-themed artwork, ’50s-retro mini fridges and wall-mounted food sculptures.

For 20 years, the inn doubled as a teaching campus for the Montpelierbased NECI, with 100 students on-site until the culinary school’s departure in 2009.

“NECI did a great job of teaching and preparing food,” Edelmann said. “What NECI didn’t do well is cost control, which was part of its demise.”

The inn still bills itself as “Vermont’s culinary resort,” offering cooking and baking classes in its subterranean teaching kitchens.

During a tour, Edelmann popped his head into one kitchen, where a woman in a white apron stirred a pot simmering on the stove.

“Smells good. What are you making?” Edelmann asked enthusiastically.

“I’m doing Thai food. I have a class at 5,” Denise Stanley answered. “Who are you?”

“I’m the owner,” he replied with a smile.

Edelmann later expressed mild embarrassment. He typically knows all of his employees by name, he said; however, in the past two years, there’s been a lot of turnover. The inn employs 150 to 180 people; another 150 work at the Essex Experience.

Though the Essex Resort and the Essex Experience are separate entities, in Edelmann’s mind they operate synergistically. As he explained, his team developed a website that enables visitors to “create a menu” of activities for their stay: They can make reservations for restaurants at the inn and the Essex Experience, book shows at Double E, buy movie tickets, and enroll in classes at either site.

Nearly all the businesses at the Essex Experience will eventually offer some educational component, Edelmann said, such as classes on wine tasting, brewing and distilling, and cannabis cultivation techniques.

Nusantara has volunteered space for community lectures and poetry readings. A Champlain College professor plans to use the store’s displays and merchandise to teach students about East Asian weaving and printing techniques.

Nusantara employee Gabriela Mendez, who’s from Guatemala, intends to teach flamenco classes. Her partner, Juan Margarit, organizes tennis and wine education vacations to what he called “the Napa Valley of Argentina” — the Mendoza

region. He’s spoken to Edelmann, with whom he also plays tennis, about partnering on a new business venture.

Said Harris, “I want this to be a space where other people start businesses, too.”

In 2019, Edelmann partnered with another tennis buddy, John Churchman, and his wife, Jennifer, to open ArtHound Gallery. Featuring the work of more than 350 Vermont artists, ArtHound is now the state’s largest art gallery.

“Peter’s an interesting character,” said John Churchman. “He had a vision of what he wanted to do here. And he’s made it happen.”

Edelmann has a financial stake in “quite a few” of the businesses at the Essex Experience, though he didn’t say how many or which ones. If an entrepreneur lacks enough startup capital, he’ll offer to take an equity position as a minority shareholder. He also offers discounts on rent in exchange for a small percentage of their profits.

“So, if they do well, I do well,” he said. “It’s a symbiotic relationship.”

Currently, the Essex Experience draws power from solar panels that cover the center’s rooftops. In March, when the resort breaks ground on an events space for weddings and conventions, it will include a geothermal energy system that will heat and cool the inn. Edelmann hopes that a second geothermal system planned for the shopping center will eventually enable him to take both off the grid.

He sees the Essex Experience as a “beta site” for exporting business ideas elsewhere, including to other countries.

“I was very happy to have discovered the Essex Experience,” said Kerry Bannigan, cofounder of Conscious Fashion and Lifestyle Network, which has invited the center to join. The network is an online program of the United Nations’ Department of Economic and Social Affairs. The mission of the network, which has more than 170 members worldwide, is to help the fashion and lifestyle industries fulfill the UN’s 2030 goals for sustainability.

As Bannigan explained, the network serves as a hub for sharing information around sustainable business practices through conferences and online forums. There’s no paywall or membership fee, Bannigan said, though members are thoroughly vetted before they’re invited to join.

“Putting people and planet first into the DNA of your business is actually good for everybody,” Bannigan added. “We’re really excited to have the Essex Experience become a prime point for us.”

Are You Experienced?

Several days after the Elton John and Queen tribute show, a group of musicians in their sixties and seventies were onstage at the Double E Performance Center for a very different musical event. Despite having access to the theater’s state-of-theart sound system, they were making music old school.

As Swanton musician Missisquoi Slim explained, they re-create the blues sound of the 1940s and ’50s. They were equipped with vintage amplifiers, mics and instruments and recorded the session on a

Nusantara, which opened in November, is the Essex Experience’s newest addition.

reel-to-reel tape recorder. Eventually, it’ll be pressed on vinyl.

“These guys can really play in the old style of blues,” Slim said. “So we’re hoping to make not just a great blues album but a great blues album that sounds like it was recorded back in the ’50s.”

Sitting onstage was a Steinway concert series grand piano, which once toured with Bruce Hornsby. Edelmann explained that when he booked musician Elio Villafranca for a show at the Double E in March 2020, Villafranca insisted on playing a Steinway.

Edelmann went to Steinway’s headquarters in Astoria, N.Y., let Villafranca pick one out and bought it for “over six

artistic eye, and he’s focused on the arts. And he’s putting on some great shows.”

Edelmann has had expert help. In 2017, he partnered with Higher Ground cofounder Kevin Statesir, who’d just sold his interest in the South Burlington concert venue the year before. Longtime Higher Ground patrons will recognize Statesir’s 9-foot-tall, Grateful Deadthemed guitar in the Double E lobby.

With movie theater revenues dwindling, Edelmann wanted to repurpose the T-Rex, which often sat empty. However, he knew little about the music industry.

It’s taken several years for the Double E to take off, Statesir noted. Shows have been few and far between, though those that were staged — Melvin Seals and JGB (Jerry Garcia’s old band), Al Stewart and David Bromberg — were well received. Many of Statesir’s former Higher Ground patrons, especially older ones, told him they preferred the stadium seats to standing on concrete.

Then the pandemic hit. The concerts stopped, and the venue pivoted to takeout food made by the Mad Taco, which later opened in its own restaurant in the Essex Experience.

As a music venue, the Double E has real promise, Statesir said. Its auditorium, built for amplified sound, holds 405 people — 700, if Edelmann decided to remove the floor seats. This summer, the Double E’s village green will host nearly two dozen outdoor concerts, its busiest season yet. About two months ago, Statesir and Edelmann were leaving the Double E when they noticed cars parked everywhere.

figures.” He named it Eve, short for “Elio Villafranca Essex,” he explained, but also as a symbol of new beginnings.

Though the purchase may seem extravagant, Edelmann considers it an investment in the Double E. Ironically, Eve won’t appear on the blues album recorded that day; world-renowned pianist Anthony Geraci played a 1920s upright model that was schlepped down from Swanton.

“This gear is older than all of us,” said blues harp player Bob Stannard, 71, who will play a concert there with these musicians in March.

Stannard, who’s been playing the blues live since 1969, met Edelmann last year while putting together a benefit concert for his longtime bandmate Joe Moore.

“Peter starts running his ideas by me for this whole place, and I was like, Whoa! I was dizzy!” recalled Stannard, who also once chaired the board of trustees of the Vermont Arts Council. “He’s not just a commercial developer. He’s got this

“I said, ‘Peter, do you remember how many nights we walked out and these parking lots were empty?’” Statesir recalled. “It dawned on me that, wow! It’s finally taking root.”

Edelmann’s vision, nearly realized, has been anything but smooth sailing. Late last year, Babaroosa, a 20,000-square-foot interactive art installation slated to open at the Essex Experience in 2024, pulled out. The $23 million project could have drawn thousands of visitors to the Essex Experience annually.

Despite his lost investment of time, money, engineering and legal services, Edelmann said he won’t sue the organizers. As he told Seven Days in December, “I could probably make waves, but life is too short.”

How does he maintain such equanimity?

“I came over on the boat and got seasick,” he said, recalling his trip to America. “And I never got seasick again. That parallels my life.” ➆

Learn more at essexexperience.com.

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HE HAD A VISION OF WHAT HE WANTED TO DO HERE. AND HE’S MADE IT HAPPEN.

JOHN CHURCHMAN

Peter Edelmann

Snow Day

251: Skiing on the cheap at Cochran’s in Richmond

BY SALLY POLLAK • sally@sevendaysvt.com

What will $10 buy?

If it’s Friday and you’re in Richmond, it’ll get you a trifecta of recreation, food and drink. Skiing is $5 every Friday at Cochran’s Ski Area. A grilled cheese sandwich at the snack bar costs $4; a cup of hot chocolate is $1. If you’re a little kid and you don’t have $1, the drink is free, as I observed recently. The college student working behind the counter served the boy his cocoa and asked him to tell his parents that their account was out of money.

This act of kindness and respect for a child epitomizes the Cochran way. Affordability is also key.

“Our main mission is to keep skiing and ski racing affordable for anybody,” Lindy Cochran Kelley said. “We’re lowering our prices.”

Cochran’s is low-cost, low-key and lowsloped. Its hilly sweep and seasonal purity invite participation. (Unlike at mountain resorts, there’s nowhere to shop or drink a craft cocktail here.) From the bottom of the hill at dusk, you can see the line of lights that illuminate the slope all the way to the top. They look like candles aglow on a gently tiered cake topped with white icing.

Kelley, 69, is the youngest of the four Cochran siblings whose parents, Mickey and Ginny, founded the neighborhood ski spot in 1961. (The ski area became a nonprofit in 1998.) The couple met as students at the University of Vermont when he gave her a ride to ski at Stowe. They married in 1949 and had four children in three and a half years.

Mickey, an engineer at GE, put in a rope tow on the hill behind the family’s house, across the road from the Winooski River. The ski area remains at that site.

“My mom’s big thing was: She didn’t want any kids inside,” Kelley said. “She wanted them outside, getting in the Vermont air.” All four Cochran kids grew up to be Olympic Alpine ski racers.

Kelley was at Cochran’s one afternoon last week, watching the action in a big orangey-red parka. Scores of people were skiing that day after a fresh snowfall, including families, school teams and kids

in Cochran’s Ski Club, which coaches ages 6 and up.

“We try to keep it fun,” Kelley said. “We try to make sure there’s no pressure on these kids. We’re not very regimented.”

Over the years, the hill has hosted (and produced) top-notch athletes, including Mikaela Shiffrin, who last week set a record for most World Cup wins by a woman. As a young teen skiing for Burke Mountain Academy, Shiffrin won races at Cochran’s “by quite a bit,” Kelley said. Ryan Cochran-Siegle, the 2022 Olympic super G silver medalist, grew up skiing at

Cochran’s. His mother, 1972 Olympic gold medalist Barbara Ann Cochran, is Kelley’s sister.

But that level of sport is a distant world from the one inhabited by Gabriel Studdard, 4, of South Burlington. He skied nonstop the other day, riding uphill on the Mighty Mite cable tow with handles, then skiing down.

In a momentary breather at the bottom of the slope, Gabriel summed up his run: “It’s fun. And it’s kind of long.”

His mother, Caitlin Studdard, snuggling her 6-week-old son against her chest, walked and talked with her toddler daughter at the foot of the hill. They warmed up at the firepit. For the sleeping baby, it was trip No. 2 to Cochran’s: He had been there half his lifetime ago.

“I like that Gabriel can be independent here,” Studdard said. “He loves skiing so much, and it’s an easy way to let him do that. He’s building his confidence.”

Eddie Staples, an 18-year-old firstyear at Norwich University, said the $10 midweek price “was definitely a drawing point for me.” (Staples paid the adult price; kids’ tickets cost $8 during the week, except on Fridays when the price is $5 for all.) He grew up in Bethel, skiing on the Pico team.

“It looks fun,” Staples said, setting off on his first run to the sound of heavy metal in his earbuds. “There’s space to mess around.”

On the hill, a boy skiing over a small jump fell and landed in the snow. His friend stopped skiing and went to check on her buddy. The young boy picked himself up, walked uphill to the spot where he had crashed and skied down from there. He

RECREATION

Leia Floersch (left) and Hazel Risi riding the T-Bar at Cochran’s Ski Area

PHOTOS: DARIA BISHOP

glided over to his father, who was on his skis at the bottom of the hill, and came to a stop.

“Did you see the air I got?” Kassel Johnson, 6, asked his dad, Erik Johnson. The kindergartner had brushed off the mishap and delighted in his descent.

Johnson, 39, is a mechanical engineer who lives in Huntington and grew up in Richmond. “This was my second home,” he said, recalling skiing at Cochran’s as a child with his twin brother, Karl.

“My parents didn’t ski,” Johnson said. “They dropped us off, and the Cochrans took over.” He and Karl became Division I downhill racers who competed for Dartmouth College. Johnson brings his two sons to Cochran’s as often as possible.

“You can watch from afar,” he said. “Kids learn independence and the buddy system.”

For Johnson, now a backcountry skier, Cochran’s holds special meaning. “Nostalgia is definitely part of it,” he said.

His 8-year-old son, Lachlan, gave a shout-out to the lasagna that’s served at Cochran’s Friday Night Lights community dinner, which offers a main course, side and dessert for $10.

“It’s the best deal in the world,” lodge manager Colin McPhillips said, noting that the snack bar is sometimes closed as the kitchen prepares the meal.

Last season, Cochran’s lowered the price of a family season pass by $100, Kelley said, knocking it down to $295. Other prices have dropped, too. (Check the website for full details.) Folks have an option to buy a family pass for $590, a purchase that equates to two season passes: one for the buyer’s family and one for a family in need.

Kelley attributes the drop in pricing to several factors, including Cochran’s nonprofit status, its relatively low overhead and an annual season-ending fundraiser that brought in more than $100,000 last year. She also said her nephew Jimmy Cochran deserves a lot of credit for the operation’s focus on affordability.

He’s the 41-year-old general manager, a two-time Olympian who does everything from grilling hamburgers to fixing machinery to making snow. Jimmy’s son, Oliver, is 2.5 years old. He started skiing last winter between his parents’ legs, Kelley said.

Oliver Cochran sounds like the name of a future ski champ. But word on the hill is that Oliver might’ve been named for a tractor, one of his father’s favorite things. (Oliver is an old farm equipment company.)

On the slope in Richmond, every type of skier is welcome: slow and sturdy, sleek and fast. ➆

251 is a series of on-the-road stories that aims to visit all 251-plus towns and cities in Vermont. We’ll be coming soon to a town near you.

OUR MAIN MISSION IS TO KEEP SKIING AND SKI RACING AFFORDABLE FOR ANYBODY.

LINDY COCHRAN KELLEY

Winner’s Row

BY CAROLYN SHAPIRO

After 40 years of selling one of the world’s most popular indoor rowing machines, brothers Peter and Dick Dreissigacker had a solid handle on the demand for their product. Or so they thought.

In 2021, a year into the global pandemic, stir-crazy masses snapped up all kinds of fitness equipment. Sales of the Dreissigackers’ RowErg machine soared — nearly doubling from pre-COVID-19 levels in 2019. Their Morrisville-based company, Concept2, could barely keep up. At one point, the wait for orders stretched to 10 weeks.

“It was crazy,” Dick said of the increase. “If we had had the product, it would have been higher than that. It would have been three times” normal sales.

Even amid heavy competition from the likes of the membership-driven homeworkout phenomenon Peloton, which sells its own equipment, the RowErg has held its own. Concept2’s machine remains the indoor trainer of choice for casual users and serious rowers alike.

Continuing a long tradition of supporting indoor races, in February the Vermont company will again sponsor and provide all the equipment for the World Rowing Indoor Championships. The sport’s premier competitive event takes place this year in Toronto. For the first time, the championships are hybrid, with competitors joining the action in person and

virtually, in real time, on their Concept2 machines from all over the world.

At $990, the RowErg qualifies as one of the more affordable indoor rowing machines. The Peloton version, by comparison, costs about $3,200, and few others come in under $1,000. Many competing rowing machines use electromagnetic resistance, which the Dreissigackers said produces less consistent outcomes than their airresistance model. The RowErg uses a flywheel with an internal fan to increase resistance as rowing picks up speed, for an experience similar to rowing on water.

“When you pull, you add energy, and then when you recover, it just free coasts; it coasts by itself,” Dick explained. “By measuring the drop in rpm during that coast, you can determine the resistance on that flywheel.”

The latest version of the RowErg, Model D, has custom-made components and better technology to improve the look, size and feel. A cast-aluminum flywheel has replaced the bicycle wheel of the original, at half the diameter. Users can connect via Bluetooth to a performance monitor with their phones and upload their own apps or race with preloaded ones against friends anywhere in the world.

“It really is the industry standard,” said Liz Soutter, indoor rowing sport manager for World Rowing, host of the indoor championships and the governing body of 157 national rowing federations.

She described the Concept2 as a “robust” and high-quality machine that belies its affordability. “You can row the same workout 20 times, and you know that the score you’re getting is reliable,” she said.

Along with a “dynamic” indoor rower for intense competitors, Concept2 also offers the SkiErg indoor cross-country

an industrial park wedged between factories that manufacture two quintessential Vermont products: Butternut Mountain Farm maple syrup and Turtle Fur warm headwear. There, Concept2 churns out oars in a variety of lengths, widths and blade styles for both sculling (rowing with two oars, one in each hand) and sweeping (rowing one oar with two hands). Their hollow carbon poles are lightweight but strong, and the carbon-fiber blades come in different oblong shapes to slice through the water. On a recent afternoon, racks of finished oars and long cardboard boxes of them awaited shipment to Chile, the Netherlands, China and France.

The company is privately held by its founders, who declined to provide sales figures. But it holds a significant chunk of the global market for rowing machines, valued at $1.47 million in 2021, according to Data Bridge Market Research, which studies the industry and ranks Concept2 at the top of its list of major players.

With the exception of the pandemic years, which included a six-week shutdown in 2020, the company has had average annual revenue growth of 5 to 10 percent since its founding, the brothers said. “Our whole goal was to be gradual and sustainable and steady,” Dick said.

The brothers still get out on the water to row when they can, at their property on Great Hosmer Pond in Craftsbury. Dick’s wife, Judy Geer, and Peter’s wife, Bari, both help out with marketing, employee relations and other roles for Concept2. In 2008, the Dreissigackers took over and created a nonprofit to run the Craftsbury Outdoor Center, which has become renowned for its summer rowing schools.

As Dick described a good sculling team strategy, he could have been talking about his and Peter’s approach to their business.

“If you go out fast and you get a little bit in front, you can see your competition behind you,” he said. “So you want to try to get a pretty fast start, and then you kind of settle into something that you can maintain, and then you sprint at the end with whatever you have left.”

trainer and the stationary BikeErg. Many of the machine parts are fabricated by Vermont companies, and all of them are assembled at nearby Manufacturing Solutions, founded in Morrisville by a former Concept2 production manager.

On-site, Concept2 still crafts the synthetic-material oars on which the Dreissigackers built their business 50 years ago. Their sprawling building sits in

The Dreissigackers grew up outside New Haven, Conn. Dick, now 75, played high school football but grew intrigued by rowing. As a first-year, he joined the rowing team at Brown University, where he earned an engineering degree.

Peter, 71, received his engineering bachelor’s and master’s degrees at Stanford University, and Dick moved to California to pursue a master’s while coaching the Stanford rowing team. In 1972, Dick competed with the U.S. Rowing team in the Summer Olympic Games in Munich. Four

Morrisville’s Concept2 rowing machines propel the action at the World Rowing Indoor Championships

Bill Cleary testing oars

Peter and Dick Dreissigacker

PHOTOS: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

IT REALLY IS THE INDUSTRY STANDARD.

years later, he and Peter made their first reinforced wooden oar with a fiberglass and wooden blade in the oven of their Palo Alto apartment. Wooden rowing oars are heavy and warp over time, and the brothers thought they could do better.

They were right. Their oar business quickly picked up speed. That summer, they traveled to Princeton, N.J., to compete in the 1976 Olympic trials in pair rowing. They didn’t make the team, but their East Coast trajectory led them to a defunct dairy farm for sale on Route 100 in Morrisville, which they bought for their oar production.

In 1981, the Dreissigackers created the Rowing Ergometer — a device that measures energy expended during physical exercise — with a bicycle wheel spun by a chain that buzzed when yanked with a wooden pull. Rowers sat on a tiny seat that slid back and forth along a steel track to mimic the motion of rowing. A mechanical sensor, similar to a bike odometer, recorded the revolutions of the wheel. The first version cost $450. Most machines at that time ran $3,000 to $4,000, a price that only big rowing clubs tended to pay.

Soon after Concept2 launched the Rowing Ergometer, a bunch of Harvard University rowers in Boston decided to hold an indoor race using “the Erg,” as enthusiasts dubbed it. The racers had six of them, and Concept2 brought T-shirts as prizes.

It was the first indoor rowing competition that Concept2 sponsored — and one of the first ever, the brothers recalled. They brought a Commodore 64 computer to track scores. “You could see on a screen how you were doing against other people,” Dick said.

“We had wires everywhere,” Peter added.

In 1984, Concept2 expanded from the farm to its current site. Over the next two decades, colleges across the country put more money into women’s rowing teams

in response to federal Title IX legislation mandating equal access for women in collegiate sports. High schools created rowing clubs to help girls tap into the opportunities for college scholarships. Many of those institutions added the RowErg to their gyms, and Concept2 sales surged.

“Your 2K score on the Erg became almost like your SAT score,” Dick said, referring to the common performance measure of four 500-meter rows.

For years, the Dreissigackers heard that school ski teams were mounting the rowing machine vertically against the wall to use for off-season cross-country training. It wasn’t ideal, Dick pointed out, because the chain pulling the upside-down wheel hung over users’ faces. So, they created the SkiErg, which came out in 2009.

The Dreissigackers said they hesitated to enter the exercise bike market, which was saturated with existing players at all price ranges. But their customers clamored for it, including owners of fitness centers that housed Concept2’s other machines. In 2017, the BikeErg joined the product line.

The RowErg accounts for about 75 percent of the company’s workout machine sales, while the BikeErg and SkiErg together tally about 25 percent. Oars still represent a small but significant part of the business, the Dreissigackers said.

Concept2 provides parts and service for repairs of its products, which are known to last for decades. The company has staked its success on its reputation for making machines that deliver consistent performance and for standing behind its products, Peter said.

“It’s a reputation that we protect,” Dick added, “that we work on diligently in terms of the production and how the machines need to be made in order to maintain that kind of trust.”

Music on the Menu

Burlington’s Paradiso Hi-Fi spins tunes and plates

BY MELISSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

Back before Wi-Fi, there was hi-fi — shorthand for sound systems that play music with high fidelity to the original recording. Fidelity also means devotion, an apt descriptor for what drove the creation of Paradiso Hi-Fi, the Burlington listening lounge and restaurant that opened in late November tucked inconspicuously behind its sister business, Dedalus Wine Shop, Market & Wine Bar.

Dedalus owner and Paradiso founder/ co-owner Jason Zuliani is an avid record collector and audiophile. He dreamed of opening a vinyl bar for a decade, he said, during which time he was also busy launching outposts of Dedalus in Middlebury, Stowe and Boulder, Colo.

When Zuliani, 48, shared plans for his latest venture with Seven Days in fall 2021, he explained, “We’re taking inspiration from what is sort of a tradition in Japan of small listening rooms with neat cocktail lists.” He promised “a beautiful, modern environment with an extraordinary listening system” to showcase a record collection of music all mastered from its original analog source.

Zuliani’s long-held dream came to life when Paradiso finally opened at 388 Pine Street in the transformed space formerly occupied by Green State Gardener. The venue delivers on his promise — in spades — with an ambitious menu of music and food, plus a cocktail list of restrained riffs on classics. It all adds up to a rich mix. After two visits, Paradiso struck me as the opposite of a sensory deprivation tank: My senses were saturated — mostly happily so.

The crown jewel of the operation is an epic high-fidelity sound system featuring refurbished vintage Garrard and Technics turntables and a pair of massive 1950s rewired speakers from the legendary Klipschorn line. Paradiso music director Scott Mou described the resulting sound as “clear, deep and vast.” When records play through the system, the sonic atmosphere is so multilayered, “You feel like you’re in it,” he said.

During a recent conversation in the

FIRST BITE

Tavelli and sous chef Jackson Taymans are both alums of Hen of the Wood in Burlington, and their skills are evident in dishes such as silky marinated oysters swimming in emerald green watercress broth ($16) and a sturdy tart filled with rich morsels of goose confit and parsnips two ways, topped with jewel-bright cranberries ($22).

The kitchen also pushes the envelope with unexpected combinations or presentations. A tangle of koji-cured rutabaga ribbons ($14) balanced the root vegetable’s inherent sweetness with the koji’s light funk, but I found the deluge of sesame seeds overpowering. More successfully, a scarf of collard greens wrapped around a single duck yolk- and ricotta-filled raviolo ($18), hidden under a crisp cap of Vermont cheese, cut the richness with its mildly bitter, earthy flavor.

“Micah is a guy who wants to explore food through a different lens,” Zuliani said.

My personal challenge was how to divide my attention between the food, which was too interesting to just eat, and the music flowing from the turntables, which was too interesting to just be the evening’s audio backdrop.

“Paradiso has a needle to thread,” Zuliani acknowledged. “Is it a restaurant? Is it a music venue? That’s the interesting part of the curatorial act.”

elegant, blond wood- and cream-toned, windowless cocoon of Paradiso, Zuliani said he did not originally envision the vinyl bar offering full dinner service. But Paradiso executive chef Micah Tavelli,

who is also a partner in the business and previously ran the kitchen at Burlington’s Dedalus, sold him on a regional, seasonal menu of shareable plates using techniques including fermentation and dehydration.

Trying to have meaningful conversations with my dining companions posed an additional challenge; I’d interrupt to ponder what was dusted over our platter of gorgeous cranberry-dressed, coal-grilled radicchio leaves ($15; it was seaweed powder) or ask Seven Days music editor Chris Farnsworth, who joined me on my second visit, if he recognized the song playing. (Sometimes he did. But often even he didn’t, so what hope was there for mere mortals like me — and did it even matter if we knew what it was?)

PARADISO HAS A NEEDLE TO THREAD. IS IT A RESTAURANT? IS IT A MUSIC VENUE?

JASON ZULIANI

Micah Tavelli holding the duck egg ravioli

LUKE AWTRY

SIDEdishes

Burlington Landmark Henry’s Diner for Sale

The past several years have brought major changes to Burlington’s downtown breakfast scene, including the move of MIRABELLES CAFÉ to South Burlington after almost 30 years and the closure of Penny Cluse Café just shy of its quarter-century anniversary. But the longevity of those two landmarks pales in comparison with that of HENRY’S DINER, which opened in 1925 at 155 Bank Street and is currently on the market for $275,000, according to a V/T Commercial real estate listing. Business continues as usual while Henry’s is for sale. Given its longevity and the strong niche the historic diner fills downtown, it’s unlikely that a new owner would make significant changes to the eatery housed in a distinctive stucco-covered building, which is not included in the deal. The BizBuySell listing details that the operation grosses $1.2 million annually from an all-day breakfast menu that includes overstuffed omelettes and steak and eggs, plus its signature skillets and Greek specialties.

The international touch comes from the heritage of Henry’s current owners, longtime local restaurateurs BILL and NAOMI MAGLARIS, who bought it in 2004. Bill Maglaris declined to talk with Seven Days, but Tony Blake of V/T Commercial confirmed by text that the pair is “ready to retire.”

The couple has owned or co-owned several other Vermont diners, including Arcadia Diner in South Burlington,

now PARKWAY DINER; and ATHENS DINER in Colchester, which they sold in 2020, Blake said.

“At one point, they owned and operated five diners and a commissary,” he said. “We’ve slowly sold off the others, one at a time, and saved the cherry for last.”

Melissa Pasanen

Vermont Cider Lab to Open in the Essex Experience

The Essex Experience is already a bustling beverage destination with a brewery, a distillery and a wine bar (see “Minding the Stores,” page 26). Soon the former outlet mall will add a cidery.

CHRIS LINE and KAREN WISEHART will open VERMONT CIDER LAB in Suite 214 — between MAGIC MANN and the MAD TACO — in late spring. The business is named for the couple’s yellow Lab, Kurri, who is pictured in the logo.

The cidery will feature a 50-seat tasting room with a viewing window into its on-site production space, which

It is the music aspect of Paradiso that is most novel for Burlington. Jeff Baumann, a longtime vinyl collector who has worked in the music business and is now general manager of nearby Zero Gravity Beer Hall, just spent his second evening spinning at the Paradiso turntables. He said he was “blown away” when he first heard the sound system and appreciated the opportunity to share music about which he is truly passionate.

“Scott encouraged me to go deep into the corners of my collection,” Baumann said, which in his case might mean downtempo electronic music dating back to the early ’90s.

Mou invites mostly local music aficionados with deep and specific collections to play their own vinyl as “guest selectors,” not DJs. “It’s more personal,” he said. “They bring their own distinctive point of view.”

Among those sharing their musical passions is Greg Davis, owner of Autumn Records in Winooski, who does a bimonthly Monday night jazz session. Local hip-hop radio DJ Melo Grant has taken a turn at the turntables. Ryan Miller of Guster is on the schedule for two February dates.

As music director, Mou brings his own point of view, too, along with serious industry cred. He moved from Brooklyn to Vermont last year and has continued his career as a freelance music supervisor. His résumé includes building a vinyl library for Hyundai in Seoul and working at New York City’s beloved and influential Other Music independent record store, now shuttered.

Mou has so far sourced about 1,500 albums for Paradiso and expects the final tally to be about double that. Selections range from One From the Vault by the Grateful Dead and Rumours by Fleetwood Mac to the decidedly less familiar Hip Harp by jazz harpist Dorothy Ashby, Cuerpo y Alma by Uruguayan singersongwriter Eduardo Mateo and Varech by French double bassist Henri Texier.

“Any record that had a lot of care put into it shows well on this system,” Mou said. Very often, he added, “You hear things you’ve never heard before. You’re hearing the record you know, but it’s somehow more beautiful.”

Zuliani experienced one of those revelatory moments listening to the Jimi Hendrix song “Hey Joe,” in which he detected a choir singing in the background that he’d never noticed.

For those who want to fully focus on the songs, Zuliani believes “the sound is the sweetest” at the two small, round tables just off the center of the room that are closest to — but not right by — the speakers.

For an inaugural visit that allows for getting lost in the music, I would opt for

simpler menu items that will fully satisfy but not demand too much attention. Try one of bar manager Rachel Snider’s unfussy cocktails, such as Gold Dust Woman ($14), made with bourbon, a good splash of lemon juice, and a hit of honey and cayenne — or go with Farnsworth’s preference and grab a $5 Miller High Life. Then stick with dishes from the little orange card of bar snacks or from the top of the regular menu.

The menu changes every five weeks, but the chips and dip ($9) were on both menus I sampled, with slight tweaks; they won my heart twice. One time the freshly fried potato chips were dusted with fermented leek powder and served with a savory, creamy play on French onion dip. On my second visit, they were anointed with scallop powder, and the dip was a pickley version of tartar sauce.

From the current snack menu, Farnsworth and I also inhaled the pavé

($13), paper-thin slices of potato tightly stacked and fried in neat blocks, served with dollops of cultured cream and bright orange, spherical trout roe — kind of like elevated hash browns.

Another delicious and relatively familiar dish is venison tartare ($17), amped up with butternut squash miso and dusted with koji-cured beet powder. I suggest saving some potato chips to ferry and complement the rich, raw meat, as it comes bereft of the edible scoopers often served with tartare. (I will not make a joke about listening to Meat Loaf while eating this dish. Oops.)

Meat Loaf and tartare aside, the serious goal is that Paradiso’s music and gustatory experiences can play off one another, Zuliani said. He hopes that Paradiso, as “the ultimate manifestation of the best living room,” can deliver a new way for people in Burlington to expand both their music and dining horizons, fluidly moving between the two.

“When a mesmerizing note or lick floats into your consciousness, you can pause,” Zuliani said. “When food hits the table, you take yourself away from the music for a moment.”

Music lovers especially, such as guest selector Baumann, are watching expectantly to see if Paradiso can successfully thread that needle.

“I hope people appreciate it: the emphasis on vinyl, emphasis on sound, emphasis on selectors getting to freestyle,” Baumann said. “It’s a bit of a big-city idea. I think it remains to be seen if Burlington grabs onto it.” ➆

Disclosure: Ryan Miller is an occasional freelance writer for Seven Days.

INFO

Paradiso Hi-Fi, 388 Pine St., Burlington. 540-1183, paradisohifi.com

Venison tartare, chips and dip, and the Friend of the Devil cocktail

Potato pavé with cultured cream and trout roe

Scott Mou at the turntables

SIDEdishes

will produce roughly 4,500 gallons over its first year. The tasting room will offer five hard ciders on tap, all made with juice from local orchards, including a honey-lemon-ginger cider, a cranberry cider and a classic cider. Additional flavors will rotate seasonally. Cider cocktails — including hot toddies and slushies — and beer and wine options will be served.

Line has been making five-gallon batches of cider in his basement for nearly 14 years. Over that time, he’s received feedback and advice from local cider pros, including the team at CITIZEN CIDER, DAVID FARRELL of FARRELL DISTRIBUTING and MARK RAY of STOWE CIDER. Former EDEN SPECIALTY CIDERS head cidermaker GARRETT HUBER is consulting as Vermont Cider Lab scales up from home production to 250-gallon batches in the new space. Wisehart — who will continue to work full time as general manager of

South Burlington’s Best Western Plus Windjammer Inn & Conference Center — is spearheading a menu of small plates to pair with the ciders, including savory pies from BRENT HARREWYN’s the WISE PIE Gluten-free options will also be available.

“And we’re totally tapping into the cider doughnut market,” Wisehart said.

While Line uses local honey or maple syrup to aid the fermentation process, “I don’t like to produce supersweet ciders,” he said.

Each season’s apples dictate the final product. “Cider is wine, right?” Line suggested. “I’m not looking to make a Bud Light, where it’s the same thing all the time.”

Jordan Barry

Kitsune Pops Up at Tälta Lodge in Stowe for the Winter

Popular Stowe-based Japanese pop-up KITSUNE has a winter home at TÄLTA LODGE.

The nomadic biz, run by chef MATT HIEBSCH and his wife, ALINA ALTER, offers dishes such as mushroom-and-bacon steamed buns, chicken katsu curry, and spicy miso ramen three nights a week at the hotel at 3343 Mountain Road.

Kitsune ran a seasonal pop-up at Spruce Peak in 2021, but it usually focuses on outdoor catering and events, such as Burlington’s TRUCK STOP. Hiebsch and sous chef KARL BAUER cook over Binchōtan charcoal on a traveling konro grill — now set up under the hood in Tälta’s kitchen.

“Moving around is exciting and keeps it fresh, but it’s nice to have a walk-in full of ingredients,” Hiebsch said.

“And a roof over our heads,” Alter added.

Tälta recently renovated its lower lounge; throughout ski season, that space hosts Kitsune’s full-service restaurant every Thursday (reservations recommended) and bar menu with takeout on Friday and Saturday. It’s the first seasonlong culinary residency at the Bluebird by Lark hotel.

Currently, no signage hints at Kitsune’s speakeasy-like presence in the downstairs bar. Following the tradition of izakaya spots in Japan, the couple places a red lantern outside when it’s open.

Kitsune’s menus change weekly and are largely focused on seafood in the winter, with regional ingredients from WOOD MOUNTAIN FISH going into charcoalgrilled oysters with yuzu-sake butter and chilled lobster bao on handmade buns. The bar and takeout menus, including udon bowls, donburi (rice bowls) and ramen, are smaller than Thursday’s dinner lineup but substantial enough for a full meal.

“We get a lot of our inspiration from the mountainous Hokkaido region,” Alter said. “Ramen goes hand in hand with a ski town.”

CONNECT

Follow us for the latest food gossip! On Instagram: Seven Days: @7deatsvt; Jordan Barry: @jordankbarry; Melissa Pasanen: @mpasanen.

Chris Line and Kurri at Allenholm Farm

Tonkatsu (left) and mushroom udon from Kitsune

From left: Alina Alter, Karl Bauer and Matt Hiebsch of Kitsune

Badge of Honor

Vermont chefs, bakers and beverage producers named James Beard Award semifinalists

BY JORDAN BARRY • jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

takeout — which Michael offers in familysize portions for pickup at South Burlington’s the Mill Market — quickly started receiving orders for the coming weeks, Michael noted.

FOOD NEWS

Chef and co-owner Nisachon “Rung” Morgan of Saap restaurant in Randolph won Vermont’s first James Beard Foundation Award in the Best Chef: Northeast category in 2022. On January 25, the James Beard Foundation announced the semifinalists for its 2023 Restaurant and Chef Awards. Five Vermont chefs, bakers and beverage producers made the list.

Two Chittenden County chefs were recognized in the Best Chef: Northeast category: Alganesh Michael of A Taste of Abyssinia — an Eritrean/Ethiopian catering and pop-up biz — and Mojo Hancy-Davis of May Day in Burlington’s Old North End.

Hancy-Davis opened May Day with co-owner Matthew Peterson in the former Butch + Babe’s space over Memorial Day weekend 2022. The bustling, playful neighborhood spot celebrates local ingredients — including some that Hancy-Davis grows himself — and is a popular Monday night stop for industry folks.

Michael, a South Burlington resident originally from Eritrea, offers traditional Eritrean and Ethiopian dishes for weekly takeout and at pop-up events around Vermont. She also teaches regular cooking classes, including an upcoming class at Access CVU in Hinesburg on March 30.

It’s unusual for the James Beard Awards to recognize chefs without brick-and-mortar restaurants. For Michael, the honor was a complete surprise.

“My phone was buzzing, but I was on vacation and didn’t want to answer it,” Michael said. “I could see the emails and texts, and I thought, Something is happening.”

A Taste of Abyssinia’s regular Wednesday

“It’s going to be busy,” she said. “But I love it. It’s such a pleasure to introduce our small town to this food.”

Amanda Wildermuth received a nod for Outstanding Pastry Chef or Baker — a nationwide category recognizing top pastry pros — for her work at Honey Road. She also runs the pastry program for the Burlington restaurant’s new brunch spot, the Grey Jay, where customers can order her nowfamous doughnuts.

“[It’s] humbling to be on this list with so many talented chefs,” Wildermuth told Seven Days. “My team and I have created a program at Honey that I am very proud of, and I’m so glad to see that others are as excited about it as we are.”

Burlington’s Foam Brewers is a semifinalist in the Outstanding Wine and Other Beverages Program category. It’s the only brewery listed in a field of wine bars, restaurants and wine producers, though its experimentation extended to wine with the team’s first Natural Hack release in 2022.

The nationwide category recognizes businesses that nail beverage pairings while also “contributing positively to [their] broader community” through outstanding hospitality, education and ethical sourcing. Foam’s founders are particularly proud of their achievements on the latter score.

“It’s pretty dang cool, because it recognizes our determined commitment and support of Vermont agriculture and our community,” Foam cofounder and head brewer Bob Grim said. “To win the award would be a great, crowning moment for us [and] for all of the farmers and local

businesses we’ve partnered with over the years. But the recognition alone is gratifying.”

Haymaker Bun is in the running for Outstanding Bakery, a new nationwide category this year. Owner Caroline Corrente and her team offer the bakery’s namesake buns — and breakfast and lunch — on Middlebury’s Bakery Lane six days a week. She is working on expanding her products’ distribution; this month, Haymaker launched four-packs of frozen buns.

Corrente started Haymaker when her son, now 5.5 years old, was a newborn. Home with him last week when she heard the news, she explained the honor to him using a football analogy, she told Seven Days

“I said, ‘There’s this award called the James Beard, and it’s kind of like the Super Bowl, but for restaurants.’ And he was like, ‘Well, yours is a bakewy, not a westauwant,’” Corrente said. He gave her a big hug after she explained the new category.

“Thanks for keeping me grounded,” Corrente added with a laugh.

Final nominees for the awards will be announced on March 29, and winners will be recognized at the James Beard Restaurant and Chef Awards ceremony in Chicago on June 5.

“[There’s] so much Vermont representation this year,” Honey Road’s Wildermuth said. “What a great food community to be a part of.” ➆

[IT’S] HUMBLING TO BE ON THIS LIST WITH SO MANY TALENTED CHEFS. AMANDA WILDERMUTH

Amanda Wildermuth of Honey Road and the Grey Jay

Latte and cinnamon bun at Haymaker Bun

FILE: DARIA BISHOP

COURTESY OF RICHMOND COMMUNITY KITCHEN

Alganesh Michael of A Taste of Abyssinia

May Day co-owners Matthew Peterson and Mojo Hancy-Davis cutting herbs outside the restaurant

From left: Sam Keane, Dani Casey, Bob Grim, Jon Farmer and Todd Haire of Foam Brewers

FILE: CALEB KENNA

FILE: JAMES BUCK

RESTAURANTS

Top Shelf

Hinesburgh Public House defines “community restaurant”

BY JORDAN BARRY • jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

Inside the entrance to the Hinesburgh Public House sits an antique wooden shelf full of cookbooks such as Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking, Jane Fonda’s Cooking for Healthy Living and The Great American Seafood Cookbook. The lower shelves hold children’s books and cribbage boards.

It isn’t just an entertaining collection for customers to leaf through while they wait for tables. It’s a lending library.

“We’ve had it forever,” founder Will Patten said. “My wife has an abundance of cookbooks, and I thought a bookshelf was a nice addition to the space.”

Patten doesn’t know how many customers actually borrow the books, though at least one local resident stops in a couple times a week to browse. It’s a cozy corner of the industrial, loft-style building that hints at the community focus of the decade-old restaurant.

Before opening the Public House in Hinesburg’s redeveloped Saputo cheese plant in late December 2012, Patten and his wife, Kathleen, sold $500 shares to raise the necessary operating capital.

“There were a lot of people that wanted to come,” Patten recalled. “I knew the town needed a place like this.”

These days, in the spacious dining room and the often packed bar, customers from all walks of life dine on chickpea Caesar

salads, Thai curry mussels, local sirloin steaks, and simple pub fare such as chicken wings and burgers. As one of just a few full-service eateries in Hinesburg — a town without seasonal influxes of tourists or college students, Patten noted — the Public House has to serve the full spectrum.

“We are truly a public house, in every sense of the word,” said general manager Alex Dziurzynski, who joined the Public House team in 2016.

The New England Culinary Institute graduate had cooked all over the country and been executive chef at the Inn at Essex, but he wanted a job in Hinesburg, where he was raising his kids. Now majority owner of the Public House, Dziurzynski will acquire full ownership from Patten within two years.

Over the years, the restaurant has hosted regular Monday burger nights and community suppers supporting local charities as ways to give back to Hinesburg and its residents. Young musicians often use the piano to practice and perform. All these activities enhance the culture at the Public House, Patten said — where more than half of the staff consists of local teenagers working their first jobs.

“The parents trust us,” Dziurzynski said. “They know they’re going to come here and get life experience — but be respected.”

During the pandemic lockdown, the

Public House closed for only three days before switching to low-cost takeout family meals and bringing back its staff as quickly — and safely — as possible.

That sort of holistic thinking is central to the Public House’s operation: It’s a mission-driven benefit corporation, meaning that it works equally to serve customers, staff, the community, area farmers and food producers, and investors.

“Socially responsible businesses don’t make any more money [than others],” Patten said. “But the life expectancy — that’s where you get your payback. People will support a restaurant that they know is giving back.”

To celebrate the restaurant’s 10-year anniversary in December, Patten and Dziurzynski offered $10 burgers and $10 drinks between Christmas and the New Year. Half of the customers came for the specials, Patten said, and half came to say thanks.

“As the town grows, we’re gonna grow,” Dziurzynski said. “We are a reflection of the community.” ➆

INFO

Hinesburgh Public House, 10516 Route 116, Suite 6A, Hinesburg, 482-5500, hinesburghpublichouse.com

JULIANNA BRAZILL

Host of Meanings

Poet and translator with Vermont ties receives NEA grant

BY BENJAMIN ALESHIRE

Some of us binged television during the pandemic; others took up bread baking. If you were Robin Myers, however, you translated 25 books from authors in five nations on two continents and found time to publish dozens of your own essays and poems.

All that work is bearing fruit. In January, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Myers — who was born in New York, is based in Mexico City and legally resides in Washington, Vt., where her parents live — a $10,000 Literature Fellowship in Translation to continue her work with Argentinean poet Daniel Lipara. In 2022, Myers, 35, was long-listed for the National Translation Award — twice — and her own work was featured in that year’s The Best American Poetry anthology. An alum of the Vermont Studio Center, she’s the author of three books of poetry, most

recently Tener / Having (2019), a bilingual collection that was published in Mexico, Spain, Argentina and Chile. Myers’ career path, and even her geographic path, defy easy categorizing. Spanish isn’t her native language, but she does have family roots in Mexico, where her grandmother is from; for reasons both professional and personal, she has spent much of her adult life in motion.

For more than a year, Myers lived in occupied Palestine, an experience she details in a fascinating recent essay called “Hosts and Guests” for the magazine Words Without Borders . She writes: “I moved to Palestine because I was in love

with a person and to Mexico because I was in love with a place. It embarrasses me a little, reducing both decisions to so breathy a verb, but it’s true — or true enough.”

The instinct that Myers articulates here — a tendency to search ceaselessly for the best way to express complexity while accepting the reality of imperfection — serves the challenge of translating well. Later in the essay, Myers calls translation “an obsessive interpretive art in which the boundaries between guest and host are tenderly and strenuously unstable.”

That instability can also be a delight, particularly for readers who have some familiarity with both languages. Bilingual

editions allow both the guest and the host, so to speak, to sit in conversation with each other. This joy can be seen in Another Life, the book of Daniel Lipara’s poetry that Myers most recently translated, which was released by Eulalia Books in 2021. In an illuminating translator’s note at the end of the book, Myers describes striving “to protect the gesturality of this poem … The diction is by turns as colloquial as speech, solemn as myth, and frank and rhythmic as prayer.”

In the hands of a deft translator such as Myers, much of that labor stays invisible. She renders Lipara’s lines so smoothly that the English pages often don’t feel like a translation at all. It helps that Lipara doesn’t construct his sentences in overly complex ways, which lends an intuitive naturalness to the English versions. In the poem “silencio,” he writes, “esto es lo que hable cuando nadie habla,” which even readers with limited Spanish will recognize in Myers’ translation: “this is what speaks when no one speaks.”

Elsewhere, it becomes more apparent how the translator faced and met the challenge of maintaining the author’s mix of colloquialism and solemnity. For instance, in “la isla Lipari,” Lipara rhapsodically describes an island by ri ng in the style

THE INSTABILITY OF TRANSLATION CAN ALSO BE A DELIGHT.

Robin Myers

COURTESY OF NURIA LAGARDE

SILENCIO

esto es lo que hable cuando nadie habla a qué suena el cántaro de la cabeza un arroyo de lluvia de canto de pájaros esa ramita de sentido al borde de mi plato en la cantina y si me muevo y si me acerco a la corriente es el seseo de las flores es la piedra que cae al agua el nombre luminoso como un claro en el bosque de ruido o más concretamente un estadounidense que casi en castellano dice algo

SILENCE

this is what speaks when no one speaks what does it sound like the jug of the mind a rivulet of rain of birdsong that twig of meaning at the border of my bowl in the canteen and if I move and if I walk up to the current it’s the rustle of flowers the stone that breaks the surface of the water the name as brilliant as a clearing in the woods of noise or more concretely an American who speaks a phrase almost in Spanish

of Homer’s Odyssey: “y esos árboles / de frutas deliciosas / que ofrecen un deleite extraordinario.”

A literal translation of this might read, “and those trees / with delicious fruits / that o er an extraordinary delight.” Instead, Myers renders it as “all those trees / laden with sumptuous fruits / that o er myriad delights,” subtly torquing the language in just the right way. Her addition of a word that doesn’t exist in the original, “laden,” helps mirror the author’s heightened diction without altering his meaning.

Does striving to remain faithful to an author’s intentions seem like a no-brainer? The history of translation suggests otherwise. Consider Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi, the 13th-century Sufi mystic whose sensual verses are quoted everywhere from celebrities’ social media posts to Coldplay albums. Coleman Barks, “translator” of The Essential Rumi, could neither read nor speak Persian and simply replaced Rumi’s references to Islam with his own Western, new age-influenced yearnings, crafting the version of the poet that most Americans know today.

Translation, then, is a field with far more at stake than it might seem at first. For curious readers, Myers’ essays and interviews provide a satisfyingly deep dive into that pursuit: For 24 consecutive months, from 2020 to 2022, she contributed a column called “The Guest” to the online literary magazine Palette Poetry.

The column is a gift: Myers ruminates on everything from the faux pas of translation to its economic challenges, and she includes interviews with translators working not just in Spanish but in such languages as Mongolian, Hungarian and Braj Bhasha, an early form of Hindi.

In column No. 23, discussing the dearth of funding for translation and the lack of standard rates, Myers writes: “What I can say from my own experience as a translator of poetry published primarily in the U.S. is, to borrow an expression from Spanish, hay de todo en la viña del señor: there’s some of everything in God’s vineyard, aka, anything goes.”

Given the di culty of making a living as a translator, an award like the NEA’s means a lot. Reached by email, Myers described the moment she learned about the grant as surreal — and a gift in every sense of the word. “I was in Chicago as part of a literary/arts festival called Lit & Luz [Festival],” she wrote, “frantically stencilling lines of poetry onto long strips of cloth in an empty university classroom, about to embark on a few nomadic months and a series of big changes in my personal life — and I just couldn’t believe it.”

If some of everything can be found in God’s vineyard, sometimes it o ers welcome surprises, too. ➆

Learn more at robinepmyers.com

It’s easy to list what the new play ’Bov Water doesn’t contain — a plot, a conflict, even a stable sense of time and place. Yet viewers may find themselves steeped in an experience of tragedy, triumph, wisdom, suffering, compassion and love. How those emotions arise is the difficult part to describe, but feeling them is easy at this innovative play by Celeste Jennings, lavishly produced by Northern Stage with a talented cast of professional performers.

Jennings calls her play a choreopoem, the term coined by Ntozake Shange to describe her acclaimed 1976 theater piece for colored girls who have considered suicide / when the rainbow is enuf. Shange’s play, like Citrus, Jennings’ previous play produced by Northern Stage, consists of poetic monologues performed by a group of actors, with dance and music supporting the enactment of personal stories. With ’Bov Water , Jennings shifts from pure poetry to dialogue, but she confines events to episodes and uses movement and choral speech to replace conventional dramatic structure.

The moments occur in Mississippi, Atlanta, New York; by a tree or in a river; anywhere, because they are fragments of family history recalled. The stories begin in 1876 and extend into the 2000s. The play doesn’t so much rocket through time as ignore it, presenting realistic scenes announced by the choral invocation “Before we were ancestors, it was … 1977,” or whichever year we’ve floated to. The moments are memories, the small trail of four generations of a Black family.

Three actors change roles scene by

Tree of Life

Theater review: ’Bov Water, Northern Stage

BY ALEX BROWN alex@sevendaysvt.com

scene. The characters’ names are relationships: Somebody’s Mama (Kelly Renee Armstrong), Another Daughter (Erin Margaret Pettigrew) and Sister Girl (Bobbi Johnson). This chorus then becomes particular people. Through different eras, Sister Girl plays a sister, a friend and a daughter; Somebody’s Mama is pretty nearly everybody’s mama or aunt; Another Daughter plays a friend, a cousin and a mother, each of whom pulls away from the people she loves.

moments glow with life. It also creates barriers to viewer engagement by eliminating context. We simply don’t know whom we’re listening to, though we can always locate the passion in each person. For some viewers, a play with such fuzzy storytelling will feel unwelcoming; for others, it will blaze a trail.

Asking the audience to accept confusion is also a way of underlining the play’s overall sense of longing for lost loved ones. Liza, a member of the current generation

Armstrong, Pettigrew and Johnson hold together the play’s gauzy framework by investing themselves completely in the emotions of each moment. While the playwright withholds exposition, these accomplished actors pour out their characters’ feelings.

When Pettigrew reads aloud her character Lydia’s letter about a boyfriend she may or may not be quite ready to let go of, the actor slowly hauls herself through each contrasting emotion. Pettigrew uses the reluctance to reveal emotion to expose its strength, rebuking herself as if in command of her feelings, only to dissolve again.

Armstrong radiates a mother’s warmth, wisdom and compassion, and we see the price of her perspective when she shares private doubts about her own child. Johnson concentrates so powerfully in her scenes with Pettigrew that they seem to be the closest of sisters, and she lets her characters whipsaw between fear and bravado. All three performers use physicality to weight the scenes with the taut precision of dance.

Choreographer Ashleigh King contributes their moves, including a vivid game of patty-cake using heel taps and hand claps. The scenic design, by Yvonne L. Miranda, is larger than life, just as memory might make it. Triumphant and oppressive lines of laundry hang in the background with a suggestion of kudzu vines hovering over the clothes.

Lighting designer Amina Alexander uses bleached-out lighting at scene changes to show memory itself as a scorching force. Together, the designers convey a sense of water through reflections, of fire with sound and light, of air with the suspended laundry, and of earth with a huge tree whose roots and crown reach everywhere.

The actions are modest. Lourline writes a newspaper notice to find her enslaved mother after the Civil War. Jean wants to know all of Cassie’s secrets, especially about her pregnancy. Teenagers Lydia and Tilly share hopes about the future. These moments are small, but all reveal the craving for connection.

Motifs repeat themselves, but because Jennings resists exposition for each new scene, the repetition blurs characters more than it establishes patterns. Viewers must make guesses about how characters are related, and often this reviewer felt like an eavesdropper who had a wonderful vantage point but no way to make sense of the story. It’s disorienting yet consistently exhilarating.

The show defies many theater norms and succeeds at making minor, incidental

of the family who was likely named for the enslaved Eliza several generations back, is trying to gather her family’s stories. Vignette by vignette, the play shows memories built from emotions more than incidents. Liza’s quest for identity includes a search for origins, which slavery obliterated for most Black Americans. She values each morsel of personal history, whether fact or feeling.

Director abigail jean-baptiste honors the sweep of time in the script by letting each scene unfold with a sense that there’s all the time in the world. Speech is allowed to be languid; characters pause to think and connect rather than just rattling off dialogue. Movement is precise and often gorgeous. A character may place a chair with a dancer’s grace or fold laundry like a meditation.

The play’s dialogue is fastidiously realistic, while its structure is stylized. That contrast sharpens awareness of both extremes; watching it feels like being juggled, very safely, between two different ways of perceiving.

In the end, you’ll hear mothers from multiple generations speaking of hoping to plant a peach tree just over there in the yard, but the voices will blur, and you won’t know how many formed the same thought. Watching ’Bov Water is about losing your bearings and trying to grasp the nature of memory itself. ➆

INFO

’Bov Water by Celeste Jennings, directed by abigail jean-baptiste, produced by Northern Stage. Through February 12: Wednesdays through Saturdays, 7:30 p.m.; Sundays, 5 p.m.; and Thursdays and Saturdays, 2 p.m., at Barrette Center for the Arts in White River Junction. $19-69. northernstage.org

THESE MOMENTS ARE SMALL, BUT ALL REVEAL THE CRAVING FOR CONNECTION.

Bobbi Johnson and Erin Margaret Pettigrew in ’Bov Water

COURTESY OF MARK WASHBURN

Finding Furever Homes

Miche Faust teamed up with community members to relocate a feral cat colony in Colchester

Miche Faust had years of experience volunteering with cats at shelters in Florida before she moved to Burlington in 2019. When she arrived, Miche was dismayed by the number of homeless cats in the area, so she founded Queen City Cats in February 2022 to provide feline-specific resources to the public. She has since rescued 90 stray, lost or feral cats and found homes for 61 of them.

In November, Miche began helping Linda Hill deal with a feral cat colony at the Hillcrest resident-owned mobile home park in Colchester. Linda and her neighbor Dick Charles were feeding a large population of cats and providing them with warm winter shelters. Other neighbors did not approve of the colony, so the cats, including a litter of kittens, needed to find new homes. Miche trapped 12 of the cats, had them spayed or neutered, and put them into foster care. She has a network of about 20 volunteers who host the cats and help transport them to vet appointments. Linda adopted two of the felines, named them Monique and Blue Eyes, and began socializing them.

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger met up with Miche and Linda on a frigid January day to watch Miche put out traps for the three remaining feral female cats. The cats were caught that evening, were transported to Middlebury the next day to be spayed and are currently in foster care. If they can be socialized, Miche will try to find them forever homes. Eva visited Miche’s house in Burlington to meet nine of the shy feral cats from Hillcrest that she is currently fostering.

Eva also joined Miche at Marge and Pete Serisky’s home in Shelburne to meet Cheese and Alaura, two other foster kittens from the feral colony. The Seriskys are carrying on the legacy of their daughter, Kira Jaye, who was a foster mom for 40 kittens, many of which were newborns requiring frequent feedings and care. Kira died in 2021, at age 17, from complications of Ehlers-Danlos syndrome. Since then, her parents have fostered about 20 kittens, with some help from Kira’s cat, Arminius, and her rabbit, Maple.

Unstuck: Episode Extras With Eva

SEVEN DAYS: What is it with you and cats?

EVA SOLLBERGER: Well, I am your typical crazy cat lady, as seen in Grey Gardens or “The Simpsons.” To quote Cara Hartmann in her viral, and satirical, “eHarmony

Video Bio”: “I love cats. I love every kind of cat.” I have rescued a few, and they bring a lot of purrs and relaxation into my life. My cat Loki had a very difficult existence before I found him. It took

months for him to trust me, and he has blossomed into a very a ectionate cat. It is amazing how cats can overcome former abuse and learn to love again.

I’ve covered cats in just about every way possible over the past 16 years: cat cafés in Montréal and Barre, a therapy cat who visits nursing homes, a popular feline on the internet, a cat show, a cat photographer, and yoga with kittens. I even adopted my cat Lexy from the Great Vermont Corn Maze in Danville back in 2009, when making a “Stuck in Vermont” video.

Filming feral cats is hard, as they are afraid of people. So, in some ways, this story is more about the people who worked together to save these cats.

SD: How did you hear about Queen City Cats?

ES: I have a few friends who foster for QCC, and I had seen Miche’s activity on social media. My friend Tessa Valyou suggested I cover Miche and her work. Tessa and her family are part of Miche’s network of volunteers and foster cat parents.

Miche and I talked on the phone about how best to capture what she does. We commiserated about how distressing it is to see so many online mentions of lost or stray cats during the winter. It seems there are many felines who need help.

Linda Hill was in a di cult situation with the feral cat colony near her home. She called a few places before finding Miche, who agreed to help her. This was the first time Miche worked with a large feral cat community, and

she managed to spay or neuter 17 cats. Four have found homes, and 13 are being fostered.

I hope this story will inspire people to get involved as foster parents or adopt some of these cats. It takes a special sort of human to adopt timid feral cats and let them slowly acclimate to their new home. But the rewards are immense.

SD: Did anything surprise you when making this video?

ES: Oh, yes. When I began editing the footage from Marge and Pete Serisky’s home, I realized afterward that there was no audio recorded. Yikes! Marge was generous enough to meet up again for another taping of her interview.

I never got a chance to meet Kira, Marge’s daughter. But as Marge told me about her, I began to feel like I knew her. Marge and I speculated that perhaps Kira had disliked something about the original interview and decided to jinx the audio. She must have approved of our second take, because there was sound. Phew.

Another surprise: Miche is allergic to cats! But she rarely has allergic reactions, which makes her work possible.

SD: What other cats has Miche helped?

ES: Miche told me about a couple who relinquished 14 cats to QCC because they were being evicted. It turns out that this couple lived on my street. I had seen their cats and read on Front Porch Forum their pleas for help rehoming them. I felt extremely guilty that I didn’t step up to help. At the time, I wasn’t sure what to do or whom to call. Now I know. And all 14 of those friendly cats were fixed and found furever homes. That makes my heart glad. ➆

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger has been making her award-winning video series, “Stuck in Vermont,” since 2007. New episodes appear on the Seven Days website every other ursday and air the following night on the WCAX evening news. Sign up at sevendaysvt.com to receive an email alert each time a new one drops. And check these pages every other week for insights on the episodes.

Episode 682: Queen City Cats

Marge Serisky with a foster cat

art

Warm Welcome

Craft activist Jayna Zweiman comes to Winooski in support of blanket project for refugees

BY AMY LILLY • lilly@sevendaysvt.com

Jayna Zweiman has a knack for uniting sizable swaths of the global population in a common cause. In 2017, she launched Pussy Hat with Krista Suh, giving an indelible image and symbol to the January 21 Women’s Marches around the world that year in protest of misogyny.

Since then, Zweiman has launched Welcome Blanket to rally support for immigrants, refugees and migrants arriving in the U.S. The project collects blankets handmade by volunteers — knitted, crocheted, quilted, tie-dyed or any mode the maker chooses. The makers attach welcome notes describing their own family history with immigration and advice on living in the U.S. The blankets are shown in museums to raise public awareness, then gifted to the newly arrived.

The latest host for the national project is an uncharacteristically small one: the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum. The one-room museum is currently exhibiting 70 blankets of all types, and more are still being completed, director Miriam Block said during a recent Seven Days visit. A cozy riot of color and design, the installation displays blankets folded over stands, hung from walls and windows, and fanned across tables.

Those creations are among more than 6,500 blankets that have been collected nationwide and shown in such venues as Museum of Design Atlanta and the Smart Museum of Art at the University of Chicago. Welcome Blanket’s website includes photos of gifted blankets and a free, easy-to-follow pattern for a 40-inchsquare blanket provided by Kat Coyle, the knitting instructor and pattern designer for Pussy Hat.

Zweiman, who lives in Los Angeles, is coming to Vermont courtesy of a Vermont Humanities Rapid Response Grant that Block received to sponsor her travel. On Thursday, February 2, Zweiman will sit down with blanket makers for a “craftalong,” then give a public talk about craft and activism.

“I’m coming because Miriam’s amazing and she figures out how to make things happen,” Zweiman enthused during a phone call. “You see blankets on the wall, but she’s really creating this network of

welcome that extends beyond the Mill Museum. Miriam is really flexing her activist muscle.”

Block partnered with the Association of Africans Living in Vermont, a nonprofit that helps new Americans from all parts of the world transition to living in the Green Mountains. The Mill Museum will collaborate with AALV to distribute the blankets after the exhibition ends. She also engaged

eight local craft stores around the state as suppliers and drop-off sites, including Must Love Yarn in Shelburne, Green Mountain Yarn & Fiber in Rutland and A Quilter’s Garden in Montpelier. (Yarn in Waterbury donated two big boxes of sample yarn.) Block also partnered with AALV case worker Irene “KeruBo” Webster’s Women’s Café to facilitate a group of 25 women refugees making blankets themselves.

Many of the women had never knitted or crocheted before, so Block procured a Spark! Connecting Community grant from the Vermont Community Foundation to support instruction from knitter Elin Melchior and crocheter Emily Gauthier, as well as purchase knitting needles, crochet hooks and yarn. The planned six classes turned into 11 because of the women’s enthusiasm, Block said.

The Women’s Café participants created one knitted and one crocheted blanket. For the knitted one, each made a 10-inch square that they felted with personal designs and joined with others into a blanket. The welcome note’s section about immigration is written in Swahili; under “Words of welcome and advice about living in the U.S.” it reads, “We are here together with you.”

Other blanket makers include Barre resident Marianne, who was born in Indonesia and arrived in the U.S. via the Netherlands. Her advice: “I hope you can maintain some of your own customs and your language as you blend into American life.” Her blue, yellow and white quilt is embellished with yo-yos, or rosettes made from circles of fabric.

Carmella Cyr, who will lead a yo-yo workshop on February 12 at the Mill Museum, contributed two blankets from recycled materials. On one tag, she wrote that her maternal side emigrated from Sicily and her paternal side descended from Native American Abenaki. She advises, “Ask as many questions as you need.”

Erica Donnis, special collections director at Champlain College, knitted a rustcolored blanket that is “super cozy and comfortable,” she said during a phone call. “It’s got a really nice texture to it, and it’s something I can imagine on the back of my couch.” (Welcome Blanket has only three parameters, Zweiman said: Blankets should be 40 inches square, easy to care for and “hard to give away.”)

Donnis, who was the historian for the Mill Museum’s “Mill to Mall” exhibition during spring and summer 2022 in honor of the City of Winooski’s centennial, suggested to Block that the museum host Welcome Blanket. Donnis first heard about the project on social media and contributed a blanket

I GREW UP IN AWE OF THE ABILITY TO SURVIVE AND THRIVE IN A NEW LAND.

JAYNA ZWEIMAN

COURTESY OF JAMIE KELTER DAVIS

she knitted with friends and family to a 2018 exhibition at the Museum of Design Atlanta.

Not only was Welcome Blanket a “great matchup of things I’m passionate about — knitting, making things for other people, wanting to show my support in a very meaningful, tangible way for newly arrived Americans,” Donnis said — but it was a perfect fit for the Mill Museum. It’s housed in Champlain Mill, a 1912 building originally built for American Woolen. The woven-textiles mill relied on immigrant labor and drew workers to the area from Canada, Europe and the Middle East.

The Welcome Blanket exhibition includes a blanket by Essex Junction resident Kathy Fitzgerald, who wrote that her maternal grandmother and her daughters worked in the Winooski mills after their ancestors moved to Vermont from Québec.

Zweiman said by phone that she is an Ashkenazi Jew whose grandparents came

from “the old country” — an area that includes Germany, Poland and Belarus.

“I am the product of the American dream, fully, and I’m totally aware of it,” Zweiman said. “I grew up in awe of the ability to survive and thrive in a new land. When I see people coming now, I see someone else’s future grandparents.”

Both Pussy Hat and Welcome Blanket were the activist’s responses to former president Donald Trump’s actions: respectively, his denigration of women before the election and his announcement that he would build a 2,000-mile border wall. (Welcome Blanket’s original scope, long surpassed, was to use 2,000 miles of yarn to create blankets.)

But, like many, Zweiman also thinks about world migration.

“The scope of displacement globally is so big and overwhelming that I think a lot of people wonder, Where do you even focus?” she said. Welcome Blanket focuses on those who have made it to the U.S., she said, and on a specific, loving way to help them.

“We all have so much to learn from one another,” Zweiman declared. “I want an 11-year-old boy working on this so that, in the next wave of xenophobia — because we know it’s coming — he’ll remember through muscle memory how much we’re all connected.”

INFO

Welcome Blanket is on view through February 26 at the Heritage Winooski Mill Museum. Jayna Zweiman presents a Conversation About Craft and Activism on Thursday, February 2, 5:30 to 7 p.m., free.

The Yo-Yo Sewing Workshop is on Sunday, February 12, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., $80. RSVP at themillmuseum.org. Learn more at welcomeblanket.org.

Please join us for a festive

Opening Reception

WEDNESDAY

February 8, 2023 at 5:30pm

free

also on view:

Art / Text / Context

From Artistic Practice to Meaning Making

Dark Goddess

An Exploration of the Sacred Feminine & Object-Defied

www.flemingmuseum.org

Welcome Blankets

The Fleming is awash in color this season with works by Josef Albers, Robert Indiana, Georgia O’Keeffe, Glenn Ligon, Raúl Milián and Ellsworth Kelly on view in the Museum’s galleries.

Albers (German-American, 1888-1976), Formulation: Articulation I, I:5, 1972 (Detail). Screen print. © 2022 The Josef and Anni Albers Foundation/Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

NEW THIS WEEK

burlington

‘ALL THE FEELS’: A group exhibition of works that project joy, angst and/or humor by local artists.

Reception: Friday, February 3, 5-9 p.m. February 3-March 25. Info, 578-2512. The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Burlington.

‘ART / TEXT / CONTEXT’: An exhibition of art objects that prominently feature words, images, symbols and gestural or abstract marks, and that considers their power to prompt critical reflection or spur social action. JOSEF ALBERS: “Formulation: Articulation,” featuring studies by the late German American artist (1888-1976) that show how perception of color is affected by the environments in which it is viewed. Reception: Wednesday, February 8, 5:30-7 p.m. February 7-May 20. Info, 656-0750. Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont, in Burlington.

‘RIP: RELATIONSHIPS IN PROGRESS’: An exhibit in a variety of mediums by 14 area artists. Reception: Friday, February 3, 6-10 p.m. February 3-March 26. Info, hello@thekarmabirdhouse.com. Karma Bird House Gallery in Burlington.

barre/montpelier

CAMERON DAVIS: “Poetic Ecologies,” paintings based on an ecological, scientific and spiritual narrative to reveal relationships that transform life.

Reception : Friday, February 3, 4:30 -7 p.m., with artist talk at 6 p.m. February 3-March 31. Info, 2795558. Vermont Supreme Court Gallery in Montpelier.

DARCIE L. TREDWELL: “Cherries, Roses and Other Loves,” artworks by the Barre artist and author of a book by the same title. Artist talk: Wednesday, February 8, 2-3 p.m. February 1-28. Info, 249-5228. Kellogg-Hubbard Library in Montpelier.

JAY HUDSON: “Winter in the Northeast Kingdom,” oil and acrylic paintings of landscapes and inhabitants of the region by the Glover artist. Reception: Friday, February 3, 4-8 p.m. February 3-March 31. Info, 223-2328. Vermont Natural Resources Council in Montpelier.

‘LET’S COLLAGE ABOUT IT!’: An exhibition of works in varied mediums by Kris Bierfelt, Liz Buchanan, Anne Cummings, Holly Hauser and Cariah Rosberg. Reception: Friday, February 3, 5-7 p.m. February 3-April 8. Info, 207-373-8099. Center for Arts and Learning in Montpelier.

SHOW 53: An exhibition of artworks by gallery members Elizabeth Nelson, James Secor, Ned Richardson, Diane Sophrin, Kate Fetherston. Glen Coburn Hutcheson, Cheryl Betz, Sam Thurston, Marjorie Kramer, Kathy Stark, Melora Kennedy, Anne Cogbill Rose, Hasso Ewing, Richard Moore, Delia Robinson and Chip Haggerty. Reception: Friday, February 3, 4-7 p.m. February 3-26. Info, 552-0877. The Front in Montpelier.

SUSAN CALZA: “Our Demons Are Translucent,” largescale, mixed-media drawings created over 10 years, influenced by the artist’s travels in Nepal. Reception: Friday, February 3, 5-8 p.m. February 3-March 25. Info, 224-6827. Susan Calza Gallery in Montpelier.

stowe/smuggs

KATHY BLACK: “Expanding Universe, Collapsing Time,” paintings that incorporate landscape, still life, maps and writing to explore our changing understanding of the universe. Reception: Wednesday, February 1, 7 p.m. February 1-March 8. Info, 635-2727. Red Mill Gallery, Vermont Studio Center, in Johnson.

middlebury area

KATIE RUNDE: Oil portraits of musicians by the Vermont artist. Alive!: Friday, February 10, 5:30-7 p.m., an evening of art, discussion and live music by the artist’s band Rundefunk. February 7-15. Info, 9897419. Edgewater Gallery on the Green in Middlebury.

Marvin Fishman

The building that houses South Burlington’s city hall, public library and senior center is scarcely 2 years old, and many area residents may not have been inside it yet. But that’s not the reason a visitor could get lost in the first-floor hallways. No, it’s the trippy artwork lining the walls.

Charlotte artist Marvin Fishman recently hung 35 paintings and several shaped-wood pieces in the spacious walkway that doubles as the library’s art gallery. A few of the works might be considered charmingly decorative. But his abstractions, whether in vivid color or black on white, resemble explosions. Using the alla prima, aka wet-on-wet, technique, Fishman layers colors of still-fluid acrylic and then pushes the paint around to achieve his desired effect.

That effect is fiery, tempestuous, energetic, as if the paint were stopped in its tracks only for a moment and might keep moving when you’re not looking. The metaphor of a film still is apt: Fishman is a former filmmaker who cofounded both the Third World Film Group and Newsreel, a political activist crew, in his native New York City in the late 1960s. In his artist statement, Fishman notes that he liked “editing in the camera” — that is, “shooting in the proper order only those shots that told the story.” That quick decision making and action “came to inform how I paint,” he adds.

In painting, though, Fishman’s subjects are “imaginary,” he writes. Any forms detected or meanings ascribed are in the eye of the beholder. Some works might suggest a dance, others utter chaos; a blackand-white painting might resemble rock compressed over eons or a confounding, M.C. Escher-like maze. But it’s more fun to try letting go of objective reality, if only during a stroll down the hall.

After moving to Vermont in the 1970s, Fishman directed media production and facilities at the University of Vermont. He also took up the relatively equipment-free medium of painting. In his statement, he claims that he likes all kinds of art, all mediums, and surfaces both traditional and unconventional, such as dead tree roots. In the South Burlington retrospective, Fishman presents just acrylic on canvas or board and a few painted wood pieces. But collectively, they form a visual undertow, conspiring to pull you in.

Fishman’s exhibit is on view through March 14.

upper valley

JOHN R. KILLACKY: “Flux/Flow/Elegies,” an intermedia installation featuring three video pieces: a premiere of one inspired by the Fluxus movement of the 1960s; a collaboration with choreographer Eiko Otake speaking to the artists’ dead mothers; and an abstract work with tears. Reception: Saturday, February 11, 7-8:30 p.m. February 1-28. Info, 295-6688. Junction Arts & Media in White River Junction.

outside vermont

‘¡PRINTING THE REVOLUTION! THE RISE AND IMPACT OF CHICANO GRAPHICS, 1965 TO NOW’: A Smithsonian American Art Museum traveling exhibition featuring 119 artworks by more than 74 artists of Mexican descent and allied artists active in Chicanx networks. February 4-June 11. Info, 603-646-2808. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H.

ART EVENTS

ART WALK AND CONCERT: Celestial paintings by Barbara McEvoy inspired by photos from the Hubble and James Webb space telescopes, and pianist Christopher McWilliams playing Gustav Holst’s “The Planets.” Bethany United Church of Christ, Montpelier, Friday, February 3, 4-8 p.m. Donations. Info, 223-2424.

ARTIST & CURATOR CONVERSATION: Brattleboro Museum & Art Center presents artist Alison Moritsugu, Densho community activist and artist Erin Shigaki, and curator Sarah Freeman in a discussion of “Moons and Internment Stones,” an exhibit of paintings of the moon and of stones collected by Moritsugu’s grandfather in an internment camp during World War II. Register for the Zoom event at brattleboromuseum.org. Online, Thursday, February 2, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 257-0124.

‘CONCENTRIC CREATIONS’: Jaimes Mayhew and Joy Madden discuss the development and progress of new work in the first of a series of monthly gatherings with professional Vermont artists in varying disciplines. BYOB. Masks required. The Hive on Pine, Burlington, Tuesday, February 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m. $10-30. Info, attherootvt@gmail.com.

JAYNA ZWEIMAN: A CONVERSATION ABOUT CRAFT AND ACTIVISM: The cocreator of Pussy Hat and founder of Welcome Blanket, the museum’s current exhibit, talks about Welcome Blanket’s origins and its impact in supporting new immigrants to the U.S. Register at themillmuseum.org. Heritage Winooski Mill Museum, Thursday, February 2, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 355-9937.

OPEN STUDIO: Make art alongside other artists, socialize, get feedback and try out new mediums. No experience required; art supplies provided. Hosted by the Howard Center Arts Collective, whose

“AnarChaos

“Surround”

members have experience with mental health and/ or substance-use challenges. ONE Arts Center, Burlington, Monday, February 6, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, artscollective@howardcenter.org.

ONGOING SHOWS

burlington

ART AT THE MALTEX: Paintings by Pievy Polyte, Shannon O’Connell, Nancy Chapman and Ashley MacWalters and photography by Brian Drourr and Robert Fahey. Through April 8. Info, 865-7296. The Maltex Building in Burlington.

‘BLACK FREEDOM, BLACK MADONNA & THE BLACK CHILD OF HOPE’: Designed by Raphaella Brice and created by Brice and Josie Bunnell, this mural installed for Burlington’s 2022 Juneteenth celebration features a Haitian-inspired image of liberation. Through June 18. Info, 865-7166. ‘VOICES OF ST.

JOSEPH’S ORPHANAGE’: An exhibition that tells the stories of former residents of the Catholic-run institution (1854-1974) and their accomplishments. A project of the St. Joseph’s Orphanage Restorative Inquiry and Vermont Folklife Center. Through February 18. Info, 863-3403. Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.

‘CONNECTIONS’: Howard Center Arts Collective presents an art installation of painted mailboxes and mosaics, inviting viewers to reflect on the benefits of old-fashioned mail delivery and to consider whether mailboxes have become relics of the past. Through July 31. Info, artscollective@ howardcenter.org. Howard Center in Burlington.

‘LARGE WORKS’: A group exhibition of works measuring between two and six feet by artists of all ages working in all mediums. Through March 10. Info, spacegalleryvt@gmail.com. The Soda Plant in Burlington.

chittenden county

‘ABENAKI CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE VERMONT COMMUNITY’: A series of murals designed by Scott Silverstein in consultation with Abenaki artists Lisa Ainsworth Plourde and Vera Longtoe Sheehan and members of Richmond Racial Equity; the 10 panels celebrate the Abenaki origins of practices still important to Vermont culture. Through May 31. Info, radiate.art.space@gmail.com. Richmond Town Hall.

ART AT THE AIRPORT: Oil paintings of cows by Stephanie Bush and hand-cut paper scenes from the natural world by Adrienne Ginter, Skywalk corridor. Through March 15. Info, 865-7296. Burlington International Airport in South Burlington.

BRECCA LOH & KRISTINA PENTEK: Abstracted landscape paintings and color photographs, respectively. Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through February 14. Info, 865-7296. JC WAYNE: “Oracle of Future Beauty,” eco-friendly palette-knife paintings and other mediums that express stories of unseen and seen energies in the natural world. Through February 28. Info, poartryproject@gmail. com. Pierson Library in Shelburne.

MARVIN FISHMAN: A retrospective of 2D and 3D work by the Charlotte artist. Through March 14. Info, gallery@southburlingtonvt.gov. South Burlington Public Art Gallery.

MATT RUSSELL: “Chilltown Takeover,” architectonic perspective drawings in mixed media by the senior art and design major. Through February 3. Info, bcollier@smcvt.edu. McCarthy Art Gallery, Saint Michael’s College, in Colchester.

‘OUR COLLECTION: ELECTRA HAVEMEYER

WEBB, EDITH HALPERT AND FOLK ART’: A virtual exhibition that celebrates the friendship between the museum founder and her longtime art dealer, featuring archival photographs and ephemera, a voice recording from Halpert, and quotations pulled from the women’s extensive correspondences. Through February 9. Info, 985-3346. Shelburne Museum.

‘WELCOME BLANKET’: A collection of quilted, crocheted and knitted blankets handmade by community members to be gifted to new American

neighbors. Immigration stories and welcoming messages from the makers are also on display. Through February 26. Info, 355-9937. Heritage Winooski Mill Museum.

barre/montpelier

HEIDI COMJEAN: Playful, nature-inspired folk art. Through February 9. Info, 225-6232. Filling Station in Middlesex.

JONI CLEMONS & TERRY J. ALLEN: New mixedmedia assemblages and porcelain tableware, respectively. Through February 14. Info, 456-8770.

Adamant Co-op.

‘WHIR, CLANK, BEEP’: Artworks and assemblages by more than 30 artists that explore simple, complex and fantastic machines. KENNY HARRIS: “Envisivivarium,” a site-specific installation that presents the universality of mythology through illustrative, sculptural and theatrical experiences.

VERMONT SURFACE DESIGN ASSOCIATION:

“Transformation: Material, Environment, Us,” fiber artwork by Sarah Ashe, Cari Clement, Judy Dales, Rosalind Daniels, Jennifer Davey, Elizabeth Fram, Eve Jacobs-Carnahan, Marya Lowe, Kris McDermet, Jane Quimby, Heather Ritchie, Leslie Roth, Dianne Shullenberger, Fern Strong, Sharon Webster and Betsy Wing . “Transformation” panel discussion: Friday, February 3, noon, with Dianne Shullenberger, Jane Quimby and Heather Ritchie; Leslie Roth facilitates. Through March 4. Free. Info, 479-7069. Studio Place Arts in Barre.

PATTY CORCORAN & MASON YOUNG: “Shared Spaces,” multimedia landscape paintings and abstract wood sculptures, respectively. Reception and artist talk: Friday, February 3, 4-8 p.m. Through March 24. Info, 262-6035. T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier.

PHILLIP ROBERTSON & ED EPSTEIN: Relief prints and charcoal drawings, respectively, by the Vermont artists. Through February 28. Info, 229-6206. North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier.

WAYA USDI: Digital art, pen and ink and painting. Through February 13. Info, 479-0896. Espresso Bueno in Barre.

stowe/smuggs

ESPERANZA CORTÉS: Sculptures, paintings and installations by the Colombian-born artist, whose work considers social and historical narratives, colonialism and the politics of erasure and exclusion. Through April 8. Info, 253-8358. The Current in Stowe.

MEG MCDEVITT: “Iterations,” a solo show of drawings, sculptures and textiles by the Vermont artist and educator. Through March 11. Info, 646-519-1781. Minema Gallery in Johnson.

ROSS CONNELLY: “Protest,” black-and-white photos from demonstrations in Washington, D.C., 1967 through 1969. Through February 10. Info, 635-1469. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Northern Vermont University, in Johnson.

SCOTT LENHARDT: An exhibition of graphic designs for Burton Snowboards created since 1994 by the Vermont native. Through October 31. Info, 253-9911. Vermont Ski and Snowboard Museum in Stowe.

mad river valley/waterbury

KIMBERLY HARGIS: “Close to Home: Photography

From a 30-Mile Radius,” images from the natural world and human community around Thetford, Vt. Through March 31. Info, 244-7801. Axel’s Frame Shop & Gallery in Waterbury.

MIREILLE CLAPP: A retrospective of artworks by the late artist and mechanical/industrial engineer, featuring mixed-media wall sculptures and freestanding abstract pieces of welded metals. Through March 25. Info, 496-6682. Mad River Valley Arts Gallery in Waitsfield.

Embrace Your Inner Artist

Join

This dynamic storytelling event features a rich lineup of artists, comedians, and musicians of color. Come for an hour or stay for the whole afternoon.

Explore the lineup on our website: ruralartsvt.org

art

middlebury area

FROBERTAN (FRAN BULL AND ROBERT BLACK):

“We’re All at a Party Called Life on Earth,” a carnivalesque art installation of painted sculptures that celebrates humanity, harmony and diversity. Through February 18. Info, 382-9222. Jackson Gallery, Town Hall Theater, in Middlebury.

‘MAGENTA’: More than 50 local artists contribute works in this vibrant hue in a variety of mediums. Through March 11. Info, 989-7225. Sparrow Art Supply in Middlebury.

‘PORTALS’: Photographs that feature an architectural element — a gate, doorway, window, mirror or tunnel — that frames, isolates or adds a new dimension to the image. Through February 24. Info, photos@photoplacegallery.com. PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury.

SARA KATZ: “Inner Landscapes,” new abstract paintings that explore botanical forms. Through February 28. Info, 458-0098. Edgewater Gallery at the Falls in Middlebury.

rutland/killington

MEMBERS’ EXHIBIT: Works in a variety of mediums fill the mansion in themed galleries: “Resolutions,” “Frozen” and “Breathe Deep.” Through March 3. Info, 775-0356. Chaffee Art Center in Rutland.

TOMÁSIO: “Abstractions of a Metaphorical World,” energetic acrylic paintings by the Vermont artist also known as Thomas Hacker. Reception: Saturday, February 4, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Through March 11. Info, 800-639-8521. Castleton University Bank Gallery in Rutland.

upper valley

ABRAHAM DUNNE: “Finds on a Hartland Farm,” relics compiled by the Sharon Academy first-year student. Through March 31. Info, info@mainstreetmuseum. org. Main Street Museum in White River Junction.

KATIE ROBERTS: Artworks in a variety of mediums by the nature artist, who is inspired by plants, animals and weather. Through February 28. Info, 359-5000. Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee.

northeast kingdom

‘COMING CLEAN’: An exhibition that considers bathing practices throughout time and across cultures, including religious immersion and ritual purification, bathing as health cure, methods of washing in extreme environments, and much more. All kinds of bathing and scrubbing implements are on display. Through April 30. Info, 626-4409. The Museum of Everyday Life in Glover.

OPEN AIR GALLERY: Outdoor sculptures by 14 area artists line a 1.8-mile trail open to cross-country skiers and snowshoers. Through March 26. Free. Info, 533-2000. Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.

VICTORIA MATHEISEN: Recent landscape paintings in oil. Through March 8. Info, 525-3366. Parker Pie in West Glover.

‘WINTER BLOSSOMS’: Floral art by Benjamin Barnes, Sachiko Yashida Zahler and Robert Chapla. Through February 25. Info, 748-0158. Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild Backroom Gallery in St. Johnsbury.

brattleboro/okemo valley

‘WE FEEL OUR WAY THROUGH WHEN WE

DON’T KNOW’: A group exhibition of works by Mariel Capanna, Oscar Rene Cornejo, Cheeny Celebrado-Royer, Vessna Scheff, Gerald Euhon Sheffield II and Lachell Workman, guest-curated by Michael Jevon Demps, that address themes of community, memory, dissonance, displacement, intimacy and loss. Through February 12. ALISON

MORITSUGU: “Moons and Internment Stones,” watercolor paintings of rocks gathered by the artist’s grandfather while he was imprisoned at the Santa Fe Internment Camp during World War II paired with oil paintings of the moon. Through February 12. JUDITH KLAUSNER: “(De)composed,”

CALL TO ARTISTS

2024 SOLO EXHIBITION PROPOSALS: AVA’s exhibition committee of artists, art curators and art professionals seek proposals for solo shows from artists with strong connections to New Hampshire, Vermont and the greater New England region. Details at avagallery.org. Deadline: March 31. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, N.H. $50. Info, 603-448-3117.

‘BOTANICAL’: PhotoPlace Gallery is looking for images created in the landscape, garden or studio that capture the spirit and character of plants, as well as our intimate connection to the plant world. All capture methods and processes are welcome. Juror: Lee Anne White. Details and application at photoplacegallery.com. Deadline: February 13. Online. $39 for first five images; $6 each additional image. Info, photos@ photoplacegallery.com.

CREATION GRANTS AVAILABLE: The Vermont Arts Council is accepting applications for this annual grant, which supports artists in creating new work. Grant funds may be used to compensate artists for time spent creating new work, to purchase materials, or to rent equipment or space for the process. New this year: the People’s Choice Creation Grant. Find info and application form for both at vermontartscouncil.org. Deadline: April 3. Online. Info, 402-4614.

CREATIVE SECTOR GRANTS, ROUND 2: Awards of up to $200,000 are available to creative sector organizations and businesses, including sole proprietors that can demonstrate economic harm caused by or exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. Funding amounts are based on 2019 operating revenue and can be used for any regular operating expenses, such as payroll and benefits, utilities, rent and insurance. Details and application at vermontartscouncil.org.

Deadline: February 28. Online. Info, 402-4409.

CVRAN 2023 MARCH ARTS MARATHON:

The Central Vermont Refugee Action Network invites artists to commit to a daily creative practice making paintings, sculptures, photographs, drawings, fabric art or other art. The artists’ sponsors receive daily copies of the artwork. Funds raised helps CVRAN assist 19 asylum seekers and nine Afghan refugees with housing, living expenses and legal fees. Sign up at cvvran.org. Online. Through February 28. Free. Info, nicolamorris@mac.com.

DIANE GABRIEL VISUAL ARTIST AWARD:

Burlington City Arts announces the opening of the application period for this annual award provided by the family of the late Burlington artist (1947-2017). The awardee receives a prize valued at $2,500, with their work showcased via BCA promotion and social media. Details and application at burlingtoncityarts.org.

Deadline: March 17. Online. Info, jobrien@ burlingtoncityarts.org.

‘HOW YOU SEE IT’: The gallery is hosting a fundraiser for the Boys & Girls Club of Vergennes and are accepting submissions for an exhibit of work from artists under the age of 18. Each artist can submit up to three pieces of either 8 by 10 inches or 12 by 16 inches in size. Rolling submission through February 17; drop off at the gallery. Northern Daughters, Vergennes. Free. Info, 877-2173.

sculptures of objects usually considered ruined, meticulously crafted from a child’s modeling medium, expressing a reevaluation of the underappreciated. Through March 4. MADGE EVERS:

“The New Herbarium,” works on paper using mushroom spores and plant matter as artistic mediums. Through February 12. OASA DUVERNEY: “Black Power Wave,” a window installation of drawings by the Brooklyn artist, inspired by images of Chinese Fu dogs, the cross and the Yoruba deity Èsù. Through May 6. RENATE ALLER: “The Space

‘ONE + ONE IS MORE THAN TWO’: This show is about multiple artworks by an artist that relate to each other as a group, in some cases using repetition of pattern, form, shape, color and comparative imagery. Show dates: May 10 to June 24. Deadline: March 25. Details at studioplacearts. com. Studio Place Arts, Barre. $10; free for SPA members. Info, submissions.studioplacearts@ gmail.com.

PAINT-BY-NUMBER COW: Purchase a paint-bynumber cow kit and submit your version to the museum for an upcoming exhibition. Instructions at mainstreetmuseum.org. Deadline: April 15. Main Street Museum, White River Junction. Info, info@ mainstreetmuseum.org.

RFQ FOR STOWE STREET ALLEY: Revitalizing Waterbury and a host of volunteers have been working for more than a year to reclaim and transform an alley that is central to Waterbury’s historic downtown district. The committee is looking for artists to create a medallion and a gateway to the alley; deadlines are April 1 and March 15, respectively. Details at revitalizingwaterbury.org. Online. Free. Info, karen@revitalizingwaterbury.org.

SEEKING NEW ARTIST MEMBERS: Become an exhibiting member of the Brandon Artists Guild; show at the gallery year-round, and participate in group and solo exhibitions. Judging criteria include originality, impact, clarity, craftsmanship, consistency of style and quality, presentation and marketability. Apply at brandonartistsguild.org. Deadline: February 26. Online. Free. Info, 247-4956.

‘SPARK!’: The Birds of Vermont Museum’s 2023 art show seeks works that tell the story of your spark as it relates to birds, birding, conservation, science, art, love or something else. Up to three works of art in almost any media, by new or returning artists of any age, may be submitted. Details at birdsofvermont.org.

Deadline: March 20. Online. Info, museum@ birdsofvermont.org.

VERMONT STUDENT WILDLIFE ART

CONTEST: The second annual contest and exhibition is open to all Vermont students in grades 7 to 12. The top 40 entries will be exhibited at the Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro; 10 of those will be awarded cash prizes. Details and application at vtwildlifeeducationfund.org.

Deadline: March 17. Online.

VERMONT WATERCOLOR SOCIETY: Members are invited to submit works on the theme of “Emergence” for a juried spring exhibition at the Emile A. Gruppe Gallery. Nonmembers may join the association and submit, as well. Details and entry form at vtwatercolor.org. Deadline: February 28. Online. Info, 673-8087.

WRIF EMERGING FILMMAKERS: In March, the 18th White River Indie Film festival will precede feature films with selected shorts. All self-identifying emerging filmmakers who are residents of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine or Québec are eligible to submit. Those selected will be notified of screening date/time prior to the festival. Three will be awarded cash prizes. Details and submission form at uvjam.org. Deadline: March 4. Online. Free. Info, 295-6688.

Norris-Brown, Gretchen Seifert and Linda Udd. Through March 4. Info, 289-0104. ‘IN AWE, COEXISTENCE AND MINDFULNESS OF LIFE’: An exhibition of paintings by Vermont artists Judy Hawkins, Carol Keiser and MC Noyes. Through February 11. Info, artinfo@canalstreetartgallery. com. Canal Street Art Gallery in Bellows Falls.

JAMES MULLEN: “Luminous Edge,” 72 vignette paintings from the artist’s “Pilgrim” series that investigate iconic sites of the 19th-century American landscape. Through March 3. Info, 387-6249. Michael S. Currier Center, Putney School.

‘SNOW SHOW’: Paintings in a winter theme by eight artists in the Hall collection. Through February 26. Info, info@hallartfoundation.org. Hall Art Foundation in Reading.

manchester/bennington

GAIL WINBURY: “The Girl Who Drew Memories,” large-scale abstract paintings and collage. Through February 25. Info, 367-1311. Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester.

randolph/royalton

‘CREATIVE COLLABORATION: THE ART OF DEBORAH AND MICHAEL SACKS’: Printmaking and photography by the married artists. Artists’ talk: Sunday, February 19, 2 p.m. Through March 19. Info, 889-9404. Tunbridge Public Library.

online

‘ACTION FIGURES: OBJECTS IN MOTION’: A virtual exhibition from the Shelburne Museum that explores the theme of movement and action in art. Through April 30. ‘RIGHT UNDER YOUR NOSE’: The Shelburne Museum presents children’s printed textiles from the collection of J.J. Murphy and Nancy Mladenoff, featuring 21 playful, colorful handkerchiefs with motifs including insects, alphabets, circus clowns, shadow puppets, the solar system and a lumberjack beaver. Through May 13. Info, 985-3346. Online.

outside vermont

NELSON HENRICKS: Immersive video installations by the Montréal artist in which visual and sound editing create a musical dynamic, and which explore subjects from the history of art and culture. Through April 10. Info, 514-847-6226. Montréal Museum of Contemporary Art.

PARK DAE SUNG: “Ink Reimagined,” 23 ink paintings, some on view for the first time in the U.S., by the renowned Korean artist; curated by Sunglim Kim, Dartmouth College associate professor of art history. Through March 19. Info, 603-646-3661. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H.

‘SEEING LOUD: BASQUIAT AND MUSIC’: The first large-scale multimedia exhibition devoted to the role of music in the work of the innovative American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, organized in collaboration with the Philharmonie de Paris museum. Through February 19. Info, 514-2852000. ‘VIEWS OF WITHIN: PICTURING THE SPACES WE INHABIT’: More than 60 paintings, photographs, prints, installations and textile works from the museum’s collection that present one or more evocations of interior space. Through June 30. Info, 514-235-2044. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.

Between Memory and Expectation,” an immersive installation of large-format photographs of mountains, glaciers, trees, ocean and other natural landscapes, plus an assemblage of lichen-covered rocks from the West Brattleboro home of artists Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason. Through February 12. Info, 257-0124. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

‘HEROES & VILLAINS’: Artwork by Clare Adams, Thomasin Alyxander, Debi A. Barton, Jean Cannon, Len Emery, Mindy Fisher, Corinne Greenhalgh, Gregory Damien Grinnell, Su Lin Mangan, Charles

‘UNCONDITIONAL’: A group exhibition about dogs and other beloved pets. Reception: Friday, February 3, 4-5:45 p.m. Through February 11. 15TH ANNUAL HIGH SCHOOL EXHIBITION: Ceramics, drawing, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture and wearable art by students from 14 schools in Vermont and New Hampshire. Awards chosen by Matt Neckers of Eden, Vt. Through February 10. Info, 603-448-3117. AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, N.H. ➆

Stranger Sounds

We talk a lot about how music moves us — how it can make us smile with nostalgia, cry over a broken heart, dance with wild abandon or even occasionally infuriate us. A somewhat less heralded e ect, but one I cherish, is music’s ability to weird us out.

Think about it: Have you ever heard a piece of music that sounded so strange it actually made you uncomfortable? Have you felt a twinge of paranoia or a nameless anxiety brought on by a collection of sounds you didn’t understand?

Unsurprisingly, most folks tend to change the dial, so to speak, when they hear music that disturbs or challenges them. For some music fans, however, things don’t get interesting until they get weird.

The first time I encountered the RESIDENTS, I was truly put o . The San Francisco art collective/avant-garde band makes music that, on first listen, almost made me queasy. A friend of mine in high school — one of those kids who was always listening to stu no one else had heard of — played me “Voices of the Air” from the band’s 1981 record March of the Mole. At that point in my life, I pretty much only cared about indie rock and hip-hop, so trying to get through the track felt like some kind of CIA torture.

Something bizarre happened after a few listens, though. I didn’t stop feeling weird about the music, but I did come to enjoy and even seek out that feeling of bewilderment. The mystery of listening to music that I didn’t understand and couldn’t predict intrigued me. So I delved into records such as JACKIE-O MOTHERFUCKER’s Fig. 5 and SCOTT WALKER’s 1995 opus Tilt, simultaneously attracted to and repulsed by the dissonance, the ambience and the overall otherworldliness of the sounds.

Perhaps because of the air of otherness that experimental and ambient music possesses, those records always felt exotic, as if they could have been created only in the most avant-garde of scenes. Imagine my surprise and delight to discover that not only do Vermont musicians produce a ton of top-rate experimental music, but they also perform their pieces live, often in unorthodox venues.

Percussionist JB LEDOUX, aka JO BLED, is kicking o a series of experimental music performances at Burlington’s COMMUNITY OF SOUND space titled “radical/love/

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene

BY CHRIS

worn as a vest, describes “radical/love/ DRUM” as a rare chance to glimpse some of the area’s most out-there percussionists.

“There is a vibrant community of experimental drummers who are pushing the limits of performance, composition and improvisation,” Ledoux wrote. “We intend to present them all.”

Experimental music is also alive and well in East Montpelier, the home of cassette label HISTAMINE TAPES. I’ve reviewed many of the imprint’s releases and am always blown away by the strange, e ortlessly cool vibe of the albums that label founder NICK DENTICO collects, curates and sometimes creates himself.

What Histamine o ers is unique in the state: a label dedicated to lo-fi experimental music. Recent releases include the self-titled 2022 recording by ANOTHER DARK DECEMBER, a dark, dronefilled album about being a resident of Alert, Nunavut, in Canada, the northernmost inhabited place in the world; and Dentico’s own On a River in the Ocean, which showcases ambient baritone guitar and field recordings.

Histamine’s cassettes are always visually striking, as befits the label’s underground, too-cool-for-school vibe. Dentico often cuts and splices bits of ephemera, such as technical manuals or forgotten brochures, into striking pieces of unrecognizable art, matching the almost alien sounds on the tapes.

The latest Histamine release is a perfect starting point for those looking to lean into the weird a little more. Histamine Tapes 2023 is a primer of sorts, featuring nine teaser tracks from the label’s upcoming releases, including music from Chicago’s REID KARRIS, Austrian duo AFGHANISTAN MON AMOUR and Idaho composer ROBERT EGGPLANT

Then there is the work of GLENN WEYANT. The central Vermont composer has released some of the more interesting and, at times, tongue-incheek experimental records in recent memory. From his 2021 lawn mower symphony MOWED MUSIC to a record in which the self-described “sound sculptor” banged mallets against the United States/Mexico border in Nogales, Ariz., Weyant’s work is equal parts whimsy and indefatigable curiosity.

DRUM.” The series’ first installment, on Saturday, February 4, features Jo Bled, free jazz drummer MICHAEL LAROCCA and central Vermont improv trio GLACIAL ERRATICS

“This show is not only the best

experimental drum showcase in town, it is the only experimental drum showcase in town,” Ledoux wrote in an email. Ledoux, whose recent work has centered on his use of the frottoir, a washboard-like percussion instrument

I still recall my confusion and delight when I saw Weyant perform some of his compositions two summers ago at the Museum of Everyday Life in Glover. Seated in the middle of a verdant field with a cello between

FARNSWORTH

Glenn Weyant

COURTESY OF GLENN WEYANT

Jo Bled

his legs, Weyant played a soft drone while his children circled him with mowers, intermittently yelling out, “COMMERCE!” His last performance at Community of Sound featured an amplified log. I mean … c’mon.

For all the nuance and subtlety that experimental music can have, you want it to weird you the fuck out. You should hear one of these projects and become vexed, bemused, confused, maybe even slightly annoyed. Why annoyed? Because you don’t understand the music, and I’m telling you, that is a good thing.

This isn’t a call to abandon pop music. I’m not saying anyone should build a bass guitar from bear sinew and boogers just to make a two-track EP of ambient bass tones called Bearly Pickin’ (But if you do, I’ll definitely review it.) What I am trying to do is convince everybody to accept a little more weird into your music listening habits. And who does weird better than Vermonters?

Catlin collected video and film footage of her parents, which director SHEM ROOSE intercut with shots of the singer on her family farm. The result is equal parts idyllic and bittersweet, as Catlin wonders what she’ll do with “all this empty space” and “sorrow so deep words can’t define.” Watch and listen to the track at tonicatlin.com.

Brattleboro’s ELOISE & CO. have released two new music videos showcasing the natural beauty of the Green Mountain State. The Celtic folk trio of BECKY TRACY, RACHEL BELL and BETHANY WAICKMAN dropped “We’re Not Broken” and “Caps in the Air/ Right Up the Street,” with both videos shot in some notable locations.

With funding from the Vermont Arts Council, the band filmed “We’re Not Broken” at the Moon Bridge at Green Mountain Orchards in Putney and “Caps in the Air/Right Up the Street” at the historic Rockingham Meeting House.

“One of my favorite parts of the project was having an excuse to deepen our connections with these cool and unique places,” Bell wrote in an email. “I marvel continuously that there are such gems to explore right here at home.”

Find both videos on YouTube.

BiteTorrent

Burlington-based singer-songwriter

TONI CATLIN is back with a new single and video called “How Can the Rain Still Fall.” Catlin is a Vermont native who spent 13 years in Nashville, Tenn., working with some of the best country music session players in the city. Her latest song is one of lingering grief.

“I wrote and recorded this song after losing both of my parents in the course of a year,” Catlin wrote on her website. “It is both heartbreaking and profound to be a witness to the last breaths of someone you love.”

RYAN OBER, known in the scene for hardrocking antics with his band RYAN OBER AND THE ROMANS and as a wig-wearing guitar shredder with LED LO/CO, has officially entered the rap game. Ober, who works for electric aerospace company Beta Technologies by day, released a track that is equal parts lighthearted funkrap and workplace PSA. Titled “If You Don’t Put My Tools Back,” the song finds Ober lamenting the state of his work area.

“Now, to the party that took my twohole punch,” Ober raps. “We’re gonna need it after lunch.”

Check out his flow in the video on Beta Technologies’ YouTube channel. And, if you watch it at the office, be a considerate coworker and wear headphones, OK? ➆

Toni Catlin

CLUB DATES music+nightlife

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

music@sevendaysvt.com sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

live music

WED.1

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

e Disco Biscuits, Karina Rykman (jam) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $45/$49.

Fresh Pressed Wednesday with Casey, Leone & Sturcke, Bad Milk, Quiz Kid (indie) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5/$10.

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

Jazz Sessions with Randal Pierce (jazz open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Live Jazz (jazz) at Leunig’s Bistro & Café, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Mac Saturn, Billy Tibbals (rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $15/$18.

One Time Weekend (funk, rock) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Peter Wayne Burton (piano) at the Venetian Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $5.

THU.2

Alex Stewart Quartet and Special Guests (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Annie in the Water (jam) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. $12/$15.

e Disco Biscuits, Karina Rykman (jam) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $45/$49.

Grace Palmer and Socializing for Introverts (rock) at Red Square, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Honeywell (jam) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

Jeff Shelley (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

Lincoln Sprague (jazz) at the Venetian Soda Lounge, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

Matt the Gnat and the Gators (jazz) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

e Middle Ages (hip-hop) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5/$10.

e Most Wanted, aya Zalewski Quartet (indie, jazz) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. $5/$10.

Paper Castles, Addie Herbert, LACES (indie) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7:30 p.m. $5/$10.

Stolen Gin, Lazy Bird (jam, funk) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $15/$18.

Tom Bisson (singer-songwriter) at Filling Station, Middlesex, 6 p.m. Free.

Tom Caswell Blues Jam (blues) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

Chelonia, Will Keeper (indie) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5/$10.

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

Dead Sessions Lite (tribute) at Moogs Joint, Johnson, 9 p.m. Free.

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

Elizabeth Begins (singersongwriter) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6 p.m. Free.

First Friday Folk Songwriter Round with Jesse Taylor, Julian Bunch and David Karl Roberts (singer-songwriters) at the Venetian Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Mean Waltons (bluegrass) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 6 p.m. Free.

Milton Busker & the Grim Work (indie) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Monochromatic Black, Barbarian, Drunk Off Diesel, Smothered Sun, No Son of Mine (metal) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

Nico Suave & the Mothership (rock) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Nisa, Lake Waves, H3adgear (indie, folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10/$12. Outcrops (rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

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

Phil Abair Band (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Saints & Liars, Bow ayer (Americana) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $12/$15.

Sara Grace (singer-songwriter) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free. Sibling Reverie (rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Southtown (bluegrass) at Stone Corral, Richmond, 7 p.m. Free.

Tom Bisson (singer-songwriter) at the Tap Room at Switchback Brewing, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

SAT.4

Danny & the Parts (Americana) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Dead Sessions Lite (tribute) at Moogs Joint, Johnson, 9 p.m. Free.

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

Genderdeath, April Showers, RVR, Remi Russin, Green Mountain Cabaret, RANGUS (dance) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $10.

Jerborn & Axe (acoustic) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

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

Lake Waves (indie) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11:35 p.m. $10/$15.

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

Lost in Paris (covers) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 9 p.m. Free.

Stardust Indie pop outfit MILTON BUSKER & THE GRIM WORK specialize in creating music for the underdog. Or, as the quintet describes its sound in its bio: “hippie music for people that can’t a ord to drop out.” Labeling its genre as “suit folk” — owing to the suits Busker typically wears onstage — the group recently showed o its darker side with 2022’s Made of Stars, a complex and emotional record that grappled with some thorny themes. For all Busker’s ruminations on death and the decay of modern society, his wry wit and clever songwriting have stayed mercurial, his tongue often firmly in cheek. The band swings through Foam Brewers in Burlington on Friday, February 3.

Mirage (rock) at Gusto’s, Barre, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Nickel & Dime (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Plattsburgh Metal Night (metal) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Pontoon (yacht rock) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

Purple: A Tribute to Prince (tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $20.

Ray Vega Jazz Quartet (jazz) at the Venetian Soda Lounge, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Ryan Sweezey (singer-songwriter) at Stone Corral, Richmond, 7 p.m. Free.

Sarah Harralson (singersongwriter) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 6 p.m. Free.

Tenderbellies (folk) at Kraemer & Kin Brewery, Alburgh, 7 p.m. Free.

Tree, Inverter, Old North End, the Path (metal) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m.

Umlaut (polka, rock) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

Waterbury Winterfest Snowball (jam, rock) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $20.

SUN.5

Dale and Darcy (folk) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free.

Lost in Paris (covers) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 9 p.m. Free.

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

MON.6

Eleri Ward (indie folk) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $20/$23.

TUE.7

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free. Grateful Tuesdays (tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $20.

Honky Tonk Tuesday with Wild Leek River (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$15.

John Lackard Blues Duo (blues) at Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, 5 p.m. Free.

Lily Sickles & the So n Sos, Eastern Mountain Time (singer-songwriter) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5/$10.

WED.8

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

bOOb (jam) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

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

Jazz Sessions with Randal Pierce (jazz open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Live Jazz (jazz) at Leunig’s Bistro & Café, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $5.

djs

THU.2

DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

DJ Two Sev (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, midnight. Free.

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae and dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

PK.KID (DJ) at Paradiso Hi-Fi, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Soul Food, Briidj, Ronstappable (DJ) at Club Metronome, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 6 p.m. Free.

Vinyl ursdays (DJ) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

DJ 2Rivers (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

FRI.3 // MILTON BUSKER & THE GRIM WORK [INDIE]

Please contact event organizers about vaccination and mask requirements.

DJ Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. Free.

DJ Kata (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

Down the Rabbit Hole: An Alice in Wonderland Drag Spectacle (drag) at the Depot, St. Albans, 8 p.m. $25-$40.

Gabe Cheng (DJ) at Paradiso Hi-Fi, Burlington, 8 p.m. Fee.

Get Your Groove On with DJ Dakota (DJ) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $5.

SAT.4

Disco Phantom (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

DJ A-Ra$ (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, midnight. Free.

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

DJ Rice Pilaf (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 11 a.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

Friends of Duke Rescue: Burlesque Fundraiser (drag) at the Depot, St. Albans, 8:30 p.m. $17/$20.

Gimme Gimme Disco (ABBA tribute) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $17/$20.

Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Midwinter Love Dream (Burlesque) at Club Metronome, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Soilpimp (DJ) at Paradiso Hi-Fi, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

MON.6

DJ Tad Cautious (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

TUE.7

Local Dork (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

open mics & jams

WED.1

Irish Sessions (Celtic, open mic) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Lit Club (poetry open mic) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.2

Open Mic (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic Night (open mic) at Parker Pie, West Glover, 6:30 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

Red Brick Coffee House (open mic) at Red Brick Meeting House, Westford, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.5

Open Mic Night with Justin at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m.

WED.8

Irish Sessions (Celtic, open mic) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.8

Standup Comedy Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

WED.1

Nerd Nite Trivia (trivia) at Citizen Cider, Burlington, 6:30-9 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Stone Corral, Richmond, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.2

Karaoke Night (karaoke) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia & Nachos (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

comedy

WED.1

Standup Comedy Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m.

Weird & Niche (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5.

THU.2

Kingdom Kids Present: Home Planet (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5.

Mothra! A Storytelling/

Improv Comedy Show (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

Brian Simpson (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $25.

SAT.4

Brian Simpson (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $25.

SUN.5

Comedy Night! (comedy) at Four Quarters Brewery, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

TUE.7

Comedy Open Mic (comedy) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Thursday (trivia) at Spanked Puppy Pub, Colchester, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.5

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at the Venetian Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.6

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.7

Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at the Depot, St. Albans, 7 p.m. Free. Tuesday Night Trivia (trivia) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.8

Nerd Nite Trivia (trivia) at Citizen Cider, Burlington,

Dari Bay, Longest Day of the Year

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Teenage bands are cute, but they don’t always pass muster. Life experience fuels art. If you haven’t lived that long, you might not have a well of exploits and relationships deep enough to make truly absorbing work.

But Brattleboro’s the Snaz were an exception — and exceptional. The defunct teenage quartet made preposterously sophisticated rock music in the 2010s, bringing it to life with precision and fluency well beyond its members’ years. It was sad when the group broke up in 2017 after putting out two terrific albums and an EP.

Fortunately, its members continued to make music — including drummer Zack James, who performs under the moniker Dari Bay. His first proper album, the 10song Longest Day of the Year, amplifies

Freddie Losambe, daydreams & folly

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

To abuse a cliché, former Burlingtonian Freddie Losambe is “criminally slept on.” That’s a haggard phrase referring to great artists who are neglected despite their prolific talent. Losambe is a producer, rapper, singer and multi-instrumentalist whose catalog displays huge range and superb, thoughtful writing — yet he seldom gets the acclaim he deserves.

I’d like to say his latest project, daydreams & folly, will change all that, but it probably won’t. The EP is a follow-up to last year’s Estates of the Realm, Losambe’s proper debut album on local hip-hop imprint Equal Eyes Records. Just like his new o ering, it was ambitious, refined and full of brilliant songs. It was also clearly the work of a grown, married man, devoid of both the brash arrogance and emotional insecurity that define the youth culture of rap music.

the scrappy garage-rock sounds of some earlier recordings with lush arrangements and forays into dream-pop, psychedelia and a bit of twang.

In a track-by-track album breakdown with Flood Magazine, James highlighted its themes. He noted the pitfalls of codependency (“Wait for You”), the inherently introspective nature of getting intentionally lost (“Same Old Bumpy Road”) and the hazy euphoria of “being the last person at the party” (“Stay Awake”).

But the most recurrent theme is the enigmatic nature of memories and dreams. You can hear it in the ephemeral “River,” which James described as “how important memories and ideas often hold their significance better if they’re somewhat obscured.” The song’s minimal lyrics are indeed obscured by frothy production. But the shifting gnarl of guitar chords and wah-wah solo conjure a mass of thoughts swirling and reconstituting themselves in an uninterrupted flow.

Perhaps that’s the problem — you know, to the extent that could be considered a problem at all. There’s also the fact that Losambe is an exceptionally literate MC, more likely to reference novels or philosophers than Rakim or Jay-Z.

Consider the framing of daydreams & folly: a collection of songs inspired by the Miguel de Cervantes classic Don Quixote. That may not sound like a promising pitch, but, remarkably, this rap album based on a book from the 1600s is raw, urgently relevant stu .

The album opens with “The Mad Knight,” a catchy, shifting kaleidoscope of perspectives on the meaning of manhood. Sonically and lyrically, it sets the tone for the whole project. Every track is bold and funky, as Losambe seeks to navigate the virtues and vices of masculinity. Obviously, this is fertile ground, and there is a lot to unpack. The rapper is equal to the task, weaving a tapestry of personal experience, classic archetypes and more than a few Biblical allegories.

Ironically, Longest Day of the Year is quite short at just under 25 minutes. James is an economical songwriter, packing punch into tunes that mostly clock in at just over two minutes. Decorative flourishes enhance the ’90s alt-rock grit at their core.

Guest Ben Rogers’ pedal steel on altcountry “Imagine What Could Happen” emphasizes the weariness of quarter-life. In only a few words, James crystallizes the familiar ache of longing: “Imagine what could happen / If I rode along with you,” he repeats in a gloomy whisper.

Rogers, proprietor of New Hampshire’s Loud Sun Studio, is one of two pedal steel players to appear, along with Brenden Provost of Burlington mess-rock outfit Greaseface. The latter contributes to the tripped-out “Moon,” a splattered wall of sound full of unfiltered longing.

As Dari Bay, James is one of the state’s most compelling new voices. His mastery as songwriter, producer and musician makes him a multi-hyphenate to watch out for.

Longest Day of the Year is available at daribay.bandcamp.com.

JORDAN ADAMS

The highlight of that journey is “Chivalry’s Death,” a collaboration with Burlington rapper FOZ. Over a lush bed of loops, the two o er up an allegorical portrait of how even deeply broken men can redeem themselves — or, at the very least, find some peace. The intricacy of the wordplay kept me coming back. But, hell, that was true for every song here.

It’s a short EP, just over 10 minutes in all. But daydreams & folly is so densely packed with vivid ideas that it sticks with you for far longer. Losambe often employs the cadence and passion of a preacher, but there are no straightforward sermons here, no easy answers. That ambiguity is a real asset when exploring such dangerous terrain.

Losambe may never have a breakthrough project, but daydreams & folly embodies his slow-burn approach. He makes thematic, uncompromising art, and every new release brings more fans into the fold to discover his expansive body of work. For listeners who appreciate grown-up rap, Losambe is simply a treasure. Get hip. daydreams & folly is available on Soundcloud.

on screen

This winter has been so dismal. A movie set at a high-end resort sounds like the perfect antidote. Even the title, Infinity Pool (in theaters), evokes the sumptuous endlessness of lazy days spent sunning oneself beside — wait, what’s that again? This is a horror movie that pushes the limits of the R rating? Directed by Brandon Cronenberg, son of Canadian auteur David Cronenberg, who seems determined to produce surreal visions even more disturbing than his dad’s?

If none of that appeals, you could just rewatch “The White Lotus.” But, personally, I’m always up for tagging along on a Cronenberg vacation.

The deal

Infinity Pool ★★★★ REVIEW

At a gated seaside resort in the fictional country of La Tolqa (played by Croatia and Hungary), James (Alexander Skarsgård) and Em (Cleopatra Coleman) are hoping that a vacation will revive their marriage. He’s a novelist who’s produced exactly one failed book; she’s the daughter of a publishing mogul who is supporting him in style.

Then fellow guest Gabi (Mia Goth) vamps her way into James’ life. Her husband (Jalil Lespert) doesn’t seem to mind that she’s obviously angling to seduce the writer, and the two couples venture outside the resort for a drive in the countryside.

The outing ends in a hit-and-run that puts James in the crosshairs of the dreaded La Tolqa justice system. The country metes out the death penalty for even minor transgressions, but tourists get the option of buying their way out. There’s just one catch: They have to watch an exact double of themselves die.

Will you like it?

When will the men in horror movies ever learn? If Mia Goth prances her way up to you, rocking retro fashions and riding the line between ingenue and temptress, run the other way. Ever since A Cure for Wellness, the actor has been carving out her status as a scream queen with a specialty in guiding dopey leading men straight into the abyss. She does it with style, and she lets the audience in on the joke — namely, that men refuse to believe anyone so sweet and fresh-faced could be their undoing.

That’s certainly true of the desperately insecure James in Infinity Pool ; Gabi’s praise of his book soon has him following her around like a puppy. She draws him into a depraved game with her clique of friends in which the stakes are his very sense of self.

Infinity Pool does a better job of selling its central concept than did Cronenberg’s previous two features, which too often relied on trippy imagery to cover up a weakness of plot and characterization. The premise doesn’t make much sense — it hinges on the impoverished nation of La Tolqa having technology unknown anywhere else — but once we’ve suspended our disbelief, the consequences are believable enough. Eager to squeeze money from the tourists, the natives empower them to follow their worst impulses, and the rich demonstrate that there’s no depth they’re not willing to explore.

Like The Menu, Infinity Pool combines horror with satirical class commentary, but it doesn’t give us the satisfaction of seeing an underdog win. As in Cronenberg’s other films, an underwritten script leaves us feeling disconnected from the characters. Our protagonist, James, is so passive and easily led that he feels more like a placeholder. Em might as well be a prop; after a few tart rejoinders, she disappears. Only

Gabi has any real agency, and she’s a force of pure, gleeful perversion.

With main characters no more likable than those of the Hostel series, Infinity Pool might be easy to dismiss if it weren’t such a stunning fever dream of a movie. From its first scenes, desaturated colors and vertiginous angles make everything seem treacherously unreal. Jarringly extreme close-ups contrast with scenes that play with optical illusion. An out-of-focus detective silhouetted against a window looks disturbingly inhuman, for instance, emphasizing how other the natives appear to the tourists. Later on, the film goes fullon psychedelic for a few scenes, including a drug-fueled orgy featuring a trompe l’oeil kaleidoscope of body parts. (Viewers with photosensitivity should know that those scenes also feature strobing lights.)

A stronger screenplay might have found something more substantial to say about the dilemmas of the masculine ego that Cronenberg seems to want James’ plight to embody. The writer-director makes a wise choice, however, when he has one of his characters immediately acknowledge and dismiss the overarching philosophical questions posed by the technology — how do I know I’m actually watching my double die? What if I am the double?

Those questions are so Blade Runner,

so 20th century. Living in a world of AI and deepfakes, these a uent characters couldn’t care less whether they’re themselves or clones implanted with their memories. The important thing is that they still have access to their bank accounts.

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY...

POSSESSOR (2020; Hulu, rentable): Cronenberg’s previous film also raises the question of identity: Andrea Riseborough plays a corporate assassin who begins to lose any sense of herself as she hacks into people’s heads.

CRIMES OF THE FUTURE (2022; Hulu, Kanopy, rentable): e elder Cronenberg is still at it, too. He returns to dark science fiction in his latest, which envisions a future in which biotech can rewrite human bodies.

ANNIHILATION (2018; Paramount+, rentable): Infinity Pool isn’t the first psychedelic body-horror beach movie. Alex Garland’s adaptation of Jeff VanderMeer’s modern sci-fi classic depicts scientists exploring a coastal strip where everything mutates in terrifying ways.

Skarsgård and Goth play rich tourists sampling violent delights in the latest trancey horror film from Brandon Cronenberg.

NEW IN THEATERS

80 FOR BRADY: Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno and Lily Tomlin play four friends determined to meet Tom Brady at the SuperBowl in this sports comedy directed by Kyle Marvin. (98 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Welden)

THE AMAZING MAURICE: A clever cat (voice of Hugh Laurie), a young piper (Himesh Patel) and a band of rats plot to scam an unsuspecting town in this animation based on a Terry Pratchett novel. Toby Genkel and Florian Westermann directed. (93 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Star)

KNOCK AT THE CABIN: M. Night Shyamalan directed this adaptation of Paul Tremblay’s horror novel about a vacationing family who encounter an apocalypse cult. With Dave Bautista and Jonathan Groff. (100 min, R. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Paramount, Star, Welden)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

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BROKERHHHH In South Korea, two men take advantage of a church drop-off for unwanted babies to sell the children for adoption in this acclaimed drama from Hirokazu Koreeda. (129 min, R. Roxy; reviewed 1/25)

EOHHHH1/2 This Oscar nominee from director Jerzy Skolimowski explores modern Europe from the point of view of a donkey. With Sandra Drzymalska and Isabelle Huppert. (86 min, NR. Savoy)

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Michelle Yeoh plays a woman who travels the multiverse to save the world in this surreal adventure comedy. (139 min, R. Palace, Roxy; reviewed 4/13/22)

THE FABELMANSHHHH A teen in midcentury Arizona sets out to become a filmmaker in Steven Spielberg’s acclaimed autobiographical drama, starring Michelle Williams and Gabriel LaBelle. (151 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Palace, Savoy; reviewed 12/14/22)

INFINITY POOLHHH1/2 A couple’s seaside vacation turns into a surreal nightmare in the latest horror flick from Brandon Cronenberg, starring Alexander Skarsgård, Mia Goth and Cleopatra Coleman. (117 min, R. Essex, Majestic, Roxy; reviewed 2/1)

LIVINGHHHH Bill Nighy received an Oscar nomination for his performance as a civil servant in 1950s England who changes his life after receiving disturbing news. Oliver Hermanus directed. (102 min, PG-13. Savoy)

A MAN CALLED OTTOHH1/2 In the American adaptation of Fredrik Backman’s bestseller A Man Called Ove, Tom Hanks plays a widower in need of a new lease on life. Marc Forster directed. (126 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Star, Stowe, Welden)

M3GANHHH1/2 A robotics engineer (Allison Williams) makes the bad decision to introduce her young niece to her new life-like creation in this viral horror flick. (102 min, PG-13. Essex, Majestic, Roxy, Star, Stowe)

MISSINGHHH1/2 Storm Reid plays a girl who must use digital sleuthing to find her mom (Nia Long), who disappeared on a Colombian vacation, in this thriller from Nicholas D. Johnson and Will Merrick. (111 min, PG-13. Majestic, Palace)

PATHAAN: An Indian spy (Shah Rukh Khan) defends his homeland in this action thriller from director Siddharth Anand. (146 min, NR. Majestic)

PLANEHHH Gerard Butler plays a pilot who makes a successful crash landing only to find more trouble on the ground in this action thriller from JeanFrançois Richet. (107 min, R. Bijou, Essex, Majestic)

PUSS IN BOOTS: THE LAST WISHHHHH Antonio Banderas again voices the titular cool cat in this animated adventure in which Puss seeks to restore his nine lives. (100 min, PG. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Paramount, Star)

TÁRHHHHH Cate Blanchett plays a prominent classical composer with dark secrets in Todd Field’s drama. (158 min, R. Roxy; reviewed 11/2/22)

TILLHHHH The mother (Danielle Deadwyler) of murdered teen Emmett Till fights entrenched racism to bring his killers to justice in this historical drama. (130 min, PG-13. Playhouse)

THE WHALEHHH Brendan Fraser plays an obese, shut-in English teacher at a critical life juncture in this drama directed by Darren Aronofksky. (117 min, R. Catamount, Roxy, Savoy; reviewed 1/18)

WHEN YOU FINISH SAVING THE WORLDHHH Jesse Eisenberg makes his directorial debut with this comedy-drama in which Julianne Moore and Finn Wolfhard play a mother and teenage son. (88 min, R. Roxy)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

THE CHOSEN SEASON 3 FINALE (Essex, Thu-Mon only)

FATHOM’S BIG SCREEN CLASSICS: GROUNDHOG DAY 30TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex, Thu & Sun only)

GASLIGHT (Catamount, Wed 8 only)

KING RICHARD (Catamount, Wed 1 only)

TANTURA (Savoy, Fri only)

OPEN THEATERS

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

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

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

PALACE 9 CINEMAS: 10 Fayette Dr., South Burlington, 864-5610, palace9.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

Note: These capsule descriptions are not intended as reviews. Star ratings come from Metacritic unless we reviewed the film (noted at the end of the description). Find reviews written by Seven Days critic Margot Harrison at sevendaysvt.com/ onscreen-reviews.

Danielle Deadwyler and Jalyn Hall in Till

PLEASE CONTACT EVENT ORGANIZERS ABOUT VACCINATION AND MASK REQUIREMENTS.

FEBRUARY 1-8, 2023

WED.1 activism

MIGRANT JUSTICE: A presentation educates patrons about the local labor rights organization, its ongoing Milk With Dignity program and experience of Vermont farmworkers. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

agriculture

FIRST WEDNESDAYS: STEVEN R. HOFFBECK:

The author of The Haymakers: A Chronicle of Five Farm Families gives a humorous, insightful look into the history of hay. Presented by Vermont Humanities and Manchester Community Library. 7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, pvignola@mclvt.org.

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS

NETWORKING

INTERNATIONAL GROUP:

Local professionals make crucial contacts at a weekly chapter meeting. Burlington City Arts, 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 829-5066.

fairs & festivals

WATERBURY WINTERFEST: Folks enjoy winter activities galore, from wassailing to snow soccer to live music. See waterburywinterfest. com for full schedule. Various Waterbury locations, 5-8 p.m. Free; some activities require preregistration. Info, waterbury. winterfest@gmail.com.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: Viewers experience 19thcentury explorer Henry Bates’ journey through the Amazon rainforest. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids

2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

FILM AND MEDIA CULTURE

SENIOR PROJECT SCREENING: Student filmmakers unveil a diverse array of final projects.

Dana Auditorium, Sunderland Language Center, Middlebury College, 7:30-10:30 p.m. Free. Info, 443-3190.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD 3D’: Sparkling graphics take viewers on a mindbending journey into phenomena that are too slow, too fast or too small to be seen by the naked eye. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: An adventurous dolichorhynchops travels through the most dangerous oceans in history, encountering plesiosaurs, giant turtles and the deadly mosasaur along the way. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE!

All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

Listings and spotlights are written by Emily Hamilton Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: Sandhill cranes, yellow warblers and mallard ducks make their lives along rivers, lakes and wetlands. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

food & drink

ADVENTURE DINNER FONDUE

POP-UP PARTY: It’s first come, first served at this rollicking gouda time featuring Jasper Hill cheese dip, shareable apps and plenty of cocktails. Takeout also available for preorder. Haymaker Bun, Middlebury, 4:30-9:30 p.m. Cost of food and drink. Info, 248-224-7539.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

language

IRISH LANGUAGE CLASS: Celtic-curious students learn to speak an Ghaeilge in a supportive group. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SPANISH CONVERSATION: Fluent and beginner speakers brush up on their español with a discussion led by a Spanish teacher. Presented by Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 5-6

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE AND ONLINE:

art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/music.

= ONLINE EVENT

p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org.

lgbtq

THRIVE QTPOC MOVIE NIGHT: Each month, Pride Center of Vermont virtually screens a movie centered on queer and trans people of color. 6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, thrive@pridecentervt.org.

music

ART THROUGH BREATH FINAL

SHOWCASE: Music students weave together genres and disciplines. Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 443-5696.

JUSTIN MURPHY-MANCINI: An organ recital ranges in time and place from Baroque Denmark to contemporary Lebanon and beyond. Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 401-261-6271.

ZACH NUGENT UNCORKED: The sought-after guitarist plays a weekly loft show featuring live music, storytelling and special guests. Shelburne Vineyard, 6-9 p.m. Free. Info, 985-8222.

outdoors

SMUGGS 55+ SKI CLUB: Seniors who love to ski, snowboard and snowshoe hit the slopes after coffee and pastries. Smugglers’ Notch Resort, Jeffersonville, 9 a.m.-noon. $30 for annual membership. Info, president@ smuggs55plus.com.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: Ping-Pong players swing their paddles in singles and doubles matches. Rutland Area Christian School, 7-9 p.m. Free for first two sessions; $30 annual membership. Info, 247-5913.

MICHELOB ULTRA SKI BUM RACE

SERIES: Teams of amateur skiers and snowboarders test their skills and speed at one of 10 downhill bouts. Killington Resort, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $60; $250 per team. Info, events@killington.com.

talks

THU.2 activism

WE’RE ALZ IN THIS TOGETHER: DESTIGMATIZING DEMENTIA: Advocates meet with legislators to speak up for Vermonters with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia. Virtual option available. Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 316-3839.

agriculture

BACKYARD FARMING IN NORWICH: ALL ABOUT CHICKENS: Norwich Historical Society and Community Center teaches locals everything they need to know to raise that flock they’ve always wanted. 6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 649-0124.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS: Yarnsmiths create hats and scarves to be donated to the South Burlington Food Shelf. All supplies provided. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of all experience levels get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

environment

AN EVENING OF BIRD

TALES: Vermont Center for Ecostudies staff members regale listeners with tales of their avian adventures. Presented by Friends of Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge. 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, info@friendsofmissisquoi.org.

etc.

NIGHT OWL CLUB: Astronomers and space exploration experts discuss the latest in extraterrestrial news with curious attendees. Presented by Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. 7 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2372.

film

lgbtq

POP-UP HAPPY HOUR: Locals connect over drinks at a speakeasystyle bar. Hosted by OUT in the 802. Lincolns, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 860-7812.

RURAL PROVIDER EDUCATION SERIES:

SUPPORTING LGBTQ+

SURVIVORS: Small-town medical providers learn how to support their queer and trans patients through sexual and domestic violence. Presented by Pride Center of Vermont’s SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program. 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, shea@ pridecentervt.org.

outdoors

MARY LOU RECOR: The Green Mountain Club hosts a crosscountry cyclist’s presentation on her long journey from Vancouver to Nova Scotia. Richmond Free Library, 7-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, gmc@greenmountainclub. org.

politics

THOUGHT CLUB: Artists and activists convene to engage with Burlington‘s rich tradition of radical thought and envision its future. Democracy Creative, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, tevan@democracycreative.com.

talks

MEGHAN COPE: A professor of geography investigates how space can perpetuate systems of oppression. Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building, University of Vermont, Burlington, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3166.

theater

‘’BOV WATER’: See WED.1, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

FRI.3 activism

ADVOCATES IN ACTION VIRTUAL LUNCH

FIRST WEDNESDAYS:

LORI YEARWOOD: A journalist explores what it means to take a subject’s trauma into account. Presented by Vermont Humanities and Rutland Free Library. 7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 773-1860.

FIRST WEDNESDAYS:

RAFFI ANDONIAN: An author and TV presenter offers four questions for communities to consider when debating the value of monuments and other historic sites. Presented by Vermont Humanities and Brownell Library. 7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6955.

theater

‘’BOV WATER’: Dartmouth College alum Celeste Jennings weaves together the stirring stories of four generations of Black women in a new play. Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 7:30 p.m. $17.75-67.75. Info, 296-7000.

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

‘THE BOOK OF DUST’: Filmed live at London’s Bridge Theatre, this fantastical production adapts the follow-up to Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 7 p.m. $6-15. Info, 748-2600.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN

WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1. ‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

health & fitness

MINDFUL MOVEMENT

RESISTANCE BAND CLASS: Becky Widschenter leads a low-impact, strength-building and stressreducing workout. BYO band, or purchase one for $10. Waterbury Public Library, 6-6:45 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 244-7036.

— ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION: Local author Jane Dwinell joins this virtual meeting to read from her recently published book, Alzheimer’s Canyon: One Couple’s Reflections on Living With Dementia. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 316-3839.

business

‘NO’ IS NOT A FOURLETTER WORD: Business strategist Lisa Danforth teaches how setting boundaries can improve your professional life. Presented by Women Business Owners Network Vermont. 8:30-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 503-0219.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

FAMI LY FU N

Check out these family-friendly events for parents, caregivers and kids of all ages.

• Plan ahead at sevendaysvt.com/family-fun Post your event at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

WED.1 burlington

BABYTIME: Librarians bring out books, rhymes and songs specially selected for young ones. Pre-walkers and younger. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

CRAFTERNOON: Crafts take over the Teen Space, from origami to stickers to fireworks in a jar. Ages 11 through 18. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 540-2546.

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT:

Throughout the month of February, Pokémon catchers of all ages search for the creatures hiding throughout the library. Winners, announced in March, receive prizes. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington. Free. Info, 540-2546.

STEAM SPACE: Kids explore science, technology, engineering, art and math activities. Ages 5 through 11. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

BABYTIME: Teeny-tiny library patrons enjoy a gentle, slow story time featuring songs, rhymes and lap play. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

CRAFTERNOON: Little artists color posters of knights, princesses and dragons to decorate the youth area. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

LEGO BUILDERS: Elementary-age imagineers explore, create and participate in challenges. Ages 8 and up, or ages 6 and up with an adult helper. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PLAY TIME: Little ones build with blocks and read together. Ages 1 through 4. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1010:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

CHESS CLUB: Kids of all skill levels get one-on-one lessons and play each other in between. Ages 6 and up. KelloggHubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

mad river valley/ waterbury

QUEER READS: LGBTQIA+ and allied youth get together each month to read and discuss ideas around gender, sexuality and identity. Waterbury Public Library, 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

upper valley

PEABODY AFTERSCHOOL FUN FOR GRADES 1-4: Students make friends over crafts and story time. George Peabody

Give Me a Hand

4 | FAMILY FUN

Like a ray of warmth offering relief from the frigid February wind, Sandglass Theater welcomes the 16th season of its beloved family puppet program, the Winter Sunshine Series. Every Saturday this month sees a new Vermont or Massachusetts puppetry troupe performing in Putney, with one-of-a-kind shows featuring everything from a stage that is also a suit to tales of activism in Indonesia. This week’s opening performance, Oma, follows a grandmother whose knitting tells stories, with a live score composed by Molly Gawler and the Gawler Family Band.

WINTER SUNSHINE SERIES

Saturday, February 4, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m., at Sandglass Theater in Putney. $7.50-9; $30 for series pass. Info, info@sandglasstheater.org, sandglasstheater.org.

Library, Post Mills, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 333-9724.

THU.2 burlington

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

PRESCHOOL YOGA: Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga leads little ones in songs, movement and other fun activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

KIDS’ BOOK CLUB FOR KIDS K-2 AND THEIR PARENTS: Little bookworms and their caregivers learn to love reading together through sharing, crafts and writing activities. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, nliuzzi@southburlingtonvt.gov.

MUSIC AND MOVEMENT WITH MISS EMMA: The star of “Music for Sprouts” and “Mr. Chris and Friends” leads little ones 5 and younger in singing, scarf play and movement. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Books, songs, rhymes, sign language lessons and math activities make for well-educated youngsters. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

FUSE BEAD CRAFTERNOONS: Youngsters make pictures out of colorful, meltable doodads. Ages 8 and up. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Energetic youngsters join Miss Meliss for stories, songs and lots of silliness. KelloggHubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

stowe/smuggs

WEE ONES PLAY TIME: Caregivers bring kiddos 3 and younger to a new sensory learning experience each week. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

mad river valley/ waterbury

PRESCHOOL PLAY & READ: Outdoor activities, stories and songs get 3- and 4-year-olds engaged. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

FRI.3 burlington

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

chittenden county

TEEN ADVISORY BOARD: Teenagers meet new friends and take an active role in their local library. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

TEEN FRIGHT NIGHT: Kids 13 through 18 hang out, eat popcorn and watch a freaky flick. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

WINTER STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: Participants ages 6 and under hear stories, sing songs and eat tasty treats between outdoor activities. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

upper valley

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in stories, songs and silliness. Latham

Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Kids 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and take home a fun activity. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 745-1391.

SING-ALONG: Kids of all ages enjoy original and traditional music from Ed “The Music Man” Morgan. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

SAT.4 burlington

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: Kids from birth through age 5 learn and play at this school readiness program. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

KIDS VT CAMP AND SCHOOL FAIR: Parents and caregivers discover dozens of regional summer camps and schools and connect with representatives who can answer all their questions. Hilton

Bonnie Duncan

COURTESY OF LIZ LINDER

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

‘THE QUARRY PROJECT’: A 40-minute film captures last summer’s sold-out, site-specific dance theater performance at Wells Lamson quarry. Q&A follows. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, N.H., 6-8 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Info, 603-448-3117.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1. ‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

games

MAH-JONGG: Tile traders of all experience levels gather for a game session. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

health & fitness

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION

EXERCISE PROGRAM: Those in need of an easy-on-the-joints workout experience an hour of calming, low-impact movement. Waterbury Public Library, 10:3011:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

GUIDED MEDITATION

ONLINE: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

music

‘ROMANTIC INTERLUDE’: Cabot

ivory tickler Diane Huling performs works by Chopin, Rachmaninoff, Liszt and Rameau on the church’s new grand piano. Christ Episcopal Church, Montpelier, 5:30-6:30 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 223-3631.

sports

RALLY AGAINST CANCER: UVM’s hockey and basketball teams play to raise funds for the Cancer Center. Fans are encouraged to wear lavender. University of Vermont, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5. Info, 656-4410.

tech

TECH HELP: Experts answer questions about phones, laptops, e-readers and more in one-on-one sessions. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

theater

ACTING SHOWCASE: The students of LNT’s Advanced Acting Intensive share intimate scenes and monologues. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 229-0492.

‘’BOV WATER’: See WED.1.

4 & 5 | FAIRS & FESTIVALS

Medieval Times

Fear ye not: Thy gowns and doublets shall not lay abandoned ’til summer, for the Winter Renaissance Faire arriveth in the hamlet of Essex Junction. The family-friendly festivities run for two days and feature music, performances, demonstrations, and an artisan alley of craftspeople and mead makers from across New England. Revelers witness all sorts of medieval mayhem, from battle reenactments by the Brotherhood of the Arrow and Sword to lilting harmonies by the Ladies of Integrity, Aristocracy, Repute and Society.

WINTER RENAISSANCE FAIRE

Saturday, February 4, and Sunday, February 5, 10 a.m.-6 p.m., at Champlain Valley Exposition in Essex Junction. $5-30; free for kids under 6. Info, 778-9178, vtgatherings.com.

SAT.4 activism

NAMI SMARTS ADVOCACY

TRAINING: TELLING YOUR

STORY: Citizens learn how to reach out to policy makers in support of better mental health care. Presented by National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont. 1-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 876-7949, ext. 100.

dance

MONTPELIER CONTRA DANCE:

To live tunes and gender-neutral calling, dancers balance, shadow and do-si-do the night away. N95, KN94, KN95 or 3-ply surgical masks required. Capital City Grange, Berlin, beginners’ lesson, 7:40 p.m.; dance, 8-11 p.m. $5-20. Info, 225-8921.

fairs & festivals

KRAEMER & KIN 2023 WINTER

CARNIVAL: Adults and kids alike

have a snow day, including skating, sledding, snow volleyball, guided snowshoe treks and pickup hockey. BYO equipment. See kraemerandkin.com for full schedule. Kraemer & Kin Brewery, Alburgh, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Free. Info, 796-3586.

WINTER RENAISSANCE FAIRE:

Enthusiasts engage with artisans and crafters while enjoying mead, live demos and more medieval merriment. See calendar spotlight. Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, 10 a.m. $5-30; free for kids under 6. Info, 778-9178.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1.

‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

WOODSTOCK VERMONT FILM SERIES: ‘THE AUTOMAT’: A 2021 documentary recounts the lost history of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, featuring interviews with luminaries such as Mel Brooks and Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 3 p.m. $1215. Info, 457-2355.

food & drink

BSA TROOP 658 SPAGHETTI

DINNER: Meals of pasta and meatballs fund the local scout troop. The Bagel Café & Deli, Burlington, 4-8 p.m. $15-25; preregister. Info, 922-3789.

CAPITAL CITY WINTER FARMERS

MARKET: Root veggies, honey, maple syrup and more change hands at an off-season celebration of locally grown food. Caledonia Spirits, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, manager@ montpelierfarmersmarket.com.

holidays

IMBOLG CELEBRATION: The Green Mountain Druid Order marks this Gaelic midwinter holiday with a potluck, ceremony and merriment. Worcester Town Hall, 3-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, fearnessence@ gmail.com.

music

CATAMOUNT ARTS BLUEGRASS

NIGHT: High Range and Bob & Sarah Amos are the featured performers during an evening chock-full of traditional tunes. Catamount ArtPort, St. Johnsbury, 7 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 748-2600.

‘ELECTRIC DREAMS’: Electronic violinist Tracy Silverman solos at the final Vermont Symphony Orchestra concert conducted by a prospective director. The Flynn, Burlington, 7 p.m. $8.35-54.23. Info, 863-5966.

VERMONT MANDOLIN TRIO:

Three of Vermont’s finest mandolinists pick their way through a plethora of genres. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 7-9 p.m. $5-20. Info, 533-2000.

outdoors

UNDERSTANDING FOREST

MANAGEMENT WALK: Chittenden County forester Ethan Tapper walks locals through the woods and the answers to their questions about wildlife restoration. Hinesburg Town Forest, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, info@citymarket.coop.

WILDLIFE TRACKING CLUB: Naturalists teach trackers of all ages how to distinguish the snowy paw prints of coyotes, foxes, minks and more. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 10-11:30 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 229-6206.

WINTER TREE AND TRACKING

games

BEGINNER DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Waterbury Public Library game master Evan Hoffman gathers novices and veterans alike for an afternoon of virtual adventuring. Teens and adults welcome. Noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities face off and learn new strategies. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

health & fitness

OPEN SITTING MEDITATION AND BUDDHIST DISCUSSION: Readings and reflections follow a half hour of mindfulness. Refreshments served. Shambhala Meditation Center, Burlington, 9:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 658-6795.

BIOBLITZ DAY: Community scientists at all levels team up to log animal tracks and local tree species. Green Mountain Audubon Center, Huntington, 9 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 434-3068.

theater

‘’BOV WATER’: See WED.1, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

words

FRIENDS OF ILSLEY LIBRARY

BOOK SALE: Books of all genres for all ages go on sale, and all proceeds fund library programming. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 388-4095.

SUN.5 dance

SACRED CIRCLE DANCE: A lesson in contemporary and traditional dances from around the world helps community members welcome spring and embrace new beginnings. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, 777-4414.

fairs & festivals

ICE ON FIRE: A sunset bonfire ends a day of winter games, theater, storytelling and music. Montpelier Elks Club, 2-6 p.m.

$5-10 suggested donation. Info, info@alltogethernowvt.org.

KRAEMER & KIN 2023 WINTER

CARNIVAL: See SAT.4, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

WINTER RENAISSANCE FAIRE: See SAT.4.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

MNFF SELECTS FILM SERIES:

‘TED K’: A gripping narrative film follows the life and murders of serial killer Ted Kaczynski. Q&A with director Tony Stone follows. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 2 p.m. $14-16. Info, 382-9222.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN

WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1.

‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

WOODSTOCK VERMONT FILM

SERIES: ‘THE AUTOMAT’: See SAT.4.

food & drink

FOOD FOR TALK COOKBOOK

CLUB: Home chefs make a recipe from Gullah Geechee

Home Cooking: Recipes from the Matriarch of Edisto Island by Emily Meggett and meet to compare results. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov.

WINTER FARMERS MARKET:

Shoppers sip a local beer while browsing local bites at this wintertime hub for local growers, bakers and crafters. Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, noon-3 p.m. Free. Info, 391-9120.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MINDFULNESS

PRACTICE: New and experienced meditators are always welcome to join this weekly practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hahn. Sangha Studio — Pine, Burlington, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: A YEAR TO LIVE

(FULLY): Participants practice keeping joy, generosity and gratitude at the forefront of their minds. Jenna’s House, Johnson, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, mollyzapp@live. com.

music

GREEN MOUNTAIN CHORUS: Vermont’s premier barbershop ensemble treats listeners to ear-tingling harmonies and gleeful shenanigans. Westford Common Hall, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 363-0930.

NORTHEAST FIDDLERS

ASSOCIATION JAM: Players and members of the public gather to catch up and enjoy this spirited

art form. Capital City Grange, Berlin, noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, 565-7377.

PAUL ASBELL: The veteran jazzman serenades concertgoers with his bluesy strains. First Congregational Church Essex, Essex Junction, 3 p.m. $20. Info, 878-5745.

THE SADBERRY-OZEL DUO: The flutist and pianist play a program highlighting the music of Black American composers William Grant Still and Valerie Coleman. South Church Hall, St. Johnsbury, 3-5 p.m. $20. Info, 748-7135.

SUNDAY CONCERT SERIES: RIK

PALIERI: The veteran touring artists weaves together influences as far-flung as Poland and the American Southwest. Virtual option available. Deborah Rawson Memorial Library, Jericho, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, 899-4962.

outdoors

FULL MOON GATHERING: Nordic skiers traverse lighted trails, followed by live music and nourishment around the fire. Sleepy Hollow Inn Ski & Bike Center, Huntington, 4-9 p.m. $36-41. Info, 434-2283.

theater

‘’BOV WATER’: See WED.1, 5 p.m.

words

‘SEVEN YEARS OF GRACE: THE INSPIRED MISSION OF ASCHA W. SPRAGUE’: Ethan Allen Homestead hosts a book club discussion of Sara Rath’s historical novel about one of Vermont’s best-known spiritualists. 3-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-5403.

MON.6

agriculture

CHOCOLATES WITH CHARLIE: The gardening expert helps home growers get a head start on the summer season with a lesson on soils and mulches.

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

Stowe Free Library, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 253-6145.

crafts

FIBER ARTS FREE-FOR-ALL: Makers make friends while working on their knitting, sewing, felting and beyond. Artistree Community Arts Center Theatre & Gallery, South Pomfret, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, theknittinkittenvt@ gmail.com.

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBORS: See THU.2.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1. ‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

health & fitness

ADVANCED TAI CHI: Experienced movers build strength, improve balance and reduce stress. Holley Hall, Bristol, 11 a.m.-noon. Free; donations accepted. Info, jerry@skyrivertaichi.com.

LONG-FORM SUN 73: Beginners and experienced practitioners learn how tai chi can help with arthritis, mental clarity and range of motion. Holley Hall, Bristol, 11 a.m.-noon. Free; donations accepted. Info, wirlselizabeth@ gmail.com.

YANG 24: This simplified tai chi method is perfect for beginners looking to build strength and balance. Congregational Church of Middlebury, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, wirlselizabeth@gmail.com.

lgbtq

RURAL PROVIDER EDUCATION

SERIES: SUPPORTING LGBTQ+ SURVIVORS: See THU.2, 2-3 p.m.

words

ADDISON COUNTY WRITERS

COMPANY: Poets, playwrights, novelists and memoirists of every experience level meet weekly for an MFA-style workshop. Swift House Inn, Middlebury, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, jay@zigzaglitmag.org.

TUE.7

community CURRENT EVENTS

DISCUSSION GROUP: Brownell Library hosts a virtual roundtable for neighbors to pause and reflect on the news cycle. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

dance

SWING DANCING: Local Lindy hoppers and jitterbuggers convene at Vermont Swings’ weekly boogie-down. Bring clean shoes. Beginner lessons, 6:30 p.m. Champlain Club, Burlington, 7:30-9 p.m. $5. Info, 864-8382.

education

OPEN HOUSE & INFORMATION

SESSION: Parents and prospective students ages 10 through 18 learn about this school’s studentdriven curriculum and homeschool support. Pacem School, Montpelier, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, lexi@pacemschool.org.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1. ‘UNDER THE CLOAK OF DARKNESS’: RESCHEDULED. A documentary about Vermont’s migrant Mexican farmworkers brings labor issues to light. Waterbury Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

food & drink

COOKBOOK CLUB: Go-To Dinners: A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook by Ina Garten inspires a potluck. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, sbplinfo@southburlingtonvt.gov.

health & fitness

SUN 73 TAI CHI: An outdoor, allweather group meets weekly for gentle, therapeutic movement. Ida Boch Park, Bradford, 10 a.m. Free. Info, gscottgrahamstephens@ gmail.com.

language

FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: Francophones and Frenchlanguage learners meet pour parler la belle langue. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

music

NORTH COUNTRY CHORUS

REHEARSALS: New singers are invited to join the Alan Rowedirected choir for its spring season. Registration fee due February 7. Morse Center for the

Born to Run

Andrew Aydin, coauthor of the best-selling graphic novel series March with the late congressman John Lewis, makes a special Farmers’ Night appearance at the Statehouse to discuss his new book, his experiences in politics and his memories of Lewis. Run, the first installment in a new sequel series, picks up where March left off, with the civil rights icon’s life and work in the 1960s, when police brutality and voter suppression were being employed against the counterculture revolution.

ANDREW AYDIN

Wednesday, February 8, 7:30 p.m., in the House Chamber, Vermont Statehouse, in Montpelier. Free. Info, jpelletier@ vermonthumanities.org, vermonthumanities.org.

Arts, St. Johnsbury Academy, 7:15-9 p.m. $20-40. Info, 748-5027.

outdoors

NATURALIST JOURNEYS

2023: SEAN BECKETT: The NBNC’s program director takes attendees on a photographic

northeast kingdom

SATURDAY CREATIVE FAMILIES

Burlington, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, kaitlin@kidsvt.com.

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

chittenden county

KIDS’ CHESS CLUB: Little grand masters build their skills. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

PRE-K THROUGH 8TH OPEN HOUSE:

Parents and caregivers visit classrooms and learn about the day school’s personalized and engaging curriculum. Vermont Day School, Shelburne, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 495-5150.

VT READS PODCAST INTERVIEWS:

Friends and families in third grade and up are interviewed for a local teenproduced podcast. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 9 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 878-6956.

stowe/smuggs

MUSICAL STORY TIME: Song, dance and other tuneful activities supplement picture books for kids 2 through 5. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

mad river valley/ waterbury

BIRTHDAY OF THE TREES

CELEBRATION: All are welcome to plant seeds, share in a fireside potluck and snowshoe through the forest at a celebration of the Jewish holiday of Tu BiShvat. Living Tree Alliance, Moretown, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $18; preregister. Info, 603-387-8697.

INITIATIVE: ‘TIME OUT’: The Rural Arts Collaborative leads artsy activities for creative kids ages 6 through 12 while parents socialize over tea and coffee on the second floor. Grass Roots Art and Community Effort, Hardwick, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, info@ruralartsvt.org.

brattleboro/okemo valley

WINTER SUNSHINE SERIES: One-ofa-kind family puppet shows let the sunshine in at each of these weekly performances. See calendar spotlight. Sandglass Theater, Putney, 11 a.m. & 2 p.m. $7.50-9; $30 for series pass. Info, info@sandglasstheater.org.

SUN.5 burlington

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

VYO WINTER CONCERT: Vermont Youth Orchestra virtuosos premiere Pulitzer Prize winner Jennifer Higdon’s Cold Mountain Suite alongside other works. The Flynn, Burlington, 3 p.m. $17-22. Info, 863-5966.

barre/montpelier

WINTER DISCOVERY HIKE FOR

FAMILIES: Trail trekkers put on their “deer ears” and connect with the natural world. Families with kids ages 6 and up. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 229-6206.

MON.6

burlington

MANGA MONDAY: Lovers of Japanese graphic novels get together for snacks and discussion. Ages 11 through 18.

safari from the rain forests of Central America to the savannas of Africa. Presented by North Branch Nature Center. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

talks

CHRISTINA VATOVEC: The environmental scientist

Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:304:30 p.m. Free. Info, 540-2546.

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

STORIES WITH SHANNON: Bookworms ages 2 through 5 enjoy fun-filled reading time. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

MAGICAL MONDAY: Kids learn multiple variations on a fairy tale, then act out their own version with puppets. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:304:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

YOUTH BOOK CLUB: Bookworms bond over Amari and the Night Brothers by B.B. Alston. Ages 7 through 11. Milton Public Library, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

barre/montpelier

CRAFTERNOON - VALENTINE THEMED!:

Makers of all ages create cards and other gifts for the special folks in their lives. Bethany United Church of Christ, Montpelier, 1-4 p.m. Donations. Info, 223-2424.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: See FRI.3, 2-2:30 p.m.

TUE.7 burlington

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with Linda. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1111:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

CRAFTYTOWN!: From painting and printmaking to collage and sculpture,

creative kids explore different projects and mediums. Ages 8 and up, or ages 6 and up with an adult helper. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

LEGO ROBOTICS: BOAT TRIP: Lego lovers explore the world of coding in a four-part series. Attendance at all four sessions is highly encouraged. Grades 1 through 4. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:15-4:45 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-6956.

PLAYGROUP & FAMILY SUPPORT: Families with children under age 5 play and connect with others in the community. Winooski Memorial Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 655-6424.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Little ones enjoy a cozy session of reading, rhyming and singing. Birth through age 5. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

TODDLERTIME: Kids ages 1 through 3 and their caregivers join Miss Alyssa for a lively session of stories, singing and wiggling. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 9:15 & 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

CRAFTERNOON - VALENTINE THEMED!: See MON.6.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See THU.2.

northeast kingdom

RED CLOVER BOOK CLUB: Readers ages 6 through 10 discuss a book and do an art activity each week. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

WED.8

burlington

BABYTIME: See WED.1.

CRAFTERNOON: See WED.1.

POKÉDEX SCAVENGER HUNT: See WED.1.

SAT PREP WITH WALKER TUTORING: Tutors Addison and Jacob help high school students get ready for the big exam at monthly sessions. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

STEAM SPACE: See WED.1.

chittenden county

BABYTIME: See WED.1.

LEGO BUILDERS: See WED.1.

MOVIE MATINEE: Film lovers have a family-friendly afternoon at this screening of an animated favorite. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3-4:45 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

PLAY TIME: See WED.1.

TEEN BOOK TO MOVIE DISCUSSION: Bookworms face off against film buffs during a discussion following a screening of an adapted film. BYO lunch. Ages 12 through 18. Milton Public Library, 3:30-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

barre/montpelier

CHESS CLUB: See WED.1.

CRAFTERNOON - VALENTINE THEMED!: See MON.6.

mad river valley/ waterbury

LEGO CHALLENGE CLUB: Kids engage in a fun-filled hour of building, then leave their creations on display in the library all month long. Ages 6 through 8. Waterbury Public Library, 3-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

upper valley

PEABODY AFTERSCHOOL FUN FOR GRADES 1-4: See WED.1. K

talks about the links between our health and the planet’s. Presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. 11 a.m.-noon. $10; preregister. Info, 656-5817.

words

J. M. COETZEE BOOK

DISCUSSION: The Burlington Literature Group reads and unpacks the South African Australian novelist’s Age of Iron and Disgrace over six weeks. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@nereadersandwriters.com.

THE MOTH STORYSLAM: Local tellers of tales recount true stories in the hopes of winning an appearance on NPR. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $17.50; preregister. Info, susanne@themoth.org.

WED.8

agriculture

SEED SWAP & ABENAKI

PRESENTER CAROL

MCGRANAGHAN: Gardeners trade non-GMO seeds, then learn about traditional Indigenous ways of honoring plants. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS

NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL

GROUP: See WED.1.

climate crisis

THE IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON VERMONT: Elected officials and organizers update listeners on current legislative initiatives regarding climate change. Presented by League of Women Voters of Vermont and Kellogg-Hubbard Library. 7-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, raderca2015@ gmail.com.

community

CURRENT EVENTS: Neighbors have an informal discussion about what’s in the news. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 878-4918.

dance

NATIONAL

CHOREOGRAPHY MONTH

CHALLENGE: Vermont Dance Alliance hosts a virtual check-in for those who attempted to create choreo every day in January. Attendance at two gatherings required to participate in February 10 showcase. 7:30-8:45 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, alxcbb@gmail. com.

environment

UPSTREAM–DOWNSTREAM: A RIVER RESILIENCE PANEL DISCUSSION: RESCHEDULED. North Branch Nature Center celebrates Vermont’s waterways with a discussion with aquatic experts.

7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

etc.

LIFE STORIES WE LOVE TO TELL: Prompts from group leader Maryellen Crangle inspire true tales, told either off the cuff or read from prewritten scripts. Presented by Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 2-3:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.1.

‘THE BIG SLEEP’: A 1946 film noir with a plot so convoluted that even its creators didn’t know who the murderer was offers side-splitting fun. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

‘MYSTERIES OF THE UNSEEN WORLD 3D’: See WED.1.

NXT ROCKUMENTARY FILM

SERIES: ‘ALMOST FAMOUS’: This 2000 film about the heyday of classic rock is next in this screening series from Next Stage Arts and Next Chapter Records. Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation. Info, 387-0102.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.1. ‘WINGS OVER WATER 3D’: See WED.1.

games

BOARD GAME NIGHT: Lovers of tabletop fun play classic games and new designer offerings. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

WINTER TRIVIA CHAMPIONSHIP ROUND!: RESCHEDULED. The best of the best test their knowledge of Green Mountain State history, geography, nature and more. Courtesy of the Vermont Historical Society. 7-8 p.m. $5-10; preregister. Info, 479-8500.

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

= ONLINE EVENT

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.1.

holidays

POP-UP CARDS WITH ARTIST

ELLEN BRESLER: Romantics make three-dimensional cards for Valentine’s Day. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

language

IRISH LANGUAGE CLASS: See WED.1.

lgbtq

TOY TRACTOR + ANTIQUES SALE

10 Green, Vergennes, 8am-5pm

Thursday 2/2 • Friday 2/3 • Saturday 2/4

TRACTORS - ONE OWNER COLLECTION: PEDALS, DIE CAST SCALE MODELS, DEALER PREMIUMS, AG SHOW SOUVENIRS. OLIVERS, COCKSHUTTS, DEERES, MINNEAPOLIS-MOLINE, MASSEY-FERGUSON, AGCO, ALLIS CHALMERS, WHITE AND MORE. LITERALLY HUNDREDS OF EXAMPLES FROM 1/64 TO PEDAL SIZE.

ANTIQUES + ART - INCLUDING: PAINTINGS, PRINTS + SCULPTURE, CABINETS, DRESSERS, PERIOD TIGER MAPLE CANOPY BED, RUGS, VERY COOL OVERSIZE HEAVY 10 PIECE WROUGHT IRON PATIO SET (INCLUDES SOFA, 2 CHAISES, 4 CHAIRS, TABLES, OTTOMANS)

CHECK OUT @STONEBLOCKANTIQUES ON INSTAGRAM FOR

MOMENTUM MONTHLY VIRTUAL SOCIAL HOUR:

LGBTQ folks ages 55 and up gather to make new friends and connect with old ones. Presented by Pride Center of Vermont. 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, eeka@pridecentervt.org.

music

ZACH NUGENT UNCORKED: See WED.1.

outdoors

SMUGGS 55+ SKI CLUB: See WED.1.

SPENCER CRISPE: A ninth-generation Vermonter shares stories from his journey to climbing the state’s 500 highest mountains. Brooks Memorial Library, Brattleboro, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, gmc@greenmountainclub.org.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE TENNIS CLUB: See WED.1.

MICHELOB ULTRA SKI BUM RACE SERIES: See WED.1.

theater

‘’BOV WATER’: See WED.1, 11 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.

words

ANDREW AYDIN: The coauthor of John Lewis’ March Trilogy and the new book Run describes his writing process and his memories of the civil rights icon. See calendar spotlight. House Chamber, Vermont Statehouse, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free. Info, jpelletier@vermonthumanities. org.

FFL BOOK CLUB: ‘THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY’: Fletcher Free Library patrons break down Amor Towles’ high-stakes historical road-trip novel. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov.

HANNA LELIV, LADA KOLOMIYETS, DARYNA GLADUN & VERONIKA YADUKHA: Four of Dartmouth College’s visiting Ukrainian writers and translators discuss and read from their work. Norwich Bookstore, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

POETRY POTLUCK: Wordsmiths and readers bring a dish and a poem (their own or others’) to share. Whirligig Brewing, St. Johnsbury, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, acampbell@catamountarts. org. ➆

THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS FOR AS LITTLE AS $16.75/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE). SUBMIT YOUR CLASS AD AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS.

art

DAVIS STUDIO ART CLASSES:

Discover your happy place in one of our weekly classes. Making art boosts emotional well-being and brings joy to your life, especially when you connect with other art enthusiasts. Select the ongoing program that’s right for you. Now enrolling youths and adults for classes in drawing, painting and fused glass. Location: Davis Studio, 916 Shelburne Rd., S. Burlington.

Info: 425-2700, davisstudiovt.com.

craft

LADDER-BACK CHAIR MAKING:

Learn the fundamentals of ladderback chair making and make your own two-slat chair! We will use the drawknife and spokeshave to shape our parts, bend wood with steam, finish with milk paints, and weave a Shaker tape seat.

Open to all skill levels. Mar. 26-31, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. 6-day class, all tools & materials provided. Location:

Chairmaker’s Workshop, Charlotte.

Info: Eric Cannizzaro, 360-5281952, ericcannizzaro.com.

culinary

‘THE BASICS’ CAKE DECORATING

CLASS: Learn the basics of filling and crumb-coating a cake, getting nice smooth edges, and some rosette piping. You’ll go home with some great new techniques and a six-inch cake that serves 12. You can select your flavor in the questionnaire section. Thu., Mar. 9, 6 p.m. Cost: $85. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, Waterbury. Info: 203400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

CAKE JAR WORKSHOP: We will learn how to make a delicious vanilla sponge cake and creatively

layer our jars with fun frostings/ fillings to each baker’s preference! Each baker will take home six jars and the recipes to make them at home. Recipe can be gluten-free. Tue., Feb. 21, 6 p.m. Cost: $40. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, Waterbury. Info: 203-400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

VIRTUAL BAKING WORKSHOP:

CINNAMON ROLLS: You will receive an ingredient list, list of supply needs and the Zoom class info via email five to seven days prior to the event or within 24 hours of your purchase. If for some reason that email does not come through, please reach out to janina@redpoppycakery.net prior to the class time. Sat., Feb. 18, 9 a.m. Cost: $25. Location: Red Poppy Cakery online. Info: 203400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

empowerment

NEW YEAR, MORE YOU!: This nineweek group yoga therapy program combines movement, mindfulness and community connection to support you in living the life you desire. Connect powerfully to who you are within and develop skills and practices for bringing all of you to your life in 2023. No yoga experience necessary. All are welcome! Sun. nights, Feb. 26-Apr. 23, 5-7 p.m., w/ a special 5-hour retreat on Sun., Mar. 26. Cost: $450/entire 9-week program. A sliding scale is avail. for those who need it. Location: OGGI BE online. Info: Christine Badalamenti Smith, 391-9731, christine@oggibe.com, oggibe.com.

Need Help?

Are you a senior who could use some extra help with cooking, cleaning, or other daily tasks?

Generator GENERATOR is a combination of artist studios, classroom, and business incubator at the intersection of art, science, and technology. We provide tools, expertise, education, and opportunity – to enable all members of our community to create, collaborate, and make their ideas a reality.

MARK MAKING WITH METAL: Marriage of Metals workshop: Create a pair of earrings out of sterling silver sheet and brass wire using a mark-making exercise to find lines and shapes to use in your design, then use the marriage of metals: the process of soldering contrasting metals together and hammering until two metals become one. Sat., Feb. 25-Sun., Feb. 26, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost: $165, incl. materials. Location: Generator, 40 Sears Ln., Burlington. Info: 5400761, education@generatorvt. com, generatorvt.com/classesevents/#!event/2023/2/25/markmaking-with-metal-marriage-ofmetals-workshop.

OUTDOOR EQUIPMENT & CLOTHING REPAIR WORKSHOP:

We’ll help you patch a hole, fix a finicky zipper, replace a busted buckle and more! Bring some gear that needs a little TLC and we’ll help you breathe new life into it. We can’t guarantee everything is fixable, but we’ll help you learn to give it your best shot! Sun., Feb. 26, 1-3 p.m.

Cost: $75, incl. materials. Location: Generator, 40 Sears Ln., Burlington. Info: 540-0761, education@generatorvt.com, generatorvt.com/classes-events/#!event/2023/2/26/ outdoor-equipment-clothingrepair-workshop.

PIERCE, SIFT, FIRE: ENAMELED

PENDANT WORKSHOP: Learn the process of fusing powdered glass to metal using torch-firing. First, we will design and saw a copper

At Seniors Helping Seniors VT, our mature in-home caregivers can help you maintain your independence by providing compassionate care in the comfort of your home.

To find out how we can help you or someone you love, visit our website at shsvermont.com

pendant, then apply several layers of enamel on both sides of the pendant to add color. The result is a smooth, colored surface.

The pendant can be worn using cotton cord. Sat., Mar. 4-Sun., Mar. 5, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Cost: $175, incl. materials. Location: Generator, 40 Sears Ln., Burlington. Info: 5400761, education@generatorvt. com, generatorvt.com/classesevents/#!event/2023/3/4/piercesift-fire-enameled-pendantworkshop.

kids

EARTH REPAIR HOMESCHOOL:

Curriculum incorporates nature awareness, earth science, biology, botany, chemistry, natural history, mycology, art, writing, math and sociology, with orientation toward justice and equity. Common Core standards are addressed. The aim is to empower youths through robust, accessible education, training and mentoring to learn how ecoliteracy can nurture a healthy Earth community. Ages 9-13. Classes are every Mon., Feb. 6-Apr. 3, 9:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Send email w/ “Earth Repair Homeschool” in the subject line to receive registration packet. Location: Burlington Cohousing Community, Centennial Woods & local ecosystems, Burlington. Info: Jess Rubin, yepeth@gmail.com, mycoevolve.net.

language

JAPANESE LANGUAGE CLASSES: The Japan America Society of Vermont will offer four levels of interactive Japanese language Zoom classes in spring 2023, starting the week of Jan. 30. Please join us for an introduction to speaking, listening, reading and writing Japanese, with an emphasis on the conversational patterns that occur in everyday life. Level 1: Tue., Level 2: Mon., Level 4: Thu., Level 5: Wed. Cost: $200/1.5-hour class for 10 weeks. Location: online. Info: Japan America Society of Vermont, 865-9985, jasvlanguage@gmail. com, jasv.org/v2/language.

SPANISH CLASSES FOR ALL AGES: Premier native-speaking Spanish professor Maigualida Rak is giving

fun, interactive online lessons to improve comprehension and pronunciation and to achieve fluency. Audiovisual material is used. “I feel proud to say that my students have significantly improved their Spanish with my teaching approach.” —Maigualida Rak. Location: online. Info: 881-0931, spanishtutor.vtfla@gmail.com, facebook.com/spanishonlinevt.

martial arts

AIKIDO: THE POWER OF HARMONY: Discover the dynamic, flowing martial art of aikido. Learn how to relax under pressure and cultivate core power, aerobic fitness and resiliency. Aikido techniques emphasize throws, pinning techniques and the growth of internal power. The circular movements emphasize blending movements rather than striking. Visitors should watch a class before joining. Starting on Thu., Feb. 2, at 6 p.m. for adults; youths, 4:30 p.m. Membership rates incl. unlimited classes. Contact us for info about membership rates for adults, youths & families. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: Benjamin Pincus, 951-8900, bpincus@burlington aikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

MIXED MARTIAL ARTS: Boxing, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, Muay Thai, kickboxing and personal training/ fitness in one place! Beginners to seasoned competitors, we have a program for you. Family discounts available. Safesport-, IBJJF- and USA Boxing-certified instructors. Go at your own pace in an inclusive environment. First class is free! Mon.-Fri. 5-8:30 p.m. Cost: $15/day pass or membership. Location: Combat Fitness MMA, 276 E. Allen St. #8, Winooski. Info: Vincent Guy, 343-3129, vteguy25@gmail.com, combatfitnessmma.com.

VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU: We offer a legitimate Brazilian jiu-jitsu training program for men, women and children in a friendly, safe and positive environment.

Julio Cesar “Foca” Fernandez Nunes; CBJJP and IBJJF seventhdegree Carlson Gracie Sr. Coral

Belt-certified instructor; teaching in Vermont, born and raised in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! A two-time world masters champion, five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion, three-time Rio de Janeiro state champion and Gracie Challenge champion. Accept no limitations! 1st class is free. Location: Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: 598-2839, julio@bjjusa.com, vermontbjj.com.

well-being

9-DAY WELL-BEING RESET: Return to the integrity of your well-being! If you’re feeling pain, sluggish, bloated, unsettled, etc., the reset may help you shift daily habits and resume your 2023 personal wellness journey. Includes daily in-person or virtual lessons, workbook, Q&A support, private wellness consultation, and practical strategies from yoga and Ayurveda. Email for the registration link. Feb. 26, 3:30-5 p.m.; Feb. 28, 7-8 p.m.; Mar. 2, 7-8 p.m.; Mar. 4, 9-10:30 a.m. Cost: $97/9-day hybrid or virtual program. Location: Zoom + Vergennes Movement, 179 Main St., 2nd Floor, Vergennes. Info: Sarah L. Frederiksen, 8706272, sarah@elevateyouwell.com, elevateyouwell.com.

EMPOWERING THE JOYFUL

FEMININE: This workshop supports a rite of passage for women of all ages to unearth and embody their youthful feminine energy within. By reawakening the youthful feminine, we empower ourselves to step into conscious maturity in a more authentic way. Using movement, meditation, breath work, Ayurveda, discussion and contemplation, we remember the spirit and spark of our youth and find healing where needed. Feb. 12, 3-5:30 p.m. Location: Vergennes Movement, 179 Main St., 2nd Floor, Vergennes. Cost: $25-45 sliding scale for 2.5-hour workshop. Info: Sarah L. Frederiksen, 802-8706272, sarah@elevateyouwell.com, elevateyouwell.com.

AGE/SEX: 6-year-old neutered male

ARRIVAL DATE: December 12, 2022

SUMMARY: Fred made his way to HSCC after he was found as a stray. He easily won over staff with his hound dog puppy eyes, and he’s hoping for a new home with all the treats! Fred is all hound, as you’ll quickly learn by his hoooowl! Because he is likely a scent hound, it’s important that his new family has an understanding of how his breed and genetics play into his behavior. If you’re a hound lover, or think you’d like to be, stop by to meet sweet Fred today!

CATS/DOGS/KIDS: Fred’s history with dogs is unknown. He has done well next to them in the yards at HSCC and has had successful playgroups. His history with cats and children is unknown

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

DID YOU KNOW?

Scent hounds are often fun and playful pups that love following their nose. It’s important that they are allowed to sniff all the things on walks! Because of this, they can be impulsive and harder to redirect. They typically can’t be trusted off-leash but do need plenty of exercise and mental stimulation.

Sponsored by:

Humane Society of Chittenden County

CLASSIFIEDS

on the road

CARS/TRUCKS

CASH FOR CARS

We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled: It doesn’t matter. Get free towing & same-day cash. Newer models, too. Call 1-866-5359689. (AAN CAN)

DONATE YOUR CAR FOR KIDS

Fast, free pickup.

Running or not. 24-hour response. Maximum tax donation. Help fi nd missing kids! Call 1-855-504-1540. (AAN CAN)

housing FOR RENT

BURLINGTON ROOM FOR RENT Burlington Hill Section. Single room, on bus line. No cooking. No pets. Basic linens provided. Incl. basic utils. Info: 802-862-2389.

HILL SECTION IN-LAW, PETS OK

Fully furnished 2-BR, 1-BA, private entrance. Large fenced backyard. Close to UVM, hospital, downtown, I-89. All utils. incl. Mo.-to-mo. lease. $2,800. Call 802-238-8102. Avail. now.

HISTORIC 3-BR DUPLEX 2,000-sq.ft., bright, beautiful. 3-BR, 2-BA. Fully renovated. W/D. Off-street parking. Avail. Feb. 1. NS. Serious inquiries. Refs., credit check req. $2,950/mo. Info: 802-363-7887.

CLASSIFIEDS KEY

housing ads: $25 (25 words) legals: 52¢/word buy this stuff: free online

HOUSEMATES

SHARE CONDO W/ SPORTS FAN

In So. Burlington. Share a condo near Kennedy Dr. w/ avid sports fan in his 30s who enjoys CNN, video gaming & the outdoors. $650/ mo. all incl. + cooking 1 meal/week & sharing a bit of conversation.

Private BA. Info: info@ homesharevermont.org, homesharevermont.org.

HOMESHARE IN SERENE NNE

Peaceful New North End homeshare w/ a professional in her 60s who enjoys music, animal rights & social justice. $550/mo., all incl. Walking a gentle, small dog 4 times/week. Spacious BR. 863-5625, homesharevermont. org for application. Interview, refs., background check req. EHO.

SPACIOUS NNE HOME TO SHARE

Share a spacious New North End home w/ woman in her 70s who enjoys reading & PBS. Seeking dog-friendly female housemate to cook a few meals/week & help with reminders. $200/mo. Private BA; shared common areas. Interview, refs., background check req. EHO. Call 863-5625 or see homesharevermont. org for application.

OFFICE/ COMMERCIAL

OFFICE IN THE SOUTH END

Amazing space in Burlington Arts District. Separate offi ce in a suite w/ shared reception area, kitchenette and Wi-Fi. $700/mo. Info: hello@essential carechiropractic.com or 802-540-1143.

OFFICE/RETAIL SPACE AT MAIN STREET LANDING on Burlington’s waterfront. Beautiful, healthy,

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and similar Vermont statutes which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, handicap, presence of minor children in the family or receipt of public assistance, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or a discrimination. The newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate, which is in violation of the law. Our

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact:

HUD Office of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092

(617) 565-5309

— OR —

Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633

1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

services: $12 (25 words) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x121

affordable spaces for your business. Visit mainstreetlanding.com & click on space avail. Melinda, 864-7999.

SPACE AVAIL. AT CAMP

MEADE

2 lovely renovated spaces avail. 1,635 sq.ft. w/ new display windows, $2,400/mo. 647-sq. ft. space is $1,600/ mo. Both are great for the next artist, creative, maker or shop owner looking to grow & contribute to the vibrant community of Middlesex. Contact info@campmeade.today or call 802-496-2108.

HOME/GARDEN

A GREAT PAINTER

Mason’s Painting Service is a fully insured painting business. Interior & exterior painting & staining as well as pressure washing. Call or email for a free estimate! 802-673-5687, masonspainting service@gmail.com.

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

In as little as 1 day! Affordable prices. No payments for 18 mos. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & military discounts avail. Call 1-866-370-2939. (AAN CAN)

COVERED HOME REPAIRS

ser vices

CHILDCARE

SPROUTS MONTESSORI PROGRAM

Located in Randolph/ Bethel w/ easy access to I-89. Full-time, 7:30 a.m.-6 p.m. slots for ages 2-5. Afterschool for ages 6-12. Learn more at sprouts.education or email sierra@sprouts. education.

EDUCATION

ATTN: ACTIVE DUTY & MILITARY VETS

Begin a new career & earn your degree at CTI! Online computer & medical training avail. for veterans & families. To learn more, call 866-243-5931, Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-6 p.m. ET. Computer w/ internet is req. (AAN CAN)

FINANCIAL/LEGAL

CREDIT CARD DEBT

RELIEF!

Reduce payment by up to 50%. Get 1 low affordable payment/mo. Reduce interest. Stop calls. Free no-obligation consultation. Call 1-855761-1456. (AAN CAN)

HEALTH/ WELLNESS

PSYCHIC COUNSELING

Psychic counseling, channeling w/ Bernice Kelman, Underhill. 40+ years’ experience. Also energy healing, chakra balancing, Reiki, rebirthing, other lives, classes & more. 802-899-3542, kelman.b@juno.com.

print deadline: Mondays at 3:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classifieds questions? classifieds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x120

WATER DAMAGE TO YOUR HOME?

Call for a quote for professional cleanup & maintain the value of your home. Set an appt. today. Call 833-6641530. (AAN CAN)

MOVING/HAULING

LONG-DISTANCE MOVING

Call today for a free quote from America’s most trusted interstate movers. Let us take the stress out of moving! Call now to speak to 1 of our quality relocation specialists: 1-855-7874471. (AAN CAN)

DISH TV $64.99

$64.99 for 190 channels + $14.95 high-speed internet. Free installation, Smart HD DVR incl., free voice remote. Some restrictions apply.

1-866-566-1815. (AAN CAN)

DIRECTV SATELLITE TV

Service starting at $74.99/mo.! Free install. 160+ channels avail.

Call now to get the most sports & entertainment on TV. 877-310-2472.

(AAN CAN)

SPECTRUM INTERNET

AS LOW AS $29.99

Call to see if you qualify for ACP & free internet. No credit check. Call now! 833-955-0905.

(AAN CAN)

PETS

MINIATURE POMSKY

PUPPIES!

Male miniature Pomsky puppies, located in Milton. Can meet/ deliver. $2,000. Call or text 802-255-2039.

PUPPIES!

Dam: Kangal/cane corso. Sire: black Lab/golden retriever/rottweiler. 1st shots & 3 dewormings. $300. Contact kbmerchandise@hotmail. com or call 802-272-3668.

Don’t pay for covered home repairs again!

American Residential Warranty covers all major systems & appliances. 30-day risk free/$100 off popular plans. Call 855-7314403. (AAN CAN)

INTERIOR PAINTING SERVICE

South Burlington-based painter seeking interior projects. Quality work, insured w/ solid refs. On the web at vtpainting company.com or call Tim at 802-373-7223.

NEED AN ELECTRICIAN?

Provost Son and Daughters Electric is your go-to for all your electrical needs! Call 802-891-9958 or send us an email to provostsdelectric@ gmail.com.

SAFETY UPDATES FOR BATHROOMS

BathWraps is looking for calls from homeowners w/ older homes who are looking for a quick safety update. ey do not remodel entire bathrooms but update bathtubs w/ new liners for safe bathing & showering. ey specialize in grab bars, nonslip surfaces & shower seats. All updates are completed in 1 day. Call 866-531-2432. (AAN CAN)

TIMBER FRAMES & BEYOND!

Specializing in homes, barns, saunas & pergolas. Warmth, fi ne craftsmanship & solidity are hallmarks of the structures we curate. Contact yeoman joineryvt@gmail.com or call 208-946-3463.

buy this stuff

APPLIANCES/ TOOLS/PARTS

SNOW TIRES FOR SALE 4 snow tires, studded. e size is 215/60r16, & the make is Nokian. 1 season only. $300. Contact 802-872-8560.

ELECTRONICS

CANON EOS 5D MARK IV

Canon EOS 5D Mark IV DSLR camera w/ 24-105mm f4L II lens.

$1,000. Info: danney store@gmail.com.

ENTERTAINMENT/ TICKETS

TROOP 658 SPAGHETTI

DINNER

Spaghetti dinner benefi ting sea base crew, Feb. 4, at the Bagel Café in Burlington. See bsatroop658.org for info.

MISCELLANEOUS

4G LTE HOME INTERNET Get GotW3 w/ lightningfast speeds + take your service w/ you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo. 1-866-5711325. (AAN CAN)

BCI WALK-IN TUBS

Now on sale! Be 1 of the 1st 50 callers & save $1,500! Call 844-5140123 for a free in-home consultation. (AAN CAN)

Calcoku

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

Complete the following puzzle by using the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

CALCOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: ★★★

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. e numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A one-box cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

SUDOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY

★★★

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. e same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

Guess today’s 5-letter word.

buy this stuff [CONTINUED]

SCHNOODLE PUPS

Ready to go, familyraised, well socialized. Vet-checked, guaranteed, all shots. All pure white & looking for their “furever” homes. Call 802-595-5345 to set up a time to pick out your pup.

GOLDENDOODLE PUPPIES

Beautiful, friendly, and health guaranteed, CKC registered, standard goldendoodle puppies. Low-shedding, sweet, family-friendly puppies. $1,400. Visit lewiscreek goldendoodles.com; call 802-324-2761. Serious inquiries only.

music 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.

BANDS/ MUSICIANS

ROOT7 A CAPPELLA AUDITIONS

Root7 is auditioning new voices! We are a group of a cappella singers; our repertoire includes songs by Pink, James Bay, Rusted Root, Lauren Daigle, Jason Mraz & more. Information about our group is avail. at facebook.com/root7vt. If you are interested in auditioning, please contact us at root7 acappella@gmail.com for instructions.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Legal Notices

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION

APPLICATION 4C0608-6I 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6111

Application 4C0608-6I from Essex Resort Holdings LLC, Attn: Peter Edelmann, P.O. Box 8567, Essex, VT 05451 was received on January 17, 2023, and deemed complete on January 25, 2023. e project is generally described as construction of a new event center with associated access drives and parking at the Essex Resort. e project includes after-the-fact approval of a boundary line adjustment (dissolved line) between parcel D-1 of the Essex Resort and a 0.64 acre parcel at the corner of Essex Way and Freeman Woods. e project is located at 70 Essex Way in Essex, Vermont. is application can be viewed online by visiting the Act 250 Database: (https://anrweb.vt.gov/ANR/ Act250/Details.aspx?Num=4C0608-6I).

No hearing will be held, and a permit will be issued unless, on or before February 14, 2023, a party notifi es 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 defi ned 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-status- petition-form, and email it to the District 4 Offi ce 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 Stephanie H. Monaghan at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this January 25, 2023.

By: /s/Stephanie H. Monaghan

Stephanie H. Monaghan

District Coordinator

111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-261-1944

Stephanie.Monaghan@vermont.gov

BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL OPENINGS

BURLINGTON CITY COMMISSIONS/BOARDS

Chittenden Solid Waste District Board – alternate

Term Expires 5/31/24

One Opening

Fence Viewers

Term Expires 6/30/23

Two Openings

Police Commission

Term Expires 6/30/25

One Opening

Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board

Term Expires 6/30/24

Two Openings

Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board

Term Expires 6/30/25

Two Openings

Applications may be submitted to the Clerk/ Treasurer’s Offi ce, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Attn: Lori NO later than Wednesday, February 15, 2023, by 4:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Lori at (802) 865-7136 or via email lolberg@burlingtonvt.gov.

City Council President Paul will plan for appointments to take place at the February 21, 2023 City Council Meeting/City Council With Mayor Presiding Meeting.

BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 21, 2023, 5:00 PM PUBLIC

HEARING NOTICE

In Person (at 645 Pine Street) Meeting

1. ZAP-23-1; 126 College Street (FD6, Ward 3C) Investors Corporation of VT / Julia Booth Appeal of zoning denial (ZPS-22-69) to install wall sign for Vermont Law School.

Plans may be viewed upon request by contacting the Department of Permitting & Inspections between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Participation in the DRB proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. Please note that ANYTHING submitted to the Zoning offi ce is considered public and cannot be kept confi dential. is may not be the fi nal order in which items will be heard. Please view fi nal Agenda, at www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpi/ drb/agendas or the offi ce notice board, one week before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard.

e City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic information. e City is also committed to providing proper access to services, facilities, and employment opportunities. For accessibility information or alternative formats, please contact Human Resources Department at (802) 540-2505.

e programs and services of the City of Burlington are accessible to people with disabilities. Individuals who require special arrangements to participate are encouraged to contact the Zoning Division at least 72 hours in advance so that proper accommodations can be arranged. For information call 865-7188 (TTY users: 865-7142).

BURLINGTON PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING CANCELLATION NOTICE

e Public Hearing scheduled for Tuesday, February 14th has been cancelled. A rescheduled Public Hearing is noticed below.

BURLINGTON PLANNING COMMISSION PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE

Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance Amendment ZA-23-02: Inclusionary Zoning

Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §4441 and §4444, notice is hereby given of a public hearing by the Burlington Planning Commission to hear comments on the following proposed amendments to the City of Burlington’s Comprehensive Development Ordinance (CDO). e public hearing will take place during the Planning Commission meeting on ursday, February 16, 2023, with the hearing starting at Time Certain 6:45pm. You may access the hearing/meeting as follows:

To join virtually from a Computer, please click this URL to join, and enter the Webinar ID if prompted: Link: https://zoom.us/j/96676412363 Webinar ID: 966 7641 2363

To join virtually by phone, dial this number and enter the Webinar ID when prompted: Number: +1 312 626 6799 Webinar ID: 966 7641 2363

is Public Hearing will take place only virtually. ere is no in-person option.

Pursuant to the requirements of 24 V.S.A. §4444(b):

Statement of purpose:

The purpose of the proposed amendments are as follows:

• ZA-23-02: This amendment modifies the General Requirements for Inclusionary Units to allow for greater flexibility in providing affordable housing. Specifically, the amendment creates alternative compliance pathways to meeting the bedroom mix and unit size requirements in developments where the project’s market rate units’ floor area and bedroom mix differ significantly from demand for affordable housing unit types.

Geographic areas affected:

These amendments apply to the following areas of the city:

• ZA-23-02: All areas and zoning districts within the city.

List of section headings affected:

The proposed amendments modify the following sections of the Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance:

• ZA-23-02: Modifies Sec. 9.1.8 and Sec. 9.1.14

The full text of the Burlington Comprehensive Development Ordinance is available online at www.burlingtonvt.gov/DPI/CDO. The proposed amendment can be reviewed in hard copy posted on the first floor of City Hall, 149 Church Street, Burlington or online at https://www.burlingtonvt. gov/DPI/CDO/Amendments

The City of Burlington will not tolerate unlawful harassment or discrimination on the basis of political or religious affiliation, race, color, national origin, place of birth, ancestry, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, veteran status, disability, HIV positive status, crime victim status or genetic information. The City is also committed to providing proper access to services, facilities, and employment opportunities. For accessibility information or alternative formats, please contact the City Planning department or 711 if you are hearing or speech impaired.

CITY OF ESSEX JUNCTION DEVELOPMENT REVIEW

BOARD PUBLIC HEARING FEBRUARY 16, 2023

6:30 P.M.

This meeting will be held in person at 2 Lincoln Street in the conference room and remotely. The meeting will be live-streamed on Town Meeting TV.

• JOIN ONLINE:

Clerk here to join meeting Visit www.essexjunction. org for meeting connection information.

• JOIN CALLING:

Join via conference call (audio only): Dial 1(888) 788-0099 (toll free)

Meeting ID: 839 2599 0985

Passcode: 940993

PUBLIC HEARING

Conceptual site plan to renovate 2nd floor of two story building into 6 one-bedroom apartments at 1 Jackson Street in the MC District, by Fat Tire, LLC, Ron LaFountain and Kristie Wildes, owners.

Conceptual site plan to remove existing residential buildings and construct new building with 34 studio apartments with parking at 227-229 Pearl Street in the MF/MU1 District, by Pearl Street Venture, LLC, owner.

This DRAFT agenda may be amended. Any questions re: above please call Terry Hass – 802-878-6950

CITY OF ESSEX JUNCTION NOTICE OF PUBLIC

HEARING PROPOSED FY24 BUDGET FEBRUARY 8, 2023, 6:35 PM

A public hearing on the FY24 Budget and Capital Program for the City of Essex Junction will be held in person at 2 Lincoln Street, Essex Junction VT and online via Zoom on Tuesday, February 8, 2022 at 6:35 pm. JOIN ONLINE: Join Zoom Meeting by

clicking here; or by telephone at 1(888) 788-0099. Enter meeting code 944 6429 7825, passcode 635787. The meeting will also be live-streamed on Town Meeting TV. Visit www.essexjunction.org for meeting connection information.

The public is invited to attend and offer comments regarding the proposed FY24 Budget and Capital Program. Complete details and information to connect to the meetings can be found at www. essexjunction.org.

ESSEX TOWN PLANNING COMMISSION AMENDED

AGENDA FEBUARY 9, 2023 -6:00 P.M. IN PERSON OR VIA ZOOM 81 MAIN ST., ESSEX JCT., VT CONFERENCE • Zoom link: https://www.essexvt.org/1043/ Join-Zoom-Meeting-Essex-PC

• Call (audio only): 1-888-788-0099 | Meeting ID: 923 7777 6158 # | Passcode: 426269

• Public wifi is available at the Essex municipal offices, libraries, and hotspots listed here: https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/ public-wifi-hotspots-vermont

1. Consent Agenda

• Boundary Adjustment: Hans Huessy and Margaret Laggis 1070 Old Pump Road and Kendall Chamberlin 966 Old Pump Road are proposing a boundary adjustment. 966 Old Pump Road will increase from 10.5 to 12.5 acres and 1070 Old Pump will decrease from 116.13 to 114.13 acres. Both lots are in the C1 Zone. Tax Map 12, Parcels 28 & 29.

• Simple Parcel: Hans Huessy and Margaret Laggis are proposing to create a lot by subdividing 10.45 acres from a 114.13 acre parcel, located at 1070 Old Pump Road in the Conservation (C1) Zone. Tax Map 12, Parcel 28.

• Site Plan Amendment: Andy Cabrera d/b/a Simpson Cabinetry Inc. is proposing a 2,100 SF addition and a 3,840 SF building and additional parking for a woodworking facility, located at 15 Corporate Dr.in the Resource Preservation District -Industrial (RPD-1) Zone. Tax Map 72, Parcel 3-15.

2. Minutes: January 26, 2023

Visit our website at www.essexvt.org.

Submitted by A Potts, Admin Assistant. on 1/23/22

NORTHSTAR SELF STORAGE WILL BE HAVING A PUBLIC AND ONLINE SALE/AUCTION FOR THE FOLLOWING STORAGE UNITS ON FEBRUARY 9, 2023 AT 9:00 AM

Northstar Self Storage will be having a public and online sale/auction for the following storage units on February 9, 2023 at 9:00 am will be having a public and online sale/auction on February 9, 2023 at 1124 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156 (Units S57, S100), 3466 Richville Road, Manchester Center, VT 05255 (77) and online at www. storagetreasures.com at 9:00 am in accordance with VT Title 9 Commerce and Trade Chapter 098: Storage Units 3905. Enforcement of Lien

Unit #, Name, Contents

S57, Jenevieve Johnson, Household Goods S100, Kathryn Cunningham, Household Goods 77, Bobbi Kuzawski, Household Goods

PUBLIC HEARING WINOOSKI CITY COUNCIL

A public hearing will be held by the Winooski City Council on Tuesday, February 21, 2023 beginning at 6:00 p.m. to receive public comments on proposed amendments the City’s Municipal Code. The proposed changes will impact Chapter 5 – Business Licenses, Permits and Regulations. A summary of proposed amendments includes:

• General updates related to formatting and editorial changes

• Additional language for clarification of Article

I

– Purpose

• Additional definitions included in Section 5.01

• Clarification of submission deadlines in Section 5.03

• Removal of text from Section 5.04.03 related to use of sidewalks

• Additional regulations related to sidewalk usage area added to Section 5.09

• Creation of a new Section 5.10 designating sidewalk space

• Additional permitting requirements included under Section 5.11

• Additional requirements for the issuance of a permit included under Section 5.11.02

Full text of the proposed changes to Chapter 5 –Business Licenses, Permits and Regulations can be viewed at City Hall during normal business hours or on the City’s website at www.winooskivt.gov.

At the conclusion of the hearing, the City Council may take action to approve the proposed amendments, or hold additional hearings to solicit public comments.

Members of the public that are interested in participating in this hearing can do so by attending in person at Winooski City Hall, 27 West Allen Street, Winooski, VT; or electronically by visiting https://us06web.zoom.us/j/84364849328; or by calling (646) 558 8656 and using Webinar ID: 843 6484 9328. Toll charges may apply.

Members of the public interested in participating in the above captioned hearing are requested, but not required to make their intentions known by completing the public comment request form located on the City’s website at https://www. winooskivt.gov/FormCenter/Human-Resources- 6/ Public-Comment-Request-Form-61 at least 24 hours in advance to ensure this information is included in the record of the hearing. Questions or comments on this matter can be directed to Eric Vorwald, AICP, City of Winooski Planning & Zoning Manager by calling 802.655.6410 or visiting Winooski City Hall at 27 West Allen Street during normal business hours.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

DOCKET NO. 23-ENV-00004 ENVIRONMENTAL

UNIT

In re: Colchester Administrative Decision

218 Lower Mountain View Drive

NOTICE OF APPEAL

NOW COMES Appellant and Interested Party

R.L. Vallee, Inc. (an abutter to the project and recognized interested person and party) by and through its counsel and by and through their counsel, MSK Attorneys, and hereby appeals, pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §4471 and 10 V.S.A. Ch. 220 to the Vermont Superior Court, Environmental Division, the Town of Colchester Development Review Board’s Decision dated December 23, 2022 attached hereto. This decision is a companion decision to the Act 250 Jurisdictional Appeal currently on appeal by Costco to this Court in Docket No. 22-ENV-00084.

The property subject to this appeal is located at 218 Lower Mountain View Drive in Colchester, Vermont. Vallee owns property that abuts this property and is affected by this decision. Vallee’s property access is blocked, and/or partially blocked by traffic generated by Costco from its use of 218 Lower Mountain View Drive. The decision affects and concerns the generation of traffic and therefore affects Vallee’s interests, protected by zoning regulations, in safe ingress and egress and the prevention or reduction in undue and adverse traffic conditions. Appellant participated in the Development Review Board Proceedings and thus Appellant have a right to appeal pursuant to 24 V.S.A. §4471 and 24 V.S.A. §4464 and 10 V.S.A. §8504.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: In order to participate in this appeal, you must enter an appearance in the Vermont Environmental Court within twenty-one (21) days of receiving this Notice of Appeal. Notices of Appearance should be mailed to Jennifer Teske, Court Office Manager, Vermont Superior Court—Environmental Division, 32 Cherry Street, Suite 303, Burlington, VT 05401. Respectfully submitted this 17th day of January, 2023.

MSK ATTORNEYS

By: /s/ A.J. LaRosa, Esq.

Alexander LaRosa, Esq., ERN 5814

275 College Street, PO Box 4485 Burlington, VT 05406-4485

Phone: 802-861-7000

Email: ajlarosa@mskvt.com

Attorneys for R.L. Vallee, Inc.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL

DIVISION LAMOILLE UNIT CASE NO. 23-CV-00221

IN RE: ABANDONED MOBILE HOME OF MICHAEL SYLVESTER, JR.

Notice of Hearing

A hearing on Ship Sevin II, LLC’s Verified Complaint to declare as abandoned the mobile home of Michael Sylvester, Jr. located at the Pinecrest Mobile Home Park, Lot #51, 15 First Street in Morrisville, Vermont and to authorize the sale by auction has been set for February 14, 2023 at 3:30 p.m. You may participate in the hearing either in person at the Vermont Superior Court, Lamoille Unit, Civil Division located at 154 Main Street in Hyde Park, Vermont or remotely via WEBEX video. The WEBEX Login Information is as follows:

App: Cisco Webex Meeting

Website: https://vtcourts.webex.com

Meeting Number: 2331 913 0947

Password: XNexE7mPB73

If you do not have a computer or sufficient bandwidth, you may call (802) 636-1108 to appear by phone. (This is not a tollfree number). You will then enter the meeting number and password listed above. If you have technical difficulties, call the Court at (802) 888-3887.

Date: January 17, 2023 Civil Division Clerk

VERIFIED COMPLAINT FOR ABANDONMENT PURSUANT TO 10 V.S.A. § 6249(h) (Auction)

NOW COMES Ship Sevin II, LLC (“Ship Sevin”), by and through its counsel Nadine L. Scibek, and hereby complains as follows:

1. Ship Sevin, a Vermont limited liability company with a principal place of business in South Burlington, County of Chittenden, State of Vermont, is the record owner of a mobile home park known as the Pinecrest Mobile Home Park (the “Park”) located in Morrisville, Vermont.

2. Michael Sylvester, Jr. is the record owner of a certain mobile home described as a 1979 Skyline, 14’ x 70’, bearing serial No. 0116-0398N (the “Mobile Home”), located at the Pinecrest Mobile Home Park, Lot #51, 15 First Street in Morrisville, Vermont according to the Town of Morristown Land Records. See attached Vermont Mobile Home Uniform Bill of Sale.

3. Sylvester leased the Lot in the Park from Ship Sevin for his mobile home pursuant to an written lease. See attached Lease.

4. Sylvester’s last known mailing address is 15 First Street, Morrisville, VT 05661.

5. Sylvester was evicted from the Park for non-payment of lot rent on August 24, 2022. A Judgment Order for the outstanding lot rent and court costs was entered against Sylvester on August 5, 2022 in the amount of $4,336.43. See Ship Sevin II, LLC v. Sylvester, Jr., Vermont Superior Court, Lamoille Civil Unit, Case No. 22-CV-01550. See attached Judgment Order, Writ of Possession & Sheriff’s Return of Service.

6. The last known resident of the mobile home was Sylvester. Utility services have been terminated to the Mobile Home.

7. Ship Sevin’s Counsel has attempted to communicate in writing with Sylvester by first class mail regarding his intentions with the mobile home. He has failed to respond. See attached.

8. The following security interests, mortgages,

Legal Notices [CONTINUED]

liens and encumbrances appear of record with respect to the mobile home:

a. Sylvester is in arrears on obligations to pay property taxes to the Town of Morristown, Vermont in the aggregate amount of $101.20, plus any additional interest and penalties. e delinquent property taxes are now a lien on the property. See attached Delinquent Tax Statement and current Tax Bill.

9. Licensed auctioneer Uriah Wallace is a person disinterested in the mobile home and the mobile home park who is able to sell the mobile home at a public auction.

10. Mobile home storage fees continue to accrue at the rate of $366.15 per month. Rent due Ship Sevin as of January, 2023 totals $2,589.60. See attached accounting. Court costs and attorney’s fees incurred by Ship Sevin exceed $3,000.00.

11. Ship Sevin sent written notice by certifi ed mail to the Town of Morristown on November 4, 2022 of Plaintiff’s intent to commence this action. See attached.

WHEREFORE, the Park Owner respectfully requests that the Honorable Court enter an order as follows:

1. Declare that the Mobile Home has been abandoned;

2. Approve the sale of the Mobile Home at a public auction to be held within fi fteen (15) days of the date of judgment, pursuant to 10 V.S.A. § 6249(h); and

3. Grant judgment in favor of the Park Owner and against the Mobile Home for past due rent and mobile home storage charges through the date of judgment, together with Park Owner’s court costs, attorney’s fees, publication and mailing costs, auctioneer’s costs, winterization costs, lot cleanup charges incurred in connection with this matter and any other costs incurred by Park Owner herein.

DATED this 17th day of January, 2023.

SHIP SEVIN II, LLC

BY: Nadine L. Scibek Attorney for Ship Sevin

I declare that the above statement is true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief. I understand that if the above statement is false, I will be subject to the penalty of perjury or other sanctions in the discretion of the Court.

January 17, 2023

By: Cindy Whitham

Duly Authorized Agent for Ship Sevin

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 22-PR-07208

In re ESTATE of Jonathan Fisher

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Jonathan Fisher, late of Charlotte,, Vermont

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of the fi rst publication of this notice. e claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. e claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: January 27, 2023

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Emily Fisher

Executor/Administrator : Emily Fisher., 685 Dan Sargent Road Starksboro, VT 05487 elfi sh08@ gmail.com , (802) 238-6975

Name of Publication: Seven Days

Publication Date: 2/1/2023

Name of Probate Court: Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit, Probate Division

Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington VT 05401

VERMONT SELF STORAGE

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 03-00415, Located at Winter Sport Lane, Williston VT, 05495 Will be sold on or about the 16th of February 2023 to satisfy the debt of Carey Eastman. Any person claiming a right to the goods may pay the amount claimed due and reasonable expenses before the sale, in which case the sale may not occur.

WARNING OF THE 100TH ANNUAL WINOOSKI CITY MEETING

e legal voters of Winooski are hereby warned and notifi ed to meet at a City Meeting at Winooski School on March 6, 2023 at 6:00 p.m. to discuss Article Two, Article ree and Article Four and to conduct an informational hearing on the Australian Ballot questions. e meeting to be adjourned and to reconvene at the Winooski Senior Center, 123 Barlow Street on Tuesday, March 7, 2023 to transact any business involving voting by Australian Ballot to begin at 7:00 o’clock in the morning and to close at 7:00 o’clock in the evening. e legal voters of the City of Winooski are further notifi ed that voter qualifi cation, registration and absentee voting relative to said meeting shall be as provided in Title 17 V.S.A. Chapters 43, 51 and 55. In addition, Act No. M-6 (H.227)

Article One

To elect two (2) City Councilors for a term of two (2) years each.

Article Two, City Budget

Shall the voters of the City of Winooski approve the budget for the Fiscal Year for 2024 in the amount of $9,242,032.87(nine million, two hundred and fortytwo thousand, thirty-two dollars and eighty-seven cents). e amount to be raised from property taxes is $6,699,800.98 (six million, six hundred and ninety-nine thousand, eight hundred dollars and ninety-eight cents).

Article ree

Shall the City Council be authorized to apply for and accept funds from sources other than property taxation, and to expend the same for the benefi t of the City in addition to sums for which budget appropriation has been made? (Approval of this article will not impact property taxes.)

Article Four

Shall the Charter of the City of Winooski, Acts of 2013, No. M-9, as amended, be further amended to give the City Council the power to provide by ordinance protections for residential tenants from evictions without ‘just cause’ by adopting

and adding a new subsection 304(b)(13) to read as follows:

“304(b)(13)(A) To provide by ordinance protections for residential tenants, as defi ned in Chapter 137 of Title 9 of the Vermont Statutes Annotated, from eviction without ‘just cause’ where just cause shall include, but is not limited to:

(1) a tenant’s material breach of a written rental agreement,

(2) a tenant’s violation of state statutes regulating tenant obligations in residential rental agreements,

(3) non-payment of rent, and

(4) a tenant’s failure to accept written, reasonable, good faith renewal terms.

(B) Such ordinance shall exclude from just cause the expiration of a rental agreement as sole grounds for termination of tenancy. In addition to the exemptions in Chapter 137. of Title 9, the ordinance shall exempt from this provision, subject to mitigation provisions, sublets and in-unit rentals as well as the following properties but not limited to:

(1) owner-occupied duplexes, and triplexes;

(2) those being withdrawn from the rental market, including properties to be occupied by the owner or an immediate family member as a primary residence; and

(3) those in need of substantial renovations which preclude occupancy.

(C) Such ordinance shall include provisions that:

(1) mitigate potential negative impacts on tenants and property owners, including but not limited to requirements of adequate notice and reasonable relocation expenses,

(2) provide for a reasonable probationary period after initial occupancy, and

(3) limit unreasonable rent increases to prevent de facto evictions or nonrenewals, although this shall not be construed to limit rents beyond the purpose of preventing individual evictions.

(D) e ordinance shall defi ne what is ‘reasonable’ and ‘adequate notice’ in defi ning just cause and shall require that landlords provide notice of just cause and other legal requirements as part of the rental agreement”?

Dated at Winooski on the 23rd of January 2023.

Kristine Lott, Mayor Councilor James Duncan Councilor Bryn Oakleaf Councilor omas Renner Councilor Aurora Hurd

Seven Days is a great resource for job seekers and hiring managers alike. Its statewide distribution and content attract a large audience. We tried posting on other online platforms, but the reach was too narrow and didn’t yield the same results.

After running our employment ad, we received applications immediately. We ended up finding a great candidate very quickly with the qualifications and initiative to fit right into our small team.

Working with Michelle Brown was great. She is very e cient, and her advertising expertise was very helpful. We would absolutely recommend advertising with Seven Days!

AMY KIMMEL / ROB PERRY Deerfield Designs

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT: JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB

PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE. JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

FULL

2nd shifts. Shifts are 3pm-11pm. Looking to hire immediately. Apply in person: 1016 Shelburne Rd., South Burlington, VT 05403 or email: travelodgeburlingtonvt@gmail.com

VERMONT PUBLIC IS 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.

Current openings include: •

Controller • Programming Producer

We believe a strong organization includes employees from a range of backgrounds with different skills, experience, and passions.

To see more openings & apply: vermontpublic.org/careers.

Must be able to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination. Vermont Public is a proud equal opportunity employer.

Senior Accountant

$73,000 - $80,000

Excellent Benefits Package

Colchester’s Finance Department seeks an analytical and collaborative accounting professional with excellent accuracy and attention-to-detail to join its team. The Senior Accountant provides high-level accounting functions for the Town, including payroll, auditing, billing, AP oversight, grant and general ledger reconciliation and various reporting.

Successful applicants will have a bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or related field, and at least five years of progressively responsible accounting experience. Experience in municipal government or with governmental accounting preferred.

If you’re looking for a positive and rewarding team-oriented work environment, we want to hear from you! To view a complete job description, and to apply online for consideration please visit: colchestervt.gov/321/Human-Resources

The Town of Colchester is an E.O.E. Position open until filled.

INSTRUCTOR OF ACCOUNTING

The Department of Business Administration and Accounting at Saint Michael’s College is inviting applications for a full-time Instructor of Accounting position to begin in August 2023. Teaching will include six courses (3 per semester) per academic year. Courses taught will depend on a selected candidate’s background but may include Financial, Managerial, Intermediate, Cost, Federal Income Taxation, Non-Profit, or Auditing. There may also be an opportunity to teach courses in the Department’s Business Administration program or the College’s interdisciplinary programs. We have a small but robust Accounting program, and we are passionate about preparing our students for success post-graduation. Innovative approaches to teaching, enthusiasm, and effective use of technology are preferred to foster experiential learning and achieve learning outcomes. In addition to teaching, the selected candidate will serve as an academic advisor and mentor to Business Administration and Accounting students. For complete job description, benefits info, and to apply: bit.ly/SMCIoA

Right People. Right Business. RIGHT JOB FOR YOU!

Join a growing team at an innovative, nationally-recognized organization charged with creating affordable housing, building community, preserving historic assets, and conserving our lands.

Housing Stewardship Coordinator

Evaluate, monitor, and support the long-term sustainability of housing developments across the state. Bring your excellent analytical, communication, and problem-solving skills and assist the network of non-profit organizations creating housing for Vermonters and revitalizing our communities.

Clean Water Program Director

Are you knowledgeable and passionate about clean water, agriculture and land conservation? The Clean Water Program Director works with state and local partners on water quality projects in the Memphremagog Basin to achieve Vermont's clean water goals.

VHCB offers an excellent benefit package and is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. To read position descriptions and apply, visit vhcb.org/about-us/jobs. Positions will remain open until filled.

Rhino is hiring like crazy to meet the summer demand for all our delicious products and we need you to join us! If you are hired in an hourly role for our Production, Distribution, Maintenance and Sanitation Teams, Rhino will pay YOU $2,000 on your 6-month anniversary! Check out our website for all our job listings, which include:

Production 3rd shift, $18.50/hr.

Sanitation 2nd shift, $18/hr.

Maintenance Techs 1st & 3rd shifts, $20-$35/hr DOE

Earn some “Dough” at Rhino Foods!

Please see more on these openings on our career page at rhinofoods.com/about-rhino-foods/jobs-and-careers.

*Rhino Foods does run sex offender checks on all employees

Executive Director

Inclusive Arts

Vermont seeks a full-time Executive Director to lead its dynamic team of artists and administrators.

A minimum of three years’ experience in a senior management position of a nonprofit organization is required. This is a fulltime, salaried position with benefits. Anticipated salary range is $55,000 – $70,000 depending on experience.

Submit a resume, cover letter, and three references to inclusiveartsvermont.org by 2/17/23.

Litigation Legal Assistant

Gravel & Shea PC, a law firm in downtown Burlington, Vermont is looking for a legal assistant for our litigation practice group. The ideal candidate will have experience working as a legal assistant, extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office programs, and experience with editing and formatting documents, experience with Juris software a plus. In addition, this position requires a strong work ethic, eagerness to learn and acquire new skills, and excellent typing skills. Communication skills are a must, as Gravel & Shea legal assistants work as a team with paralegals, lawyers and other legal assistants. Minimum qualifications include an Associate’s degree or a minimum of three years of experience as a legal assistant. We offer a competitive salary and benefits package including health insurance, 401(k) and Profit Sharing. Please e-mail cover letter, résumé and references to: fmiller@gravelshea.com

Gravel & Shea PC is an Equal Opportunity Employer www.gravelshea.com

Stormwater Coordinator

Town of St. Albans, VT.

FULL-TIME BREAD BAKER

For over 20 years, Red Hen has been providing great jobs in the food industry. We are an equal opportunity employer and are committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging in the workplace.

We’re looking for an individual who enjoys work that exercises both body and mind and is interested in pursuing the craft of baking at our bakery in Middlesex. Professional food experience is required. Our breads range from hearty whole grain loaves to baguettes and are all made with locally-grown grain. We offer great pay and a benefits package that is virtually unheard of in the food business.

If you are interested, please contact Douglas Clendaniel at douglas@redhenbaking.com

Drop-In Center Youth Coach

St Albans, Part Time

Family Preservation Specialist

Development O cer Development Coordinator

Multicultural Youth Program Coordinator

Mental Health Counselor

Drop-In Center Youth Coach

Housing Youth Coach

We have several exciting opportunities available! spectrumvt.org/

Electronics Assembler

Medical Market Manager - Imaging

The Town of St. Albans seeks an engaging, collaborative, and dynamic person to serve as Stormwater Coordinator for our newly formed Stormwater Utility. This person will provide leadership, regulatory oversight, budgetary oversight and technical guidance for stormwater management that focuses on quality, quantity, and management of public stormwater infrastructure and related GIS data. Responsible for oversight of stormwater capital improvement projects from development through construction. Conducts data collection, data management,and reporting as necessary to facilitate stormwater utility operations. Completes tasks necessary to maintain the Town’s compliance with MS4 and other permit requirements.

Enterprise Systems Analyst

For a detailed job description, visit stalbanstown.com. Expected salary to be in the $55K to $60K range, depending on experience. To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and three references to: Director of Public Works, P.O. Box 37, St. Albans Bay, VT, 05481 or by email to j.gray@stalbanstown.com Applications must be received by February 10, 2023.

Manufacturing Production Scheduler/ Materials Planner

United States Probation Officer

The U.S. Probation Office in the District of Vermont currently has a vacancy for a U.S. Probation Officer. U.S. Probation Officers work for the federal court system and conduct bail and presentence investigations, prepare comprehensive bail and presentence reports, and provide supervision and support for individuals subject to federal community supervision. The position is classified as hazardous-duty law enforcement and has a maximum age of 37 at appointment. A Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited college or university in an approved field of study is required. Prior to appointment, applicants considered for this position must successfully undergo a full background investigation, medical examination, and drug screening. The salary range for this position is from $56,125 to $109,374 (CL-27 to CL-28) and starting salary is dependent on qualifications. For further information on the position and its requirements and application instructions please visit vtp.uscourts.gov/career-opportunities. The deadline for complete applications is the close of business on February 17, 2023.

The U.S. Probation Office is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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. We are hiring for the following positions:

Medical Market Manager - Imaging

Manufacturing Production Scheduler/Materials Planner

Enterprise Systems Analyst Electronics Assembler

Full descriptions and to apply go to: bit.ly/NDIfall2022

OFFICE OF THE DEFENDER GENERAL Financial Director – Montpelier

The Office of the Defender General is seeking a Financial Director & Administrative Services Manager to lead the department’s financial operations. This management position operates with considerable independence, reporting directly to the Defender General, and is responsible for all financial functions for the department.

In this role, you will be responsible for the department’s budget development and maintenance, including preparing annual budget projections, analyzing special patterns, advising the DG about needed adjustments, and projecting future needs.

You will also serve as the primary financial liaison for the department, including responding to inquiries from legislators and members of the criminal justice system. You will also have a significant supervisory role and will further support the department by taking responsibility for contract administration, property management, and overseeing procurement of goods and services, among other tasks.

The ideal candidate has excellent communication skills and is positive, self-motivated, assertive, and able to handle a diverse community of personalities and opinions. Prior management experience is preferred.

This is an exempt, full-time position with excellent State benefits.

Salary: $61,963 - $97,156. EOE.

To apply, please email a cover letter and resume to Gina Puls, HR & Special Counsel, at gina.puls@vermont.gov.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Join Our Auto Auction Team

We want you to work with us at our bustling auto auction in Williston!

OPEN POSITIONS:

• Friday & Saturday Auto Auction Staff: Want to make a quick buck in your free time? We’re looking for multiple part-time auction day staff. Our needs range from computer savvy auction clerks to car enthusiast auction assistants - a huge plus if you can drive stick! Free coffee & snacks! Hours average 7AM-1PM at a competitive flat rate.

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

WANT TO APPLY?

Email Us: Eric@THCAuction.com or drop by our auto office today at 298 James Brown Dr., Williston 802-878-9200 or 800-474-6132

Shared Living Providers

Seeking Shared Living Provider in Chittenden County for a 62-year old man with a great sense of humor who loves watching sports, fishing, and car rides. The position would require assisting with meal preparation, some personal care, and providing medical supervision as the client has some mobility issues that make him a fall risk. The client can be left alone for up to 5 hours, but cannot be left alone overnight. The ideal SLP(s) would be a patient, clear communicator. The client would thrive in a home that is single floor with no steps and a handicap accessible bathroom. Children or pets in the home is okay. Compensation: $45,000 tax-free annual stipend plus room and board and contracted supports.

Contact arakowitz@howardcenter.org or 8023072705.

Seeking Part-time Shared Living Provider in Chittenden County for a woman in her 30’s. Ideal candidate will be able to provide clear boundaries, clinical support while helping the client develop independent living skills and integrate into the community. Ideal candidate does not have young children. Compensation: $50,000 tax free annual stipend for part time schedule plus room and board.

Contact mgeary@howardcenter.org or 802-488-6553.

Corporate Law Legal Assistant

We are seeking a legal assistant for our corporate practice group. The legal assistant will serve an integral role on a collegial team that works on business formation and governance, business acquisitions, and a variety of other business transactions and legal matters. Great communication skills are a must, as Gravel & Shea legal assistants work as a team with paralegals, lawyers, and other legal assistants, and directly interface with clients.

The ideal candidate will have the following experience:

· Prior work as a legal assistant

· Extensive knowledge of Microsoft Office programs

· Experience with editing and formatting documents

· Strong work ethic

· Eagerness to learn and acquire new skills

· Excellent typing skills

Experience with Juris software is also a plus. Minimum qualifications include an Associate’s degree or three years or more of experience as a legal assistant.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package including health insurance, 401(k), paid parental leave, and profit sharing. Interested applicants should apply online at: gravelshea.com/careers

CAMP COUNSELOR

Camp Counselors have one of the most eclectic job descriptions— everything involved with getting campers through the day-to-day routine of camp. In any given day you could be a song leader, a bedtime storyteller, a shoulder to cry on, a mediator, or a lawn game player. Counselors are the foundation in creating a sense of community with a small group of campers. They also work in a specific activity area, planning (with help from the Activity Area Head) and leading adventurous, experiential, and often silly activities. Most counselors also go out on a wilderness trip during the summer. Applicants need to be responsible, able to balance being a friend and an adult, be a good listener and love the idea of spending a summer in the woods hanging out with kids.

Apply online: bit.ly/ FandWFcampcounselor.

WHY NOT HAVE A JOB YOU LOVE?

Plus, have a benefit package that includes 29 paid days off in the first year, a comprehensive health insurance plan with your premium as low as $13 per month, up to $6,000 to go towards medical deductibles and copays, a retirement match, and so much more.

And that’s on top of working at one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont” for four years running.

Become a Direct Support Professional ($19-$20 per hour) at an award-winning agency serving Vermonters with intellectual disabilities and make a career making a difference. Apply today at ccs-vt.org/current-openings/.

NORTHEASTERN VERMONT REGIONAL HOSPITAL is seeking Registered Nurses

Seeking Registered Nurses for a variety of departments and shifts! NVRH RNs enjoy shared governance, a competitive salary and numerous opportunities for growth. Come be part of a healthcare team offering excellent services within your community. New grads welcome!

ELMORE STORE OPERATOR

The Elmore Community Trust (ECT) is seeking motivated and committed individuals to operate the historic Elmore Store in beautiful Elmore, Vermont starting May 1st, 2023.

Perched on the shores of Lake Elmore, the store is one of the only commercial businesses and the primary central meeting place in town. The Elmore Store is a beloved and vital part of the community, housing the Post O ce, a pizza maker, two residential rental units, and providing a variety of goods and services to residents and travelers alike. In recent years it has also hosted numerous successful community and music events which have contributed tremendously to our rural town.

For more details about this opportunity, please visit: elmorecommunitytrust.org/ operator

NVRH offers excellent benefits, including student loan repayment, generous paid time off, health/ dental/vision, 401k with company match, and more! APPLY TODAY AT

Equipment Operator Department of Public Works

Town of St. Albans, VT.

The Town of St. Albans is accepting applications for the position of Equipment Operator. This position involves skilled, technical work in the maintenance, repair, and construction of town highways, facilities, and equipment. Preference to be given to those with mechanics experience. The equipment operator works under the direct supervision of the Road Foreman and Director of Public Works.

A full job description and application may be downloaded from the Town’s website at stalbanstown.com. Salary is commensurate with education and/or experience, and is expected to be between $24 and $27 per hour.

Applicants must be willing to submit to pre-employment drug screening and background check if offered a position.

Please send applications to: Director of Public Works, Town of St. Albans, P.O. Box 37, St. Albans Bay, VT. 05481, or by email to j.gray@stalbanstown.com, by Friday, February 10, 2023.

OFFICE CLERK

Downs Rachlin Martin PLLC – one of Northern New England’s largest law firms – has an opportunity for the ideal candidate to join our team in the position of temporary office clerk in our Burlington, Vermont office.  This six-month temporary position will provide clerical support in both our Intellectual Property and Business Law Groups. Qualified candidates will possess a knowledge of Microsoft Office 10, be able to learn new software quickly, work collaboratively with Legal Administrative Assistants, Paralegals and Attorneys and have a minimum of three years clerical (or comparable) experience. The ideal candidate will be organized, detail oriented with a professional demeanor and excellent communication skills. While we are primarily seeking candidates that possess these qualifications, we are committed to providing the training necessary for the right candidate with professional services experience to be a successful addition to our team.

If you are a proven professional with these skills, we would like to hear from you.

Details and to apply: drm.com/careers/

Homeless Services Coordinator

HOPE seeks a team member to work with persons experiencing homelessness, particularly those with high housing barriers. Work with individuals, according to their own wishes, to identify housing barriers, obtain needed resources, and to support them while they remain unhoused. Must be patient, non-judgmental, familiar with area resources, have reliable transportation and experience in working with the target clientele.

Full or part-time. HOPE provides a supportive, team-oriented work environment. Compensation includes competitive salary, platinum medical and dental insurance (30 hour week threshold), life insurance, paid holidays and combined time off, and matched retirement savings.

Send resumes to receptionist@hope-vt.org or mail to: Personnel, HOPE, 282 Boardman Street, Suite 1A, Middlebury, Vermont 05753.

Community Arts Openings

Come work in a former convent and Catholic school - turned community arts hub in Montpelier! Support two of Montpelier's legacy arts organizations and local working artists.

FACILITIES COORDINATOR

CAL's Facilities Coordinator is primarily responsible for the care and maintenance of the 46 Barre Street building and grounds. They will be the resident “expert” of the property and its needs. They ensure that routine maintenance and special projects are completed on schedule and within budget.

BOOKKEEPER

CAL's Bookkeeper is primarily responsible for the care and maintenance of CAL’s financial activity and records. They ensure that routine transactions and reports are completed accurately and presented on time. They will act as support for other financial activities like 990 tax prep and business projections. This position includes some office admin support, but is primarily focused on bookkeeping.

These positions are budgeted for 10 hours per week at $18 – $20 per hour and report to CAL’s Executive Director. Positions are open until filled. Find out more and apply: cal-vt.org/jobs/

The Center for Arts and Learning is a Vermont-registered nonprofit and is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, gender or other protected class. We welcome all interested applicants.

Guest Service Associate

The Award-Winning Hampton Inn in Saint Albans is seeking a guest service associate to join our exceptional team. This position requires attention to detail and computer literacy, as well as excellent communication and problem-solving skills. Previous hotel front desk experience preferred, but not required. This is a full-time position that includes the following benefits:

• Health/Dental/Vision

• Travel Discounts

• Use of On-site Facilities

• Complimentary Parking

Contact us for additional employment opportunities.

Please forward a resume and letter of interest to maureen.brown@hilton.com.

COMMUNITY BANKERS

CHITTENDEN COUNTY

BUILDERS | MAKERS | DOERS

Have you ever wanted to work in a library?

The Waterbury Public Library is seeking a reliable, well-organized individual to provide stellar customer service to a diverse clientele 20 hours per week, including Wednesday evenings and Saturdays. The ideal candidate will have strong clerical skills, comfort working with the public, and a love of books. Must have at least intermediate technology skills. Pay starts at $16.00 an hour.

See our website for full position description: waterburypubliclibrary.com Submit resume, 2 references, and brief cover letter to rachel@ waterburypubliclibrary.com

NOW HIRING!

There is no better time to join our Team! Northfield Savings Bank, founded in 1867, is the largest banking institution headquartered in Vermont. We are committed to providing a welcoming work environment for all. Are you looking to start or continue a career in the finance industry? Consider joining our team as a Community Banker! To see all our available positions, please visit www.NSBVT. com/careers/open-positions.

JOB RESPONSIBILITIES & REQUIREMENTS

This frontline position is crucial in creating a positive, welcoming and inclusive experience for NSB customers. The successful candidate will have exceptional customer service and communication skills.

The Community Banker will be responsible for receiving and processing customers’ financial transactions as well as opening and maintaining customer accounts and services. We are looking for someone who can develop and maintain relationships with our valued customers, protect bank and customer information, and uphold customer confidentiality. A high school diploma, general education degree (GED), or equivalent is required.

If you have customer service, previous cash handling, or banking experience we encourage you to apply!

OPPORTUNITY FOR GROWTH

NSB has training opportunities to engage employees and assist with professional development within our company. The average years of service for an NSB employee is 9! If you’re looking for a career in an environment that promotes growth, join our team!

WHAT NSB CAN OFFER YOU

Competitive compensation based on experience. Well-rounded benefits package. Profit-Sharing opportunity. Excellent 401(k) matching retirement program. Commitment to professional development. Opportunities to volunteer and support our communities. Work-Life balance! We understand the importance of having evenings and weekends with our friends, families, and the communities we serve!

Please send an NSB Application & your resume in confidence to: Careers@nsbvt.com or Northfield Savings Bank | Human Resources PO Box 7180, Barre, VT 05641 Equal Opportunity Employer/Member FDIC

Administrative Assistant

Join our team! The new Administrative Assistant position will support the Interpretation and Translation program and the Field Office Director by coordinating administrative functions including managing day-to-day scheduling, responding to inquiries, preparing documentation, compiling reports, and working with staff, clients, and community partners.

This position requires handling matters expeditiously and proactively and following through on projects to successful completion, often with deadline pressures.

For more information and to apply, visit: bit.ly/USRefugeeAdminAsst

CCV is hiring! 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!

DEAN OF ADMINISTRATION

SENIOR STAFF ASSISTANT (Corrections Post-Secondary Education Initiative)

COORDINATOR(S) OF STUDENT ADVISING (Corrections Post-Secondary Education Initiative)

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/ to learn more.

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.

Sales & Marketing Person

Logical Machines in Charlotte, Vt is looking for an energetic sales and marketing person to join our team. You must be a team player, willing to think outside the box, a self starter, and have a good sense of humor.

Job responsibilities include (but are not limited to) growing our sales, helping expand our online marketing presence, and working directly with customers and distributors. This is an in person job and will require some traveling.

Learn more about our company by visiting: logicalmachines.com

Send your resume with a brief cover letter to sarah@logicalmachines.com

Arborist Trainees

Lucas Tree Experts, a leader in the tree care industry, is looking for motivated individuals to join the team as an Arborist Trainee. Multiple positions available, no experience in the tree industry necessary!

Are you looking for a company that provides a pathway for career advancement opportunities? Lucas Tree Experts provides FREE on-thejob training for those willing, able, and interested in learning this skilled trade. Motivated individuals can build a strong foundation for their future career all while obtaining multiple pay raises and opportunities to advance from within.

Why Lucas Tree?

• Free On-the-Job Training (Including CDL)

• High weekly earning potential with regular overtime

• Safety and bonus incentive packages

• Safety first culture

• Paid time off and paid holidays

• Competitive benefits package: health, vision, and dental insurance

• 401(k) with company match

• Annual earning potential of $40,000 - $48,000

Come work for a company that offers advancement opportunities and a great quality of work life! Contact: HR@lucastree.com

Employment Case Manager

GRANTS ADMINISTRATOR

Are you looking for an opportunity to work among a dedicated group of colleagues and partners committed to promoting outdoor recreation?

The Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation is hiring a Grants Administrator. The ideal candidate brings grants administration experience, spreadsheet savvy, initiative, and works effectively in a dynamic environment. For more information contact agnes.barsalow@vermont.gov

Requisition ID # 42907

More information and the ability to apply can be found at: careers.vermont.gov/jobinvite/42907/

The Jump On Board for Success (JOBS) case manager position is responsible for providing flexible and participant-centered case management services for teens and young adults. The case manager helps program participants develop the skills needed to live independently while focusing on employment and education goals. The position is ideal for someone with strong communication skills, knowledge of adolescent development, and an understanding of Vermont’s education, vocational training, and human services systems. Applicants must have a bachelor’s degree, and preference will be given to those with experience working with individuals with emotional or behavioral disabilities.

LRC is a team-oriented, non-profit organization based in Hyde Park. Consider joining the LRC team if you’re interested in a workplace that promotes employee well-being and is known for its inclusive and collaborative work environment. The hourly pay rate is between $21.33 and $22.44. A uniquely generous benefits policy provides $12,000 annually for each employee to pay for the benefits they need, such as: medical, dental, vision, and 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.

To be considered for this position, applicants are asked to send a cover letter highlighting their relevant skills and experiences, and a resume, to: info@lrcvt.org

Applications will be accepted until position is filled. LRC is an E.O.E.

Deputy State’s Attorney Positions

The Vermont Department of State’s Attorneys and Sheriffs is hiring full-time Deputy State’s Attorneys in Rutland County (Rutland) and Washington County (Barre), plus limited-service Deputy State’s Attorneys positions in locations around Vermont. A DSA represents the State’s Attorney’s Office in prosecuting criminal and certain civil offenses. Minimum Qualifications: J.D. degree and admission to the Vermont Bar, or a candidate who has passed the VT bar exam by reading the law. A candidate pending bar results or admission to the Vermont bar may be considered.

For a complete list of openings and full job descriptions, go to prosecutors.vermont.gov/job-opportunities

Positions open until filled. Inquiries can be made by emailing sas.jobs@vermont.gov

EXECUTIVE BANQUET CHEF LEAD LINE COOK

For more information: boltonvalley.com/the-resort/employment

DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT

JAG Productions, a nonprofit theatre company centering Black storytelling, seeks a full time Director of Development to add to our staff and to support the organization’s growth. Applicants must value and be willing to support Black and Black queer storytelling.

Director of Development Job Responsibilities: Implement and execute an annual fundraising plan to meet fundraising goals; Manage portfolio of donors; Provide leadership to the development team; Prepare and present regular reports on progress towards fundraising goals; Plan and execute special events; Manage grant writing and identification of new grant opportunities; Generate donor communications, newsletters, and an annual report; Manage box office functions; Assist in creation of print, digital and social media content; Network and maintain regular correspondence with donors.

Director of Development Qualifications/Skills: Applied understanding of basic fundraising principles and development best practices; Strong prospect identification and qualification skills; Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading ability; Strong interpersonal, verbal communication, and presentation skills; Database and spreadsheet proficiency; Working knowledge of office applications; Experience with online fundraising, email marketing, and internet research. Education and Experience Preferences (Please note that these are preferences, not requirements. All interested individuals are encouraged to apply.): Bachelor’s or Master’s degree; Five years of fundraising or non-profit experience; Previous management experience; Proven track record of meeting fundraising goals and securing major gifts.

Compensation and Working Conditions: Work arrangements can be flexible and will be discussed with the final candidate; Some nights and weekends are required during fundraising events and occasionally during performances; $55,000 - $60,000 annual salary; Health care stipend; Leave and paid holidays; Annual paid one week sabbatical; Relocation stipend available.

To apply, submit a cover letter, resume, and three professional references to info@jagproductionsvt.com with “Director of Development Application” in the subject line.

WHERE YOU AND YOUR WORK MATTER

PUBLIC HEALTH INSPECTION MANAGER – BURLINGTON

The Vermont Department of Health has an exciting opportunity to be on the front lines of protecting public health in Vermont. The successful candidate will provide leadership and management for the field team conducting a variety of public health inspections of food safety systems, general sanitation practices, and environmental conditions in the Food & Lodging Program. For more information, contact Elisabeth Wirsing at elisabeth.wirsing@vermont.gov. Department: Health. Location: Burlington. Status: Full Time. Job Id #46062. Application Deadline: February 9, 2023

CORRECTIONS PROGRAM SERVICES CHIEF CLINICAL SPECIALIST –WATERBURY

This position has the primary responsibility for the implementation of cognitive behavioral and life skill interventions. Services are both recommended and required for individuals under the supervision and/or incarcerated populations, particularly for those with convictions of felony interpersonal violence. This role acts as a peer member of a multi-disciplinary central team and is responsible for program development in both the Probation and Parole field offices and four Correctional Facilities. For more information, contact Kim Bushey at kim.bushey@vermont.gov. Department: Corrections. Location: Waterbury. Status: Full Time. Job Id #46087. Application Deadline: February 12, 2023.

CUSTODIANS, MECHANICS, HVAC SPECIALIST – MONTPELIER

The Department of Buildings & General Services is seeking to fill many positions within the historic Montpelier complex and surrounding area. We are looking for Custodians, Maintenance Mechanics, HVAC Specialists, and a Central Heat Plant Operator. Positions require successful completion of background checks. For more information, contact Jonathan Rutledge at jonathan.rutledge@vermont. gov. Department: Buildings and General Services. Location: Montpelier. Status: Full Time. Job Id #’s 46075, 45973, 46071, 46073, 46072, and 45972. Application Deadline: February 12, 2023.

MULTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN

Travel is booming, and we are growing! Music Contact International, a group tour operator specializing in customized domestic and international performance travel, is seeking full-time team members: two Associate Tour Coordinators and one Associate Sales Manager. Join our team, and be part of a community of dedicated, bright, and well-traveled professionals!

For more details on the roles and application process, visit:

ASSOCIATE TOUR COORDINATOR: bit.ly/3uWPs9P

ASSOCIATE SALES MANAGER: bit.ly/3uWPs9P

Lead Carpenter & Carpenter’s Apprentice

Mountain Tree Co. is a small, modern design-build company with a mission to build affordable, smallfootprint, high-performance homes. We are seeking two individuals, a lead carpenter (with 5+ years experience) and a carpenter’s apprentice, who are ready to grow their skill sets and experience in a collaborative, positive, genderdiverse, mission-focused company. We strive to support our team and customers to live more comfortably and sustainably. We are looking for driven team players who are goal-oriented and ready to share successes and financial reward. We offer competitive pay, wage growth, regular bonuses, and signing bonuses for the right applicants. The majority of our work is located in Chittenden and Addison counties. If interested, please email us at: info@mtntreevt.com

When you work for the State of Vermont, you and your work matter. A career with the State puts you on a rich and rewarding professional path. You’ll find jobs in dozens of fields – not to mention an outstanding total compensation package.

FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR I – WATERBURY

Large business office with opportunity for cross-training and advancement. This position will be assigned multiple Probation & Parole offices and will be responsible for monitoring and presenting budgets for each of these assigned locations. All corresponding accounts payable (AP), accounts receivable (AR) as well as account maintenance for Supervised Individuals. This position serves as the lead employee expense coordinator for their sites and acts as the lead Mobile Device Admin for all DOC. For more information, contact Tatum LaPlant at tatum.laplant@vermont.gov.

Department: Corrections. Location: Waterbury. Status: Full Time. Job Id #46129. Application Deadline: February 1, 2023.

DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION FINANCE – MONTPELIER

This position will report directly to the CFO and will oversee Education Finance, act as a subject matter expert and a statewide leader on Education financial matters and will be responsible for the formulation of Division and project budgets, staff development, and change management as it relates to Education Finance. This position will oversee, monitor, manage and provide technical assistance about all aspects of education finance, totaling nearly $2 billion. Open to partial remote schedule. For more information, contact Bill Bates at bill.bates@vermont.gov. Department: Education. Status: Full Time. Location: Montpelier. Job Id #45074. Application Deadline: February 6, 2023.

PUBLIC HEALTH NUTRITIONIST – MORRISVILLE

The Vermont Department of Health has an opportunity for an experienced public health professional who wants to make a difference in the health of communities in Lamoille County. We are seeking a well-organized Nutritionist with great communication skills to work at the Morrisville District Office. The candidate will oversee local implementation of the supplemental nutrition program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), supervise the WIC team, and maintain program administration. For more information, contact Aaron French at aaron.french@vermont.gov.

Department: Health. Location: Morrisville. Status: Full Time. Job Id #46168. Application Deadline: February 6, 2023.

Communication & Volunteer Coordinator

Our free health clinic seeks motivated self-starter to spearhead ODC communications and volunteer program @ 20 hours/week. Responsibilities include internal and external communications including website, social media and newsletter management; ability to work with volunteers, volunteer outreach and onboarding, and coordination of special events. Excellent communication, computer and organization skills required. Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience and Spanish language skills desired. The ODC offers competitive pay and great work environment.

Please submit resume, cover letter & 3 references by 2/28/23 to ODC’s Executive Director, Heidi Sulis: hsulis@opendoormidd.org www.opendoormidd.org

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTMYJOB PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Administrative Assistant

Town of St. Albans, VT.

The Town of St. Albans is seeking a full time Administrative Assistant to support the departments of Community Development and Public Works. This position will also provide assistance to the Development Review Board and Planning Commission during evening meetings.

Responsibilities include; answering phones, greeting customers, data entry, scanning, maintaining data bases and filing systems, grant assistance and photo copying.

A detailed job description is available at stalbanstown.com. Expected salary to be in the $23 to $25/hour range, depending on experience.

To apply, please send a cover letter, resume and three references to: Town Manager Executive Assistant, P.O. Box 37, St. Albans Bay, VT, 05481 or by email to j.gray@stalbanstown.com. Applications must be received by February 10, 2023.

CONTROLLER

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA) is recruiting for a new Controller. Formed in 1974, VHFA’s mission is to finance and promote affordable, safe, and decent housing opportunities for low- and moderate-income Vermonters. As one of Vermont’s leading non-profits in the affordable housing sector, the Agency needs an experienced, innovative individual to provide the principal accounting support to the Chief Financial Officer.

The Controller at the Agency is an independent manager responsible for all accounting functions of the Agency. In particular, the Controller is responsible for annual budget preparation and subsequent monitoring and reporting, quarterly financial statements, the Agency’s annual audit and day to day management of the Agency’s bank accounts, bank lines and construction lending activities. A minimum of seven years of direct accounting or auditing experience is required, as is experience in the preparation of financial statements and the management of annual audits, preferably in a nonprofit or quasi-governmental environment. A CPA is desirable. We are looking for someone with a high degree of computer literacy, especially finance and accounting packages and Microsoft Office products. Consistently named one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont”, the Agency offers a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. The salary range for this position is $90,000 to $105,000. For a detailed job description and benefits overview, please see the Careers section of VHFA.org. To apply, send cover letter, resume, and references to the Human Resources Department at HR@vhfa. org. Please consider including in your cover letter a description of how your unique background and experiences would contribute to the diversity and cultural vitality of VHFA. Applications will be processed as they come in, with interviews starting January 30th. Position will remain open until filled. VHFA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workplace. We highly encourage people from historically underrepresented groups to apply including persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color.

For details and to apply: bit.ly/3HwzIS7

Finance Manager

Our thriving natural foods market is seeking an experienced leader to:

Plan, direct, and coordinate all accounting operational functions Apply a thorough understanding of US GAAP Motivate and supervise a finance team

APPLY ONLINE AT MIDDLEBURY.COOP

Vermont Dept of Taxes MULTIPLE OPENINGS

There has never been a better time to bring your values and talents to the collaborative team at the Vermont Department of Taxes. The rewarding work we do supports this brave little state and helps shape its future. We work with proven, dynamic technologies to fund initiatives that preserve the environment, build vibrant communities, strengthen families, and so much more. Discover new opportunities, learn new skills, and solve problems with our dedicated and supportive team.

We currently have the following openings:

· Tax Audit Examiner II, III, IV

· Tax Compliance Officer I, II and III

· Tax Compliance Section Chief

· Seasonal Financial Specialist II and III

Learn more about our department and our mission, goals, and core values - and why a job at the Vermont Department of Taxes may just be the best job you’ve ever had. Contact: tax.vermont.gov/careers

• HR Analyst

• Graphic Designer

• Director, Global Education Office

• Director of Undergraduate Admissions

For position details and application process, visit  jobs.plattsburgh.edu and select “View Current Openings.”

SUNY College at Plattsburgh is a fully compliant employer committed to excellence through diversity.

Tourism Specialist

Part time, per diem: $16.25/hr

The Williston I-89 Welcome Centers are looking to hire part-time and/or per diem employees with great customer service skills. Duties will include some custodial tasks and physical tasks including snow removal. Must be able to lift up to 50 pounds. Hours of operation are 7am to 7pm. You must be able to work weekends & some holidays.

To apply or learn more about the position, email nicole@vermont.org

ADVANCED PRACTICE NURSE

CSC / Second Spring provides compassion, hope, and excellent clinical care for individuals who have serious psychiatric challenges. In many states, our patients would be confined to a hospital setting. CSC wraps them with a level of care and support that makes residential life in the community possible, and frequently creates highly-fulfilling experiences that are a bridge to greater independence.

CSC has a unique opening for an advanced practice nurse to become a key clinical leader for our mission-based non-profit. The APRN will serve as prescriber for our 27 residential patients, while collaborating with other clinical leaders and providing education and expertise supporting a broad range of staff. Primary care experience is valued, but not required. The role is supported by an excellent, experienced psychiatrist who works with CSC multiple hours per week (including rounds, 1:1 clinical supervision of APRN, and real-time consultation as needed).

Job Type: Full-Time Position with a minimum of 12-18 hours onsite.

Pay: $110,000.00 - $135,000.00 per year

Benefits:

· 401(k)

· 401(k) matching

· Dental insurance

· Employee assistance program

· Flexible spending account

· Health insurance

· Life insurance

· Paid time off

· Retirement plan

· Tuition reimbursement

· Vision insurance

Send resumes to: ScottA@cscorp.org

MEMBERSHIP & ADMINISTRATIVE COORDINATOR

Join the team at Vermont League of Cities and Towns and together we will serve and strengthen local government! VLCT seeks a professional, organized, efficient, and computer-savvy Membership and Administrative Coordinator.  One of your primary first tasks will be to help us launch our new association management system to improve our membership services and experience. Our members – officials with towns and cities and partner organizations - need your help accessing VLCT services using a new web-portal.  Your work will include supporting membership services, managing the front end of the association management system, and supporting VLCT’s affiliate group relationships. In addition, our executive team and Board needs your administrative support to keep it and the organization humming along. There’s plenty of room to grow in our 50+ person non-profit!

Our successful candidate will have top notch customer service and organizational skills, which are critical for this position. They will be a motivated self-starter, who takes direction well, but can creatively problem solve when direction is not provided.  They will be an ultra-efficient organizer and implementer who can complete projects independently, as well as being part of a team. They will report to the Director of Operations. They will enjoy a hybrid, Monday-Friday schedule that allows up to two days of telework a week.

Requirements:

• College course work or other certificate and 5+ years’ experience as an executive level assistant is required.

• Experience and proficiency working with a customer relationship management (CRM) or association management system (AMS) or similar system, and/or client/ customer database management is preferred.

• Proficiency in Windows-based environment with Microsoft Office Suite products is required.

• A four-year college degree and experience working in member, nonprofit, or municipal organization is preferred.

• Possession and maintenance of a valid driver’s license in good standing is required.

VLCT offers an excellent total compensation package including: 100% employer-paid health insurance premium, participation in Vermont’s municipal retirement system, 13 paid holidays, paid vacation and sick time, a convenient downtown Montpelier location, free parking, a trusted reputation, and great colleagues!

To apply, please visit vlct.org/careers. You will be asked to submit your resume, cover letter and three professional references along with your online application.

Salary range is commensurate with experience. Application deadline is Monday, February 13. Resumes will be reviewed as they are received. Position open until filled. E.O.E.

History Teacher

Short-term Substitute

Rock Point School

seeks a short-term high school History substitute, March 6April 13. As a small, supportive boarding and day school, we are seeking someone who can:

• Teach 9-12 grade history

• Connect with students and accommodate different learning styles

• Collaborate w/teaching team

Join our vibrant and welcoming school on Lake Champlain in Burlington!

bit.ly/RPShistorySub

Boat Launch Stewards

Vermont & New York

Spend summer 2023 by the water! Seeking multiple stewards to engage boaters, inspect watercraft, and deliver informational messages about invasive species on Lake Champlain.

More information: neiwpcc. org/about-us/careers/

To apply: send a cover letter & resume to jobs@neiwpcc.org

CLERICAL SUPPORT STAFF

Vermont Legal Aid seeks a highly organized team player, with a desire to further our mission, for a full-time position in Montpelier, VT.

We encourage applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, and welcome information about how your experience can contribute to serving our diverse client communities. Applicants are encouraged to share in their cover letter how they can further our goals of social justice and individual rights. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to a discrimination-and-harassment-free workplace. Please read our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion: vtlegalaid.org/commitment-diversity-inclusion

Responsibilities include general office management and secretarial duties (answering phones, client contact, data entry, typing, file/document/database management), as well as supporting the work of multiple attorneys and paralegals. Experience as a legal secretary or formal secretarial training is preferable. Proficiency with Microsoft Office suite required. Fluency in French, Spanish, Swahili, Kirundi, Somali, Arabic, Nepali, or Burmese is a plus.

See vtlegalaid.org/montpelier-support-staff-2023 for additional job description.

Base salary is $38,480 with salary credit given for relevant prior work experience. Four weeks paid vacation, retirement, and excellent health benefits. Application deadline is February 3, 2023. Send cover letter, resume, and contact information for three references as a single PDF file with the subject line “Support Staff Jan 2023” to David Koeninger, Deputy Director, c/o hiring@vtlegalaid.org. Please tell us how you heard about the position.

Assistant Town Clerk & Treasurer

The Town of Hinesburg is seeking an individual to serve as the Assistant Town Clerk and Treasurer. This position provides administrative, technical and clerical support to the Town Clerk & Treasurer. This position is responsible for maintaining town records, processing and recording documents, issuing licenses, assisting with elections, property tax administration and water & sewer billing and administration. Ideal candidates will be self-motivated, demonstrate a high degree of trustworthiness, attention to detail, customer service skills and the ability to safeguard confidential information.

This is a full-time position with a starting pay rate of $21.50 - $23.50 depending upon qualifications. Benefits include: health, dental and disability insurance; paid time off; pension plan; and 13 paid holidays.

To apply, submit a cover letter & resume to Todd Odit, Town Manager: todit@hinesburg.org

A job description is located under “employment” at hinesburg.org. Applications will be accepted through February 17, 2023.

The Town of Hinesburg is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion in hiring to create a diverse workforce within the community.

Police Chief

Town of Richmond

The Town of Richmond, Vt. is seeking a progressive, community service minded Police Chief with a proven record of leadership to serve as its next police chief. The ability to foster a good community relationship between the residents and police personnel is essential. A successful candidate will continue and improve upon Richmond and the Richmond Police Department’s working commitment to racial equity, restorative justice, community mental health, harm reduction, and community-based initiatives to further our town’s vision of transparency, fairness, and public safety. The Chief will also be asked to participate in long-term strategic planning for the Police Department. The town of Richmond is excited to support a candidate who is committed to these efforts and values. The Police Chief oversees a department that is staffed by the Chief, and four full-time sworn officers.

Must have or be able to obtain within six months of date of hire, a Level 3 law enforcement certification from the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council. Applicant must pass a pre-employment background check.

The primary job function is to provide municipal police services for the Town of Richmond. This is a salaried Exempt position with primary duties being administrative but the selected candidate will be expected to also cover shifts as needed.

A select number of candidates will be invited by the Police Chief Search Committee to participate in several interviews made up of employees and community members.

The Town of Richmond offers a competitive benefits package. The minimum starting salary for the Police Chief is currently $75,506 but could be higher depending on experience.

More information including a job description, background statement, and outline of the hiring process can be found at www.richmondvt.gov/departments/job-listings

Qualified applicants should send a letter of interest & resume with three references to Josh Arneson, Town Manager, P.O. Box 285, 203 Bridge Street, Richmond, VT 05477 or via e-mail to jarneson@richmondvt.gov

Letter of interest and resumes with three references will be accepted until the end of the day on February 24, 2023

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Local Childcare Consultant (LCC)

Part-time, Montpellier community

HUMAN RESOURCES GENERALIST - City of South Burlington

As an HR Generalist for the City of South Burlington, you will experience working for the second largest city in Vermont, yet have the perfect combination of "small town feel" and making a true difference. This is a job where you can "remember your why"!

We are a two person HR Department, the HR Generalist and the HR Director make it happen. This integral position will provide support for all human resources functions, helping to ensure that human resources operations are carried out effectively and systems are implemented to provide the best processes and experience for applicants, employees, managers, and the community. Collaborate with the HR Director in developing human resources policies, practices and strategies and implementing the organization's mission, talent acquisition, benefits administration, training, workers compensation, and compliance measures.

To apply online visit our employment website at southburlingtonvt.gov/jobopportunities

Are you a passionate, social, and empathetic person interested in making a difference in the lives of young people from around the world? Become an LCC to enjoy:

• Independent contractor status

• Flexibility

• Professional development

• Travel and bonus potential

• A global network of colleagues and friends

To learn more, visit: culturalcare.com/LCC

Legal Assistant

Monaghan Safar PLLC, a Burlington law firm, has an immediate opening for a full-time legal assistant in an exciting and welcoming environment. Responsibilities include supporting the firm’s litigation attorneys in producing legal filings and correspondence, proofing documents, reception, and general office assistance. Competitive salary (starting range of $20-$23 per hour) and comprehensive benefits including health insurance, dental, vision, and 401(k). The ideal candidate has excellent computer, organizational and interpersonal skills. Interested persons please email a cover letter & resume to mcain@msdvt.com

Engaging minds that change the world

Seeking a position with a quality employer? Consider The University of Vermont, a stimulating and diverse workplace. We offer a comprehensive benefit package including tuition remission for on-going, full-time positions.

High Performance Computing Linux Systems Engineer - Systems Architecture & Admin - #S3905PO -

The University of Vermont (UVM) is looking for an experienced Linux systems administrator to help build state-of-the-art, high-performance computing (HPC) solutions of our researchers. The Vermont Advanced Computing Center’s (VACC) has three advanced clusters, with thousands of compute cores and a large-scale GPU cluster. We are planning the addition of a large-scale in-memory sharded database cluster.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in a STEM related field such as Computer Science plus four years of systems experience in a large-scale server environment. Four additional years of systems administration/engineering work experience can substitute for the degree requirement.

• Thorough knowledge of Linux operating systems, network architecture and Linux shell scripting.

• Effective customer service ethic, communication skills and collaborative teamwork required.

Any of the following qualifications would strengthen your candidacy:

• Experience with HPC technologies such as Slurm, parallel computing, MPI programming, and CUDA, Infiniband. Open OnDemand, Jupyter Notebook, Spack, clustered filesystems.

• Experience with MongoDB in a sharded architecture.

• Expertise with at least one systems programming language (C, Python, Perl, Rust, etc.).

We may hire at either a senior-level position or a mid-level position.

ETS Business Manager - Enterprise Technology Services - #S4097PO - Consider The University of Vermont, a stimulating and diverse workplace. We offer a comprehensive benefit package including tuition remission for on-going, full-time positions.

Consider applying your skills to make an impact in the University of Vermont’s Enterprise Technology Services division as we embark on a number of exciting, transformational projects. The division seeks a business manager to support and accelerate this work by providing administrative oversight and management of the business affairs of the division. As the ETS Business Manager, you’ll work directly with the Chief Information Officer and division leadership team, providing high-level analytical support in a wide range of areas. You’ll act as the conduit for all human resource activities and participate in all personnel action and budget discussions. You’ll lead administrative project management activities for the division, prioritizing and resolving complex issues and problems. You’ll draft correspondence and other documents ranging from the routine to the complex and complete research, data analysis and other projects in support of senior leadership.

Minimum Qualifications include a Bachelor’s degree and four years of experience working in a confidential, advisory capacity to senior level executive staffs. A background in personnel, finance and administrative functions is required. Also required are: effective organizational, project management, data analysis & documentation skills, and the ability to operate in a complex environment; the ability to multitask and prioritize workload; writing and research skills, with the ability to disseminate and communicate complex and sensitive subject matter; effective interpersonal skills with demonstrated ability to interact with diverse individuals and groups at all organizational levels; and the ability to maintain a high level of confidentiality.

UVM Bookstore Team Members - UVM Bookstore - #S4099PO & #S3536PO - The UVM Bookstore is looking for two new team members to assist in the smooth operation of Henderson’s Café on campus and Catamount Store in downtown Burlington. Candidates should possess excellent customer service skills, have a strong eye for detail, a minimum of a High School diploma and two years of relevant café or retail experience, and a commitment to diversity, sustainability, and fostering a collaborative multicultural environment. To learn more about the Bookstore, visit https://uvmbookstore.uvm.edu/

For further information on these positions and others currently available, or to apply online, please visit www.uvmjobs.com Applicants must apply for positions electronically. Paper resumes are not accepted. Open positions are updated daily. Please call 802-656-3150 or email employment@uvm.edu for technical support with the online application.

The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

DISABILITY LAW ATTORNEY

Vermont Legal Aid seeks a full-time Disability Law Attorney to work out of our Rutland office.

We encourage applicants from a broad range of backgrounds, and welcome information about how your experience can contribute to serving our diverse client communities. Applicants are encouraged to share in their cover letter how they can further our goals of social justice and individual rights. We are an equal opportunity employer committed to a discrimination-and-harassment-free workplace. Please see our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion: vtlegalaid.org/commitment-diversity-inclusion

Responsibilities include individual and systems advocacy in a variety of forums on behalf of persons with disabilities. Case work is primarily in the area of disability-based discrimination, special education, government benefit programs, guardianship, and other areas concerning individual rights.

Starting salary is $59,800+, with additional salary credit given for relevant prior work experience. Four weeks’ paid vacation and retirement, as well as excellent health benefits. Attorney applicants must be licensed to practice law in Vermont, eligible for admission by waiver, or planning to take the February Vermont or UBE bar exam. In-state travel in a personal vehicle required.

Application deadline is February 3, 2023. Your application should include a cover letter and resume, bar status, writing sample, and at least three professional references with contact information, sent as a single PDF. Send your application by e-mail to hiring@vtlegalaid.org with the subject line “DLP Staff Attorney January 2023.”

Please let us know how you heard about this position. See vtlegalaid.org/dlp-attorney-january-2023 for additional information and job description.

Vermont Compost Company in Montpelier is seeking an Office Manager and a Fulfillment Officer to join our team. A leading compost & potting soil producer of nearly 30 years, we provide a fun, dynamic and growing environment. Staff enjoy competitive wages and a full benefits package.

VERMONT FARM SHOW MANAGER

The Vermont Farm Show, Inc., invites interested parties to respond to its request for proposals for a Farm Show Manager. The Vermont Farm Show, Inc., a notfor-profit 501(c)(5) agricultural organization incorporated in the state of Vermont, is known for its signature event, the Vermont Farm Show, which provides agricultural organizations and agriculturalists of all kinds the opportunity to gather, conduct meetings, visit vendors, and promote the agricultural interests of the state. The Farm Show Manager is responsible for the overall planning, production & closeout of Farm Show.

For more information and to apply, visit vtfarmshow.com

ACCOUNTING SPECIALIST/BOOKKEEPER

KORE Solutions, a division of KORE Power and a leader in energy solutions, is growing! We have an immediate opening for an experienced Accounting Specialist/Bookkeeper at our Waterbury facility to join the finance department. Responsibilities include accounts payable, accounts receivable, preparing journal entries, analysis, account reconciliation, and assisting with audits & the monthly closing process. Our primary goal is to be a sustainable business that is helping to reduce the carbon footprint and therefore contributing to a better world for future generations to inherit. But equally important is our goal of creating a collaborative and progressive work environment - one where employees are dedicated to making the company successful and can do so without sacrificing family relationships or personal well-being.

At KORE, we offer our employees competitive wages and outstanding benefits in a casual but professional work environment. We are a growing company with a dedicated team supporting one another based on open communication and collaboration.

To apply, please send a cover letter and resume to koresolutionsjobs@korepower.com

OPERATIONS SUPPORT

True North Wilderness Program is seeking Operations Support people. The ideal candidate is an adaptable team player with a positive attitude who is willing to work both indoors and outdoors performing a variety of tasks associated with the logistics of running our program. Tasks including food packing and rationing, gear outfitting, transportation and facilities maintenance. Candidates must be willing to work weekends and occasional evenings.

A clean and valid driver’s license is required.

Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits offered. Benefits include health, dental, vision and accident insurance, an employee assistance program, a Wellness Fund, student loan repayment reimbursement, and a SIMPLE IRA.

Please apply at: truenorthwilderness.com

Assistant Director of Philanthropic Engagement, UVM Cancer Center

Support our mission to reduce the burden of cancer in Vermont, northeastern New York, and across northern New England.

Working in collaboration with the Cancer Center’s Executive Director of Philanthropy, the Assistant Director of Philanthropic Engagement will develop and implement donor-centered programs that increase support for the Cancer Center by engaging patients, family, donors, and community members. They will also work to identify and cultivate individual donors at the leadership annual giving level. We are looking for candidates who have a deep desire and ability to communicate with others, exceptional people skills, and excellent analytical skills. Experience in community engagement and fundraising is preferred.

Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and Coordinator of Executive Operations

We’re seeking a high-performing, detail-oriented, and self-motivated professional to serve as the Executive Assistant to the President & CEO and Coordinator of Executive Operations. In support of the Foundation’s mission, this individual will provide a diverse range of coordination and administrative support to advance the objectives of the President & CEO and the Executive Operations unit.

This position requires outstanding organizational, problem-solving, and decision-making skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple ongoing tasks. The ideal candidate will have a demonstrated ability to foster positive relationships with colleagues, and a clear understanding of what it means to support organizational leaders to help them achieve institutional objectives.

Please visit our website for complete position descriptions and application instructions: UVMFoundation.org/Careers

ABOUT THE UVM FOUNDATION: The mission of the UVM Foundation is to secure and manage private support for the benefit of the University of Vermont. Our Vision is to foster relationships with alumni and donors that maximize their personal and philanthropic investment in the University, toward the realization of the University's aspiration to remain among the nation's premier small research institutions. The UVM Foundation is committed to diversity and building an inclusive environment for people of all backgrounds and ages. We especially encourage members of traditionally underrepresented communities to apply, including women, people of color, LGBTQ people, and people with disabilities. The UVM Foundation has established a hybrid work policy that allows for a combination of on- and off-site work.

CHITTENDEN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT

Maintenance Operator

CSWD’s Maintenance Department supports operations through maintenance and transporting materials. This position does a variety of tasks including basic electrical and plumbing skills, painting, sandblasting equipment, mowing, plowing, and basic vehicle maintenance. A minimum of two years general maintenance experience and the ability to drive a roll-off truck required. Competitive salary and excellent benefit package.

CSWD Drop-Off Center Operator – Saturday position

CSWD is seeking a highly motivated individual to work at various busy Drop-Off Centers on Saturdays, 7:45am3:45pm. Must enjoy interacting with the public, must have the ability to operate a point-of-sale system (training provided) and be able to keep calm under pressure. Moderate to strenuous physical effort is required as is the ability to work outdoors year-round. Customer service experience a plus. Self-starters and those with a passion for recycling, composting, and waste reduction are strongly encouraged to apply. $17.89 per hour.

CSWD Drop-Off Center Operator – On-call position

CSWD is seeking highly motivated individuals to work at our busy Drop-Off Centers on an on-call basis. Our six Drop-Off Centers throughout the county span a variety of weekly schedules, all of which occur within a Monday through Saturday timeframe. The position can be flexible around applicants’ weekly availability. Those interested must enjoy interacting with the public, must be able to operate a point-of-sale system (training provided), and must be able to keep calm under pressure. Moderate to strenuous physical effort is required, as is the ability to work outdoors year-round. Customer service experience is a plus. Self-starters and those with a passion for recycling, composting, and waste reduction are strongly encouraged to apply. $17.89/hour.

For more information on these positions and CSWD, visit cswd.net/about-cswd/. Submit application or resume to Amy Jewell: ajewell@cswd.net. These positions are open until filled.

DISPATCH SWITCHBOARD OPERATOR FULL-TIME

The Public Safety/Fire & Rescue Departments at Saint Michael’s College are inviting applications for a Full-Time Dispatch Switchboard Operator to dispatch radio calls and operate the College switchboard. The successful candidate will be responsible for answering all incoming calls and directing calls to the appropriate party quickly, accurately, and professionally. This role receives all emergency calls for SMC campus and the surrounding community. Dispatch, switchboard, emergency services experience desirable, but we will provide training for a motivated and dependable person with demonstrated aptitude. This position will work 40 hours a week in 8 hour shifts, with a focus on evening shifts, but with the flexibility to work regular hours, as well as weekend and holiday times.

For a complete job description, benefits information, and to apply online, please visit: bit.ly/SMCFTDSO

PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER FULL-TIME

Are you looking to make a difference in people’s lives? The Department of Public Safety at Saint Michael’s College is inviting applications for a full-time Public Safety Officer from those looking to enhance their skills. This position requires the flexibility to problemsolve in a wide range of situations, both demanding and rewarding. A successful candidate will possess the ability to work effectively in a college environment seeking a balance between education and enforcement. Benefits include health, dental, vision, employerpaid life and disability insurance, voluntary life, critical illness and accident insurance options, parental leave, flexible spending accounts (healthcare and dependent care), 401(k), generous paid time off, paid holidays, employee and dependent tuition benefits, employee and family assistance program, well-being programs and opportunities, discounted gym membership, paid volunteer time, use of the athletic facilities and the library, and countless opportunities to attend presentations, lectures, and other campus activities.

For a complete job description, benefits information, and to apply online, please visit: bit.ly/SMCFTPSOD22

PUBLIC SAFETY OFFICER PART-TIME

The Department of Public Safety at Saint Michael’s College is inviting applications for a part-time Public Safety Officer. This position requires the ability to deal with a wide range of individuals, often in stressful or emergency situations. A successful candidate will demonstrate the ability to work effectively in a college environment seeking a balance between education and enforcement in performing duties. Maintaining a safe campus includes the performance of routine services, response to incidents and emergencies, and completing necessary documentation and follow-up. The schedule is rotating and includes nights, weekends, and holidays. This position will require regular work hours, as well as evening, weekend, and holiday times.

For a complete job description, benefits information, and to apply online, please visit: bit.ly/SMCPTPSO

BURLINGTON HOUSING AUTHORITY (BHA), located in Burlington, VT, is seeking candidates to continue BHA’s success in promoting innovative solutions that address housing instability challenges facing our diverse population of extremely low-income families and individuals. Join us and make a difference in our community!

RAPID REHOUSING SPECIALIST provides assistance to community members who are without housing and have barriers to locating and securing housing in the community. This grant funded position works closely with our Rental Assistance department and Chittenden County Coordinated Entry and is a part of a skilled team that focuses on assessment, intervention, and service coordination of at-risk households.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Responds to referrals from Coordinated Entry to assess need for housing search services and level of support needed to secure housing

• Provides direct retention services which may include home visits, supportive counseling, making referrals on behalf of household, accompanying member(s) of household to appointments, providing/coordinating transportation when needed, coordinating services which may benefit the household, and work to stabilize the housing as necessary

• Coordinates services which are beyond scope of housing search and makes appropriate referrals back to housing retention team or other agencies when necessary

• Supports households in meeting with landlords and attending showings in BHA’s service area

• Support the household’s awareness of resources, increase overall resiliency, and promote stability and proactivity over crisis management

• Collects and maintains required data and case notes in centralized database MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree required in human services or related field. Previous experience in direct service and advocacy preferred. Exhibits effective verbal and written communication skills. Knowledge of the social services network is preferred. Proficiency with Microsoft Office and internet navigation required. Excellent time-management skills and the ability to work independently are required. To learn more about our organization, please visit: burlingtonhousing.org.

BHA serves a diverse population of tenants and partners with a variety of community agencies. To most effectively carry out our vision of delivering safe and affordable housing to all, we are committed to cultivating a staff that reflects varied lived experiences, viewpoints, and educational histories. Therefore, we strongly encourage candidates from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women to apply. Multilingualism is a plus!

BHA offers a competitive salary, commensurate with qualifications and experience. We offer a premium benefit package at a low cost to employees. Benefits include medical insurance with a health reimbursement account, dental, vision, short and long term disability, 10% employer funded retirement plan, 457 retirement plan, accident insurance, life insurance, cancer and critical illness insurance and access to reduced cost continuing education. We also offer a generous time off policy including paid time off, sick, and 13 paid holidays. And sign on bonus of up to $2,000.

If interested, please submit your resume and cover letter to:

HUMANRESOURCES@BURLINGTONHOUSING.ORG

BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Now hear this!

Seven Days is recording select stories from the weekly newspaper for your listening pleasure.

Towns Across Vermont Are Beginning to Regulate Short-Term Rentals 9 MINS.

Some Lawmakers Say Vermont Should Consider a Milk-Price Premium to Help Struggling Dairy Farmers 12 MINS.

Vermont’s Childcare System Isn’t Working for Providers or Parents. They Hope Help Is on the Way. 28 MINS.

A Call-Taker Advises the Anxious During a Shift on Vermont's Suicide-Prevention Hotline 16 MINS.

A Soccer Fan Tries to Enjoy a World Cup With Blood on Its Hands 10 MINS.

A Burlington Chef with Abenaki Heritage Makes His Own Harvest Meal 12 MINS.

Life Stories: Musician Pete Sutherland Was a ‘Unifying Force’ 15 MINS.

Book Review: ‘The New Power Elite,’ Heather Gautney 11 MINS.

How Family-Owned Vermont Rail System Became the Little Economic Engine That Could 33 MINS.

How does it work?

Go to sevendaysvt.com/aloud and click on the article you want to hear.

When the article loads, scroll down past the first photo and find the prompt to “Hear this article read aloud.”

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WITH A BUDDY WHILE YOU WORK

fun stuff

CALCOKU & SUDOKU (P.69) CROSSWORD (P.69)

JEN SORENSEN

HARRY BLISS

AQUARIUS

(JAN.

20-FEB. 18)

“I want to raise up the magic world all round me and live strongly and quietly there,” wrote Aquarian author Virginia Woolf in her diary. What do you think she meant by “raise up the magic world all round me”? More importantly, how would you raise up the magic world around you? Meditate fiercely and generously on that tantalizing project. The coming weeks will be an ideal time to attend to such a wondrous possibility. You now have extra power to conjure up healing, protection, inspiration and mojo for yourself.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): Theoretically, you could offer to help a person who doesn’t like you. You could bring a gourmet vegan meal to a meat eater or pay a compliment to a bigot. I suppose you could even sing beautiful love songs to annoyed passersby or recite passages from great literature to an 8-yearold immersed in his video game. But there are better ways to express your talents and dispense your gifts — especially now, when it’s crucial for your long-term mental health that you offer your blessings to recipients who will use them best and appreciate them most.

the people who videos during 2022 updates on their lives. At the year, Eva made decluttering her own getting organized. She went and shares before-and-after photos of the process.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): In esoteric astrology, Taurus rules the third eye. Poetically speaking, this is a subtle organ of perception, a sixth sense that sees through mere appearances and discerns the secret or hidden nature of things. Some people are surprised to learn about this theory. Doesn’t traditional astrology say that you Bulls are sober and well grounded? Here’s the bigger view: The penetrating vision of an evolved Taurus is potent because it peels away superficial truths and uncovers deeper truths. Would you like to tap into more of this potential superpower? The coming weeks will be a good time to do so.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): The ingredient you would need to fulfill the next stage of a fun dream is behind door No. 1. Behind door No. 2 is a vision of a creative twist you could do but haven’t managed yet. Behind door No. 3 is a clue that might help you achieve more disciplined freedom than you’ve known before. Do you think I’m exaggerating? I’m not. Here’s the catch: You may be able to open only one door before the magic spell wears off — unless you enlist the services of a consultant, ally, witch or guardian angel to help you bargain with fate to provide even more of the luck that may be available.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): I trust you are mostly ready for the educational adventures and experiments that are possible. The uncertainties that accompany them, whether real or imagined, will bring out the best in you. For optimal results, you should apply your nighttime thinking to daytime activities and vice versa. Wiggle free of responsibilities unless they teach you noble truths. And finally, summon the intuitive powers that will sustain you and guide you through the brilliant shadow initiations. (PS: Take the wildest rides you dare as long as they are safe.)

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Fate has decreed, “Leos must be wanderers for a while.” You are under no obligation to obey this mandate, of course. Theoretically, you could resist it. But if you do indeed rebel, be sure your willpower is very strong. You will get away with outsmarting or revising fate only if your discipline is fierce and your determination is intense. OK? So, let’s imagine that you will indeed bend

Eva Sollberger’s

fate’s decree to suit your needs. What would that look like? Here’s one possibility: The “wandering” you undertake can be done in the name of focused exploration rather than aimless meandering.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): I wish I could help you understand and manage a situation that has confused you. I’d love to bolster your strength to deal with substitutes that have been dissipating your commitment to the Real Things. In a perfect world, I could emancipate you from yearnings that are out of sync with your highest good. And maybe I’d be able to teach you to dissolve a habit that has weakened your willpower. And why can’t I be of full service to you in these ways? Because, according to my assessment, you have not completely acknowledged your need for this help. So neither I nor anyone else can provide it. But now that you’ve read this horoscope, I’m hoping you will make yourself more receptive to the necessary support and favors and relief.

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): I can’t definitively predict that you will receive an influx of cash in the next three weeks. It’s possible, though. And I’m not able to guarantee that you’ll be the beneficiary of free lunches and unexpected gifts. But who knows? They could very well appear. Torrents of praise and appreciation may flow, too, though trickles are more likely. And there is a small chance of solicitous gestures coming your way from sexy angels and cute maestros. What I can promise you for sure, however, are fresh eruptions of savvy in your brain and sagacity in your heart. Here’s your keynote, as expressed by the Queen of Sheba 700 years ago: “Wisdom is sweeter than honey, brings more joy than wine, illumines more than the sun, is more precious than jewels.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Your assignment, Scorpio, is to cultivate a closer relationship with the cells that comprise your body. They are alive! Speak to them as you would to a beloved child or animal. In your meditations and fantasies, bless them with tender wishes. Let them know how grateful you are for the grand collaboration you have going and affectionately urge them to do what’s best for all concerned. For you Scorpios, February is Love and Care for Your Inner Creatures Month.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Revamped and refurbished things are coming back for another look. Retreads and redemption seekers are headed in your direction. I think you should consider giving them an audience. They are likely to be more fun or interesting or useful during their second time around. Dear Sagittarius, I suspect that the imminent future may also invite you to consider the possibility of accepting stand-ins and substitutes and imitators. They may turn out to be better than the so-called real things they replace. In conclusion, be receptive to plan Bs, second choices and alternate routes. They could lead you to the exact opportunities you didn’t know you needed.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Neil Gaiman declared, “I’ve never known anyone who was what he or she seemed.” While that may be generally accurate, it will be far less true about you Capricorns in the coming weeks. By my astrological reckoning, you will be very close to what you seem to be. The harmony between your deep inner self and your outer persona will be at record-breaking levels. No one will have to wonder if they must be wary of hidden agendas lurking below your surface. Everyone can be confident that what they see in you is what they will get from you. This is an amazing accomplishment! Congrats!

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): Before going to sleep, I asked my subconscious mind to bring a dream that would be helpful for you. Here’s what it gave me: In my dream, I was reading a comic book titled Zoe Stardust Quells Her Demon. On the first page, Zoe was facing a purple monster whose body was beastly but whose face looked a bit like hers. On page two, the monster chased Zoe down the street, but Zoe escaped. In the third scene, the monster was alone, licking its fur. In the fourth scene, Zoe sneaked up behind the monster and shot it with a blow dart that delivered a sedative, knocking it unconscious. In the final panel, Zoe had arranged for the monster to be transported to a lush uninhabited island where it could enjoy its life without bothering her. Now here’s my dream interpretation, Pisces: Don’t directly confront your inner foe or nagging demon. Approach stealthily and render it inert. Then banish it from your sphere, preferably forever.

supported by:

Who do you call to help deal with a feral cat colony?

Miche Faust of Queen City Cats: In the past year, she's rescued 90 stray, lost or feral felines and rehomed 61 of them. Colchester resident Linda Hill brought Faust in to help with feral cats in her neighborhood. Eva dropped by to watch Faust put out traps to catch them.

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

WOMEN seeking...

HAPPILY MARRIED, HAVING SOME FUN

I’m just looking for low-drama physical fun, and my husband is delighted to watch, participate or just know that I’m out having a good time. The_Lemon_ Song, 41, seeking: M, TM, Q, NC, NBP, l

FIRST, LET’S TALK

A devoted VPR listener. Love gardening, almost all music, museums, movies, theater, flea markets, trips to nowhere and travel. I don’t need someone to “complete” me or support me, just someone to talk to, hold hands, share adventures. I am short and round — not sloppy fat, but definitely plump. I love to laugh and sing, preferably with others — hence this endeavor.

ZanninVT 73, seeking: M, l

EYE-TO-EYE IN ALL

Love to cook, garden, travel, write, photograph, cross-country ski, hike, bike, watch movies, read, walk my dogs. Wish to share all that with a kind, grounded, warm and self-reflective man who can communicate — key to a strong relationship. I’m still working part time in private practice. I’m looking for a healthy, long-term, monogamous relationship. RumiLove, 73, seeking: M, l

RIDING THE ROLLER COASTER OF LIFE

Kind and caring, crazy busy, lonely when I have downtime. Looking for a likeminded person to spend that downtime with. moomail, 49 seeking: M, l

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W = Women

M = Men

TW = Trans women

TM = Trans men

Q = Genderqueer people

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FIRST-TIMER HERE

I am outgoing, inquisitive and independent. I am a lover of good conversation, good drinks and long walks on the beach. Laughter is a priority. My humor is some mix of nerdy and sarcastic. I enjoy downtime at home but also have a healthy sense of adventure that extends to my interests in food, travel and the outdoors. PrincessDi, 44, seeking: M, l

FUN, FUNNY AND FIT

Attractive, athletic woman interested in casual dating/connections. Kids are getting older, and work is winding down. Looking for new adventures. Love to travel, see new places, experience new things. Never bored or boring. I enjoy music, dancing, yoga, weight lifting and soccer. Not a fan of drama. If you are healthy, fit, nice, funny and easy on the eyes, reach out. Yolo50, 50, seeking: M

HAPPY WOMAN SEEKS HAPPY MAN

I’m a healthy, active, educated and curious woman. I currently live in a rural area of Vermont with my dogs, chickens and plenty of woods, where I am a town official. I work a little to supplement my pension. I enjoy travel, home projects, caring for my pets, enjoying friends and family. I love the beauty and challenges in Vermont. Happiness1, 66, seeking: M, l

HONEST, RESPECTFUL, PLANNER, CARING, THOUGHTFUL

I am a worker, a giver of my time, sincere, honest. I hide nothing. Very up-front and open. I like going places, traveling, beaches. I haven’t biked in a couple of years but enjoy biking. I like to eat healthy, but everything in moderation. I get tired of just staying at home! Give me an email. Would like to email/message. Respect2020 47 seeking: M, l

FUN, KIND AND LOVING

Recently I relocated to Vermont and am looking for someone to enjoy Vermont life with. I’ve been divorced/single long enough to know myself and enjoy my own company. I would like to be in a longterm, healthy, monogamous relationship. So let’s be friends first and see where it goes! CoachKaty7, 53 seeking: M, l

RELAXED AND HAPPY

I would love to meet a kind and gentle man for companionship, friendship and long-term relationship. I live a pretty quiet and simple life, though would love to share time with a kind kindred spirit. I would love to meet someone who is easygoing, enjoys the outdoors, loves dogs and has a big, tender heart.

angelight333 76, seeking: M, l

ARTSY NATURE LOVER

Looking for a man who loves Vermont, is grounded and enjoys meaningful conversations. Youthful, educated, community-minded, endlessly curious, I love to dance, make music, watch indie and foreign films, attend live performances of all kinds, and laugh with friends. I’m in the woods daily to walk the dog, hike, snowshoe, ski, meditate. You?

NEKdancerdrummer 61, seeking: M, l

MONTRÉAL WIFE IN OPEN RELATIONSHIP

Longtime married, very attractive, in open relationship. Desire playmate in Burlington area. I like confident, experienced, athletic, smart, welleducated, charming men. I am not looking to develop a relationship. Would like a regular playmate who is very discreet. My wonderful husband may be around for first meet, so need to be comfortable with that. He does not participate. MontrealWife, 54, seeking: M, l

I NEED LOVE

I am proud of myself, honestly. I treat others the way I want to be treated, and I need a man who is going to love me and give me joy. elizabethlove, 28, seeking: M, l

MELLOW, CREATIVE OLD HIPPIE I love myself. Happy with my own company and in a crowd of people. I have many good friends and hobbies. The last time I remember being bored, I was 9! I consider it a really good day when I have learned something new and had a good laugh. Full-blown Libran. Prefer cultured, educated company. Versatility is a must. Zenbabe 61, seeking: M, l

INTUITIVE, CARING, LOVE BEING OUTSIDE

I am a passionate, fit, caring, downto-earth woman looking to share adventures. I love to be active — hiking, skiing, running, yoga. I love to travel, as I am fascinated by the different ways people live their lives. I hope to have honest, interesting, authentic conversations where we really get to know each other. Let’s meet for coffee or a drink! lovemountains, 57, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

LOW-KEY, QUIET, SHY GUY

Endless cloudy days are getting me a bit down. I hope to meet somebody who could likewise use some companionship, romantic or not, to help spark some new light, energy, excitement. Ideally you love getting outside in nature, are easygoing, open-hearted and -minded. I’m willing to get out of my comfort zone or happy to kick back with a movie. Let’s give it a try. EatRideSleep, 46, seeking: W, l

RELAXED, ACTIVE BACKWOODS GENTLEMAN

I like to hike, bike, canoe, cross-country ski, etc. I meditate, do yoga, hunt and fish. I enjoy the backwoods. I’ve got a couple young kids. We float down the mighty Winooski and go skating in Montréal. Looking for a lady with a good laugh who is comfortable with herself. Let’s meet for tea or coffee. canoeman 57, seeking: W, l

LOOKING FOR A FRIEND

I would like to find a female friend. I would like to make her dinner. If she hikes, that would fine. I hope she enjoys movies and going out for a drink. alphaboy50 52 seeking: W

MAINER LOVES BURLINGTON

I live in a gorgeous section of Maine, but I would like having someone with whom to explore Burlington. I can reciprocate, offering hospitality here if we click. First filter: being articulate and interested in others. Second, a sense of humor. Just had a major life loss. Don’t know my direction yet, but I do crave a lady’s companionship again. rumavephil 70, seeking: W, l

KIND, AUTHENTIC LOVER OF LIFE!

I am looking for a partner who has done the work required to be in a healthy and loving relationship. I now know what I want and what I don’t in my next relationship. I am a blast to hang out with. I am positive, fit, energetic, authentic, romantic, loving! I am looking for someone with similar attributes! Unexpecteddeviant 50, seeking: W, l

FRIENDLY, CARING, SILLY, ACTIVE I love running, camping, music and animals. I’m passionate about exploring the outdoors, vegetarian cooking and building community. Interested in making friends or going on a date. veggielover9, 23, seeking: W, l

INTUITIVE, MUSICIAN, GARDENER

Lifetime lover of ice hockey. I love all the creatures of the Earth, but cats especially. Seeking someone who is kind and healthy. Guitarboy 63, seeking: W, l

HEART AND SOUL CONNECTION

I am a professional in private practice for many years who also loves music (listening and performing) and spiritual growth. I am looking for someone who is warm, is self-reflective, has a passion for life and has her own interests that are important to her. Someone who wants to know me and wants to be known. 1992 70, seeking: W, l

WILL YOU HELP SHOVEL SNOW?

Just joking. Because of global warming, there’s probably not going to be a whole lot more snow. However, I am looking for honesty, communication, integrity, good times and a woman willing to put forth the effort. TV addicts need not apply. dswlino 67 seeking: W, l

ACTIVE SENIOR

Meet in person. Face-to-face and eye-to-eye will tell more than words on a questionnaire online. Grampie, 75 seeking: W, l

OLD-FASHIONED MALE FEMALE

Looking for a women who enjoys honesty, hiking, cooking together, weekend travel, gardening, snowshoeing, skinny-dipping, voting, Saturday night movies, dressing up or dressing down or undressing, enjoying sunsets or rises, full moons, natural hiking, motorcycle travel, holding hands, 420, older rock and roll. Still crazy for fun. Stillkrazy60, 61, seeking: W, l

GENTLEMAN PREFERS

BLONDES AND BRUNETTES

Old-school guy who seeks soul mate and partner in crime for next chapter. Fun, funny and family-oriented. Love the great outdoors, the arts and a farm-to-table foodie. Not in a huge rush to settle down. Be great to make a couple of female friends with common interests. George_2, 58, seeking: W

EASYGOING AND OPEN-MINDED

74 y/o but still in good shape. Still have hair and can see my toes. Run four miles a day, play pickleball, hike, ski and generally enjoy the outdoors. Avid reader, enjoy a wide range of subjects. Spent the last nine years providing at-home care for my wife, who suffered a debilitating stroke. Kyia341 74, seeking: W, l

CASUAL AND QUALITY

New to town, work a lot and looking for some casual fun. I’m real easygoing and easy on the eyes. Well hung and love using it. Saintj 41, seeking: W, Cp, Gp

WHAT YOU GOT TO LOSE?

I had this totally honest extemp ad that ran for over a month and got zero response! So, what to do? Make something up?! But I can’t just lie. Someone needs to tell me who their ideal mensch would be, and I’ll be that person for as long as I can stand it. Hey, what you got to lose? Stilgar, 71 seeking: W, l

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking...

BOOKISH, CONSCIOUSNESS SEEKING, LIFELONG STUDENT

I am old in chronology, full of childish wonder. I don’t use alcohol or cannabis. Sobriety is the greatest high of all. I am recently divorced, which is the source of great sorrow and pain for me, something I never wanted. My interests include, though not exclusively, classical music, opera, visual arts, literature and, of course, psychoanalysis. Petal269, 78, seeking: W, l

REALIST WHO IS OPEN-MINDED

I’m an honest, down-to-earth person who has been through a lot in life and is looking for companionship since I’m new to the area. I’m not like most people in that I feel people are afraid to talk to me. I don’t go out of my way to make friends. I wait for them to come to me. BreBri2022 37 seeking: M, W, Cp

COUPLES seeking...

LOOKING FOR COUPLE

Mature male 58-y/o and female 55-y/o. Happily married couple looking for our first time exploring our sexual fantasies by adding a male, female and/or couple for our sexual exploration. If you are not comfortable with a BBW plus-size woman or a man with extra padding, then please move on. 2Exploring, 55, seeking: M, W, Cp SNOW AND SUN EQUAL FUN

Borders and boundaries are sexy. We’re pretty cute. We like to have fun, and we bet you do, too. Happily married couple (W, 35; M, 45), open-minded and looking to explore. Love playing outdoors. Looking to meet a couple, man or woman for fun and adventure. Ideal meetup is a cottage in the mountains with great food and lots of great wine.

SnownSun 46 seeking: Cp, l

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 42 seeking: M, W, Q, Cp

I’M YOUR PERSON

Welcome, everyone. Looking for some good people. Love to make some new friends. Looking for the right woman to share my fantasies with.

Lovetohavefunnn 41, seeking: W, l

LOOKING FOR OUR MAN!

Ideally hoping for a throuple/FWB situation. Us: established M/F couple. DD-free. (She: 44, straight BBW; he: 46, bi MWM). Drinks, 420-friendly, fires, get outside, music, Netflix and chill, always horny. You: DD-free, clean, masculine bi male (30ish to 50ish) who works and knows how to enjoy life! A little rough/hard (top, real man, etc.) with a compassionate heart and a bit of a snuggler. Connection is key. Let’s chat and get to know each other, then play! ginganddaddy 46, seeking: M

BRIGHT-EYED, ENERGETIC SUNFLOWER

You give me the goosebumps. Your eyes are light like water, but your mind is strong and driven — like a freight train. I can’t see myself anywhere else but with you. Why don’t we share some red grenadine? Down by the black, muddy river, perhaps. I hope you see me here, and I hope you see me today. When: Saturday, January 28, 2023. Where: close by, but I’d love to say “in my arms.” You: Woman. Me: Man. #915702

CROSS-COUNTRY SKIER

IN HUBBARD PARK

We crossed paths while skiing and chatted for a bit while I was waiting for my friend to catch up to me. I enjoyed talking with you! Care to meet up for a ski together? When: Friday, January 27, 2023. Where: Hubbard Park.

You: Man. Me: Woman. #915701

DENNY’S BEAUTY

You were our server this morning and told me to eat a pancake bite for you. When I offered you one, you said you couldn’t because you’re watching your figure. You don’t need to. I tipped you personally before I left. Would love to hear from you! When: Wednesday, January 25, 2023. Where: Denny’s, South Burlington.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915700

TRADER JOE’S CASHIER QUEER

You: working at Trader Joe’s, shaggy haircut with brown, blond and purple. Me: buying almond butter, pink hair, wearing post-dance class sweats. You rang up my groceries and asked about my pink dye. I tried to play it cool, but when you said I had a nice laugh, I couldn’t meet your eye. Let’s bleach each other’s hair sometime? When: Tuesday, January 24, 2023. Where: Trader Joe’s. You: Genderqueer. Me: Woman. #915698

BELLA’S BARTOK

AT ZENBARN

You wore a jean jacket. I wore a derby and the eye. We chatted after the show around the fire, and on our way to leave you told me your name. I regret not giving you my phone number. I’d love to reconnect sometime.

When: ursday, December 29, 2022. Where: Zenbarn, Waterbury. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915697

A COURAGEOUS WOMEN

I spy a beautiful lady with a terrible partner. I didn’t ask for help; we stopped talking. My heart is broken, but I’m proud of you for leaving a relationship you weren’t happy in. I wish I communicated my pain with you. Could we try counseling? I’m so sorry for the pain I caused you! I threw it all away! When: Friday, January 20, 2023. Where: our home. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915696

COSTCO TEDDY BEAR

I think you’re adorable, and I wish I had said something! We only got to smile twice but made eye contact several times. Put on your blinker to turn right! If this is you, please reply. I am a 5’4 woman, black beanie and black jacket. You are my type of man. Gray hair, blue jeans. Noon. When: Sunday, January 22, 2023. Where: Costco, Colchester. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915695

BLUE EYES AND BEANIE

Cutie I met in the bathroom. You followed me and my friends to the next bar. I hesitated in the kitchen and deeply regret it. Meet me back at Ruggs for tequila and Fernet on me? When: Tuesday, December 27, 2022. Where: T. Rugg’s. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915693

REVEREND Ask

De Rev end,

I’m an old man looking for a lady to share life and love. Recently, I have shared consecutive crushes on two much younger ladies. Both crushes mutually faded. My parents had a three-year age difference. Some friends say a 10-year difference is all right. Given the circumstances, 20 to 30 years seems more realistic. Where do I go from here? Should I just be open-minded about age? I would like to know your advice, please.

Old Man (MAN, 71)

MATHEW ON HINGE

Hey, Mathew, we had been talking and were going to meet up soon. I didn’t disappear — I can’t access my account! Reach me through here?! Cheers! When: Wednesday, January 11, 2023. Where: online. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915694

BEST-DRESSED WOMAN AT TRADER JOE’S

You: black nylons, black miniskirt, white faux fox, raven black hair, dog-bone barrettes, goth willowy beauty. Me: starstruck professor. I said you win the award for best dressed at Trader Joe’s, and we laughed. In a word: stunning. Another word: ravenous. I will exhaust the thesaurus with you. Let’s get a drink. We will discuss your wardrobe. When: Tuesday, January 17, 2023. Where: Trader Joe’s. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915692

NORTH CAROLINA TO NORTH COUNTRY

I ran into you on South Union Street, and you commented on my North Carolina plates. It was so nice meeting you! I thought you were so friendly! I wished I would’ve asked you for your number at the time, but I was too shy. Would you like to get coffee sometime? When: Monday, January 9, 2023. Where: South Union. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915691

RE: I WISH...

He left that phone dangling off the hook / en slowly turned around and gave it one last look / en he just walked away. / He aimed his truck toward that Wyoming line / With a little luck he could still get there in time / And in that Cheyenne wind he could still hear her... When: Monday, January 9, 2023. Where: on the road. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915690

PRESTON POND TRAIL BEFORE SUNSET

You: hiking a race against the sunset with your dog, some kind of husky mix? You have beautiful blue eyes. Me: wearing a yellow coat and pink neck warmer, hiking with my grumpy dog. Yours wouldn’t come when you called, so I just picked mine up to avoid the encounter. I’d love to look into those eyes again. When: Sunday, January 8, 2023. Where: Preston Pond Trail. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915689

De Old Man,

MARGARITA CUTIE AT OLIVE GARDEN

I was eating lunch and playing the trivia game. You walked up and ordered a margarita and joined in on my game and had a good convo. Wanted to give you my number but missed my chance. Trivia night sometime? You said your name is Hannah. When: ursday, December 29, 2022. Where: Olive Garden. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915688

MUBIKSSKI, I’D LIKE TO CHAT

I enjoyed reading your profile and would really like to connect with you. I haven’t used Seven Days for a long time, so my profile has been deleted. So I thought I’d try this. Take a chance on connecting with this 57-year-old artsy, even-keeled and also eclectic BTV gal. When: Friday, January 6, 2023. Where: Seven Days Personals. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915687

TARA FROM MATCH.COM

One day I saw your profile. Meditation was important to you. I went on a trip intending to respond when I returned, but by then you were gone. I just consulted the tarot and drew the Two of Cups. Could that be us? When: Monday, December 12, 2022. Where: match. com. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915686

HIGHER GROUND

NYE MISSED OPPORTUNITY

You: cute guy with a killer smile and sharp button-up by the side bar at Dead Set NYE. You said you’d get me a drink after the set break. Me: decked out in a glitter shirt and glow ears. Secondguessed myself but totally interested. Buy me that drink? When: Saturday, December 31, 2022. Where: Higher Ground. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915684

NEWPORT NATURALS NATURAL BEAUTY

Saw you at NNM on a crisp December afternoon. You were wearing a pink sweater and purchasing mac and cheese. In hindsight, I should have diverted you from the checkout line to restore our connection. If you see this, I would love to take you out into the community. Let’s be social together; otherwise it would be an injustice. When: Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Where: Newport. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915682

Got the hots for a 100-year-old woman? To each their own!

Just kidding. I know that you mean you’d like to pursue a woman 20 to 30 years your junior. But I bet when you think about it in the other direction, it seems a little ridiculous, no? at’s a very large age gap for a successful relationship.

A 2017 Australian study found that couples with an age difference of one to three years were the most common and had the greatest levels of satisfaction. at satisfaction decreased slightly with an age gap of four to six years and continued to decrease with an age difference of seven or more years.

As far as I am aware, there is no set-in-stone rule about this sort of thing. As long as the people involved are consenting adults and

OIL CHANGE CUTIE

I’d like the chance to continue the conversation. Seems bizarre to think this will work, but you were beyond cute, so maybe the universe could give me another chance. When: Saturday, December 31, 2022. Where: Oil n Go. You: Man. Me: Man. #915683

CUTE BLONDE AT THE AIRPORT

Seeing you made my 5 a.m. flight that much better! We locked eyes at precheck while I was talking with friends. You: dark sweatshirt, green leggings, a gorgeous face and beautiful blond hair. I was wearing a funky cardigan and an orange hat. Coffee when you’re back in town? When: Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Where: BTV airport.

You: Woman. Me: Man. #915681

I SEE WOMEN IN TOWN

I recall what they were wearing, mostly their boots. I’m wondering, are they tomboys like me? I also notice their eyes. I turn around to look at them, as well. Mostly I see them walking or hiking. I notice their kindness and a willingness to engage in a conversations. Being a Buddhist, kindness is important. When: Wednesday, August 10, 2022. Where: Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915680

BUFFALO MOUNTAIN

MARKET CUTIE

We walked from separate sides of the parking lot but met up at the door. You held it open for me, and it made my day. Sometimes it’s just those simple gestures and moments in time. Your gentle eyes and sweet face were exactly what I needed. Happy Winter Solstice. When: Tuesday, December 13, 2022. Where: Hardwick. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915679

DID ALEX GET FRENCH FRIES?

Has it been nine years since we grabbed coffee and talked chi running? is southern gentleman is so glad you squeezed my hand before I got out of your tiny car. A steamy hallway, secret swimming hole detour, three little ones, and many laughs later, it’s still the sweetest thing. Love you. When: Saturday, December 10, 2022. Where: downtown. You: Man. Me: Man. #915678

they’re happy, who cares? But there are some details you should take into consideration.

It’s one thing to have a crush on someone much younger, but it’s a whole other can o’ beans to be in a real relationship with her. Having two or three decades between you means that you’ll have vastly different life experiences — and even day-to-day existences, if only one of you is retired or has grandchildren or health issues. And I hate to state the obvious, but you will likely die first and probably well before your partner. Where will that leave her? ere’s also quite a stigma attached to both partners when an older man is with a much younger woman — even when the guy is a rich rock star. While it shouldn’t matter what other people think, it certainly can cause friction with families and friends.

It’s best not to use age as a filter for possible mates. Focus on finding a lady with whom you click, whether she is 57 or 75.

Good luck and God bless, The Rev

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

Irreverent counsel on life’s conundrums

Young-looking, attractive, strongly principled woman, 66, seeks man, 50 to 78, for companionship. Treat man with empathy, kindness, love and respect, and expect the same in return. Enjoy the arts (except dance), cooking, reading, quiet chats, walks, television. Phone number, please. #1636

I’m a 71-y/o man looking for a special lady, 71 or younger. It is exciting to meet you here. I live in beautiful Chittenden County. I’m 5’10, 150 pounds, an Earth sign, a dragon, a happy camper and a gardener. We will enjoy family, friends, domestic bliss, Mother Nature and expression. Love, thank you, love. #1633

ISO “gingandaddy, 46, seeking M.” Did you find your man? Nontech-connected guy would like to discuss possible connection. #1635

I’m a GWM in his 60s, 5’8, 150 pounds. Seeking a male for fun. I am open-minded and live alone. Can host. Please leave your phone number. #1634

I’m a young-looking, 65-y/o male seeking a female over 45 who likes cattle ranching, working together, auctions and gardening. Must be active, fit, good-looking, financially secure, healthy and a good cook. No smokers or drugs. #1632

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PUBLISH YOUR MESSAGE ON THIS PAGE!

1

Submit your FREE message at sevendaysvt.com/loveletters or use the handy form at right.

We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above.

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required! 3

60s bi white male seeks older guys for relaxing, M-to-M fun in the NEK. Regular guys being yourself. Soft or hard is less important than attitude. #1631

Gentle, affable, fit, humorous, principled, educated man (67) seeks tender alluring woman (52 to 66) who relishes a life of organic gardening, animals, hiking, biking, Scrabble and pillow talk. Land conservation and off-grid living are also interests of mine. #1630

I’m a 47-y/o male seeking a male for some fun. I’m attractive, fit and drug/disease-free; have perfect hygiene; and am looking for the same. Discreet fun only. Let’s watch each other cum and help each other out. Send stats with contact number. #1629

72-y/o male seeks similar qualities as my own in a woman. Kind, tender, loving, empathetic, fun, homebody, somewhat liberal, intelligent. I’m healthy, fit, thin and considered attractive. Cozy home in the country. Financially secure. Phone or email, please. #1627

I’m a 66-y/o woman seeking a 60-plus male. Not married, no children. I’m a loving, kind, talented, educated nonsmoker. Honest and love to cook and bake and share joyrides. Looking for a serious friendship. Chittenden County. Phone number, please. #1626

Int net-Free Dating!

I’m a female, 71, single (W), seeking a male, 65 to 75 (W). Would like a quiet dinner, movie or just coffee. Central Vermont. Need a friend to get through the winter, etc. Please write a note or send a phone number. #1625

I’m a male seeking a loving companion of any gender. I’m a nonsmoker with a concentration on health.

I’m an educated, honest, kind and calm baby boomer with a love for gardening. Time is precious. Open to the right person. #1622

I’m a 57-y/o woman. Not married, no children. I stay as healthy as I can. Educated, mostly by deep life experience. Need a dedicated relationship with a man who understands me and treats our unit as No.

1. Need to live in the country. Calm, gardens, sounds of nature, sunset. Please be honest, thoughtful and kind. Be able to relate well to others and be well liked. Phone number, please. #1620

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below: (OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.)

I’m a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL) seeking a AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

I’m a GWM 59-y/o. Mostly a bottom seeking to take care of the needs of a top. Very attentive and willing to please. Rutland area. Phone/text. #1624

I’m a male, 70, seeking a female, 50-plus. I am single and looking for a good friend and possible partner. Chittenden County. Phone, please. #1621

Young-looking baby boomer woman seeks the same in a male partner. Time is precious. I’m a humanist looking for a nonsmoking, honest, good person. Seeking an occasional drinker without drug or anger issues. Ninety-five percent Democrat and young-at-heart woman who doesn’t drink is looking for a partner, not a serial dater (aka bachelor). #1619

I’m a 70-y/o WF seeking a 70-plus WM. (#1604, I’m interested.) Was widowed 10 years ago and am lonely and seeking a companion. I love being outdoors and seeing birds and animals. Car travel is fun for me. #1618

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THIS FORM IS FOR LOVE LETTERS ONLY. Messages for the Personals and I-Spy sections must be submitted online at dating.sevendaysvt.com.

Old Spokes Home Bike Mechanics 101

WED., FEB. 1 - MAR. 8

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Living with Loss: A Gathering for the Grieving

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HILTON BURLINGTON, BURLINGTON

Open Auditions for Act 39 a stage play by Rob Mermin

SAT., FEB. 4, 2023

KELLOGG-HUBBARD LIBRARY, MONTPELIER

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SAT., FEB. 4

THE DEPOT, ST. ALBANS

The 6th Annual Winter Renaissance Faire

SAT., FEB. 4-SUN., FEB. 5

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY EXPOSITION, ESSEX JUNCTION

Paul Asbell Plays & Sings

Steel-String Americana

SUN., FEB. 5

FIRST CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, ESSEX

After School Drawing Club with Rachel Mirus

MON., FEB. 6

GRANGE HALL CULTURAL CENTER, WATERBURY

The Breanna Elaine Band Album Release Show

FRI., FEB. 10

BRANDON TOWN HALL, BRANDON

Rustie Bus with The Steppes

FRI., FEB. 10

THE UNDERGROUND, RANDOLPH

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Valentine’s Artist Market & Beer Sale

SAT., FEB. 11

1 FULL BARREL CO-OP, BURLINGTON

Colombian Cooking Date Night: Empanadas, Yuca Frita & More

SAT., FEB. 11 RICHMOND COMMUNITY KITCHEN, RICHMOND

Virtual Baking Workshop: Cinnamon Rolls

SAT., FEB. 18 ONLINE

Cake Jar Workshop

TUE., FEB. 21

RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY

Ethiopian/Eritrean Cooking Class: Veggie Sauces

FRI., MAR. 3

RICHMOND COMMUNITY KITCHEN, RICHMOND

Homemade Ramen Bowls & Dumplings

SAT., APR. 1

RICHMOND COMMUNITY KITCHEN, RICHMOND

Joe’s Big Band

SAT., FEB. 11

ST. JOHN’S CLUB, BURLINGTON

After School Drawing Club with Rachel Mirus

MON., FEB. 13

GRANGE HALL CULTURAL CENTER, WATERBURY

Facing Change:

Life’s Transitions and Transformations

WED., FEB. 15 ONLINE

Trumbo:

Red, White, & Blacklisted

FRI., FEB. 17

GRANGE HALL CULTURAL CENTER, WATERBURY

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