Seven Days, October 9, 2024 by Seven Days

Buyout Blues Buyout Blues

Many Vermont flood victims want FEMA to purchase their damaged homes. But some towns are saying no.

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM • PAGE

ON THE MOVE

$15.9 million

That’s the total amount 14 Vermont libraries will receive in federal grants through the American Rescue Plan Act.

A rare Canada lynx spotted in Rutland over the summer has since been seen several times further north. Stretching its legs.

MILKERS’ LAMENT

TOPFIVE

THIRD SALE IS THE CHARM?

June after local residents, staff and alumni protested the proposed sale, saying they wanted more information about his plans. e second, in August, was called the Greatwood Project and was made up of a handful of local investors who backed out at the end of September, saying one of their funders had had a change of heart.

Lisa Larivee, a clerk to Goddard’s board of trustees, declined to release the closing date of the sale to Execusuite.

e latest news is unlikely to resolve discussions about the campus’ future. Several alumni are working on projects that would revive the spirit of the alternative institution, which was founded in 1938, and many of them have said they would like to use the campus somehow.

Davidson did not immediately return calls or respond to an email on Monday. A 2018 story in the Valley News described Davidson as one of the largest landlords in the upper Connecticut Valley region of Vermont and New Hampshire, with a mix of residential and commercial properties.

Read Anne Wallace Allen’s full story and keep up with developments at sevendaysvt.com.

A new survey found immigrant farmworkers continue to deal with housing and discrimination issues, long hours, and low pay, Vermont Public reported. Sour side of dairy.

TAKING OFF

Frontier Airlines has returned to Burlington International Airport with ﬂights beginning in December, to Tampa and Orlando. Fingers crossed.

POSITIVE PIE

South Burlington o cials have signed o on a redevelopment proposal at the site of a decrepit former Pizza Hut. At long last.

2. “A Dollar General Sign Causes a Stir in Hinesburg” by Sasha Goldstein. Matt Giroux put up the “coming soon” sign in an empty lot on Route 116 as a prank.

3. “New York-Based Stewart’s Shops to Buy Vermont’s Jolley Stores” by Anne Wallace Allen. e 38 Jolley locations will eventually transition to bear the Stewart’s chain name.

4. “Burlington School Board Member Resigns Following Drug Arrest” by Derek Brouwer. Rida Kori stands accused in Massachusetts of trafﬁcking fentanyl.

5. “McKee’s in Winooski to Reopen Under Longtime Owner Lance McKee” by Jordan Barry. e old standby on the trafﬁc circle will be renamed McKee’s Original. @davidgoodmanvt Vermont is putting on a show

ART THERAPY

After the Great Brook ﬂooded in July and devastated Plainﬁeld, construction crews plucked the remains of the Mill Street Bridge from the water and deposited them on its banks.

e heap of concrete and rusted steel is a twisted mess, but to some residents, it’s also a potent symbol of Plainﬁeld’s ordeal. e July 10 deluge destroyed homes and knocked the old bridge off its abutments. It also washed away a brookside apartment building called the Heartbreak Hotel. About half a dozen people who live

in or near the village want to save the rubble for use as an art installation once the town has made progress in its recovery. Jesse Cooper, a Plainﬁelder who is storing the rubble at his metal and wood fabrication shop in Montpelier, said it will take a long time to process the feelings associated with the crushed remains — and to sort through ideas of what to make with them.

“ is could speak to the fact that it’s a traumatic thing. It could speak to the fact that this brook may ﬂood again,” Cooper said recently as he surveyed the pile of rubble. He emphasized that reimagining the debris is a group project. “I’m a totally informal participant in this.”

e Mill Street bridge was built in 1929, two years after the Great Flood destroyed homes, businesses and 1,285 bridges in Vermont; more than 80 people died. e ruins include a slab of concrete emblazoned with the date.

A new green space will be created in Plainfield once flooded homes are removed, and that’s part of the story, too, Cooper said. So is the construction equipment that arrived after the flood.

“ ere’s a lot of photos of that,” he said. e artwork, he added, will probably explore a question: “OK, how did we end up here?”

ANNE WALLACE ALLEN

Goddard College manor house and topiary maze

Jesse Cooper with the rubble

Paula Routly

Cathy Resmer

Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

NEWS & POLITICS

Matthew Roy

Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page

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

ARTS & CULTURE

Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

Chelsea Edgar, Margot Harrison, Pamela Polston

Alice Dodge

Chris Farnsworth

Rebecca Driscoll

Jordan Barry, Hannah Feuer,

Mary Ann Lickteig, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard

Alice Dodge, Angela Simpson

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros, Elizabeth M. Seyler

DIGITAL & VIDEO

Bryan Parmelee

Eva Sollberger

James Buck

Je Baron DESIGN

Don Eggert

Rev. Diane Sullivan

John James

Je Baron SALES & MARKETING

Colby Roberts

Robyn Birgisson

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka, Kaitlin Montgomery

Carolann Whitesell ADMINISTRATION

Marcy Stabile

Andy Watts

Gillian English

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jordan Adams, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Chelsea Edgar, Erik Esckilsen, Steve Goldstein, Amy Lilly, Rachel Mullis, Bryan Parmelee, Mark Saltveit, Jim Schley, Carolyn Shapiro, Casey Ryan Vock

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Luke Awtry, James Buck, Caleb Kenna, Tim Newcomb, Rob Strong, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

CIRCULATION: 35,000

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

Seven Days is printed at Quebecor Media Printing in Mirabel, Québec.

DELIVERY TECHNICIANS

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SUBSCRIPTIONS

$158.

6-

‘RICH HISTORIES’

[Re “Tightly Woven: Friends and Neighbors Turn Out to Help Marshfield School of Weaving Move to a New Home,” September 25; “A Baker’s 100: Marshfield’s Jules Rabin Celebrates a Century of Intellectual Curiosity, Trailblazing Bread and Standing Up for Peace,” August 7]: Within the last month, Seven Days has transported me back to 1994, when I first arrived in Vermont. I stumbled upon the Marshfi eld School of Weaving and, while studying with founder Norman Kennedy, discovered Goddard College and enrolled there. Jules Rabin had everyone in Plainfield and beyond waiting on Wednesdays, when his “Rabin’s Bread” came out.

Your pieces on these central Vermont cultural icons capture the era and sentiments of the time and preserve rich histories that make this state such a gem. Thank you for honoring Vermont institutions like these in this supercool, modern newspaper.

Lorilee Schoenbeck ESSEX JUNCTION

TIME TO REFOCUS

[Re “Reel Drama: As Vermont Movie Theaters Respond to a Changing Industry, Burlington May Lose Its Only Cinema,” August 21]: I don’t think it takes a professional ﬁlmmaker, which I was for more than 25 years, to notice poor projection in a movie theater. Speciﬁcally, I’ve been annoyed by the too-large images projected in two of the smaller auditoriums at Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas in Burlington.

What I mean is that the top and bottom, left and right of the picture are cut o . In technical terms, the projection lens is too long. If you don’t mind — or notice — that tops of heads are cut o or important information is missing o the left or right of the screen, then the Roxy is likely acceptable to you.

— goes into solving these problems, I for one will not be returning to the Roxy. The Main Street Landing Film House and intimate VTIFF Screening Room project ﬁlms the way they should be seen, so those are now my go-to Burlington movie houses.

And by the way, wouldn’t it be nice to see the Flynn show some of those spectacular wide-screen Technicolor and CinemaScope ﬁlms from the ’50s and ’60s once in a while?

Greg Epler Wood BURLINGTON

Epler Wood is secretary on the VTIFF board of directors.

DRUG BUSINESS 101

In [Feedback: “Fix the Drug Problem,” September 25], Robert Vacca argues that a strong, paternal ass-whooping would solve society’s current drug crisis. I argue that “three strikes” — along with its kin, “broken windows” — merely shu es the undercurrent of the drug crisis to an outof-sight/out-of-mind mindset.

A century ago, prohibition, speakeasies and machine guns were the stories of the day. Today, opioids, crack houses, semiautomatics and street-corner turf wars dominate the news. Unfortunately, the invisible hand that guides the free market functions as well for the black market as it does for the legal market.

Where there is demand, a seller will supply it. If penalties are severe for 100 doses, the supplier only carries and/or sells 99 doses. If one supplier goes out of business, another supplier ﬁlls the void. Jail allows for the ﬁrst- and second-time o enders to learn from veteran threetime offenders how to become better criminals.

Rather than jail time for the low-level drug pushers, my modest proposal is chain gangs, tar and feathering, and public square stocks. Public shaming at its best; social media goes wild! Ratings are up! As an end note, opioid deaths are now almost equal to alcohol deaths per year, while tobacco deaths outdo both combined categories by a 2.5 to 1 margin.

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Discerning moviegoers, especially those who are less into mainstream action and more into artful drama ﬂicks that should be viewed the way the director and cinematographer intended, will not go to the Roxy to see a ﬁlm.

I’ve tried and have had too many bad experiences, including fruitless visits to the lobby to report sound that was at too low or high a level, or a picture whose framing was o . Until some technology, expertise, thought — and investment?

‘HARSH’ TRUTH

Stephen A. Jarvis SWANTON

[Re Feedback: “Bad News Burlington,” September 4]: Mental illness and its concomitant symptoms of addiction, despair, criminal behavior and homelessness cannot, in the ﬁnal analysis, be e ectively addressed by treatment protocols: medications, therapies, shelters,

affordable housing or indeed any of the “remedies” that are currently available.

That sentence is harsh, but its truth is undeniable when we regard the statistical evidence that shows their high rates of recidivism and outright failure. Indeed, the “bad news” has become endemic.

I speak from my own track record of dismal experience. Unwilling to take my life, I chose the seeming, though false, solace of addictive substances. It has been pure grace that eventually I found my way out of the morass, the “slough of despond.”

The tragedy of modern life is that the rewards capitalist society offers turn out to be hollow, false and without real value, and the people on the streets of Burlington evidence that fact. Only a wholesale

CORRECTIONS

Last week’s theater review of Vermont Stage’s Translations misnamed actor Henry Sheeran and erroneously named a dialect coach who is no longer involved; Jordan Gullikson is the dialect coach who worked on this production.

The news story “Racial Reckoning” misstated when Tyeastia Green accepted a job in Minneapolis. She took the position in early February 2022. It also described investigations by Burlington and Minneapolis officials as audits when they were actually financial reviews.

A letter to the editor, titled “‘Thank You, Pride Center,’” was written on behalf of the nonprofit organization Rural Vermont.

reordering of our civilization’s properties proffers a ray of hope.

Peter Burmeister PLAINFIELD

MIDDLE-CLASS LAMENT

[Re “Canaries in a Hospital: Some UVM Medical Center Workers Say They Can’t Afford Its Health Insurance Coverage,” August 21]: Unfortunately, health insurance is increasing for everyone or being eliminated completely. Hospital costs are skyrocketing as hospitals are asked to treat more and more unvetted and unvaccinated noncitizens ... 10 million known. How many millions of unknowns?

It is a daily reminder of how fragile our society, our economy and our way of life have become in the past three and a half years. More and more will be asked of American taxpayers until there’s no more middle class. It’s called socialism. Vote like your children’s and grandchildren’s futures depend on it.

Joanne Varricchione SOUTH BURLINGTON

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FOOD+DRINK 34

B Is for Business

Tasting our way through two new St. Johnsbury restaurants: Birches and the Buttery

Chef’s Challenge ree questions for UVM Dining’s Ryan Hickey

NEWS+POLITICS 14

Home Run

A program that helps local workers buy houses in Woodstock is a hit

UVM Leases Charlotte’s Nordic Farm for Research

Landlord Shu e

e Bove brothers expand their real estate empire with a trio of purchases

A Post O ce Finally Reopens in Montpelier

UVM Medical Center Delays

Surgical Center

Buyout Blues Buyout Blues

KEVIN MCCALLUM

FEATURES 22

Democracy 101 How Vermont’s colleges and universities are preparing their students for the November election

ARTS+CULTURE 40

Flight Risk Book review: We Need No Wings, Ann Dávila Cardinal

The Fig Tree Committee Brings a Greek Epic to Vermont Prisons

Bot-Body Connection

eater review: Sisters

Northern Stage

Gone Fishin’ Volunteer paddlers remove garbage from the Lamoille River

Becoming Unstuck “Collage/Uncollage” highlights the medium’s strengths

South Burlington’s ‘Interwoven’ Marks Stitches in Time

To Hell and Back With its sold-out run at the Flynn, Anaïs Mitchell’s Tony-winning folk opera, Hadestown, comes home

Eleven paddlers met in Wolcott on a recent Saturday for a trash-picking adventure on the Lamoille River. ey traversed almost ﬁve miles and amassed seven canoes of rubbish. e outing was organized by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and the Lamoille River Paddlers’ Trail, and Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger hitched a ride.

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK COMPILED BY REBECCA DRISCOLL

SUNDAY 13

YOU PICK ’EM

Heirloom Apple Day at Scott Farm Orchard in Dummerston is your sign to ﬁnally take that fall drive. e bucolic property is home to more than 130 varieties of the autumnal icon, so tastings are an absolute must. In addition to tours, food trucks, picking and music, renowned pomologist John Bunker shares his fascinating fruit ﬁndings.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 68

SATURDAY 12

South of the Border

As part of the Essex Experience’s monthlong celebration of Latinx heritage, Vermont band Mal Maïz serve up an evening of heat with psychedelic world beats. e sounds and rhythms of Central and South America meld deliciously with vibrant Mexican dishes whipped up by Viva el Sabor, the Double E’s pop-up cucina.

SEE CLUB LISTING ON PAGE 57

WEDNESDAY 9

Get the Giggles

e Laughs for Lund fundraiser at Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington spotlights some of the best local comedians around — and for a laudable cause. Partial proceeds beneﬁt the Lund family center, making this the perfect excuse for a parents’ night out. Fittingly, these standup sets aim to capture the joys and, ahem, complexities of caregiving.

SEE CLUB LISTING ON PAGE 58

SATURDAY 12 Tick Season

Acclaimed alt-rock band Deer Tick take the stage at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe for an evening of unplugged artistry, revisiting fan favorites from their decades-long career. Known for raw, earnest performances, the group credits its palpable onstage connection to a mutual love for music and a shared sense of humor.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 67

SATURDAY 12 & SUNDAY 13

Inky Inquisition

Got ink? You might after attending the Rail City Tattoo Festival at St. Albans City Hall, which brings together more than 45 tattoo artists from across Vermont and the world, plus other craft artisans. Attendees can get tatted on-site and learn more about the inspiration and expertise behind this age-old form of self-expression.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 66

SUNDAY 13

Hoots and Honks

Toot-toot, beep-beep and a little ahooooga ring out in a cacophony of vehicular worship at the Middlebury Car Show & Fall Festival. Main Street closes down as 75 classic automobiles pull up for your gawking pleasure. Attendees can even get their pictures taken in the 1966 Batmobile. Holy hot rods, Batman!

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 68

ONGOING Unseen Forces

At Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester, the “Lineages: Artists Are Never Alone” exhibition showcases the myriad inﬂuences and experiences of 11 Northeast artists. e contemporary collection spans mediums, viewpoints, styles and voices — yet the curators thread them together with an emphasis on each artist’s hidden drive to create.

SEE GALLERY LISTING AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

No Place Like Home

At Seven Days, we’re always on the lookout for interesting stories about Vermont. Our culture staffers write about amazing local destinations almost every week — often long-form, comprehensive, time-sensitive pieces. Although great reading upon publication, they soon get buried on our website among all our other news, food and arts content. That approach to coverage doesn’t lend itself to the “concierge” level of guidance that friends and family often require when they come here to ski, leaf-peep or sample the state’s best brews.

In late August I hosted friends from San Diego who know the state well enough to have compiled a list of things they wanted to do. In the course of a few days, we hiked Barre’s Millstone Trails and biked to the end of the Colchester Causeway. We went to Bread and Puppet Theater, Hill Farmstead Brewery and Lake Willoughby. We broke bread at Red Hen Baking, Mirabelles, Blackbird Bistro, Deep City and Harry’s Hardware.

towns as part of a paid content-licensing arrangement in which the state gets the stories for its Vermont Vacation website and we have full rights to them, too. We exercise full editorial control over the content.

It was just the nudge we needed to create the Seven Days “Visiting Vermont” destination on our website, curated by culture coeditor Carolyn Fox. Before she stepped into her current job, Carolyn was our chief proofreader and special publications manager. She was the driving force behind Staytripper

I saw more of Vermont in three days than I normally do in a year. Full disclosure: At one point I had to email our food writers to make sure I wasn’t leading the group astray.

We all need a little help navigating this place we call home, to connect Vermont’s natural wonders with its cultural and culinary ones. That takes comprehensive, up-to-date, easy-to-use intel.

We’ve long wanted a landing page on our site that compiles in one place all we’ve written about Vermont destinations — a handy guide for locals and visitors alike. For it to really be a helpful resource, we’d need to repackage our stories into an evergreen, timeless format — quick listings that can serve as an itinerary.

Over the years we’ve rolled these out in special publications such as What’s Good, our former guide for college students; and the pandemic-era Staytripper, which helped readers reacquaint themselves with instate attractions. We’ve also compiled event-focused itineraries for job seekers attending the Vermont Tech Jam and, more recently, for our 2024 Solar Eclipse Guide, which was produced in partnership with the state tourism department. The department loved our bite-size itineraries — for 10 towns in the path of totality — so much that its staffers asked us to write a bunch more. We agreed to compile mini guides to 28

Colchester Causeway

Each itinerary includes a short intro about a town and at least seven listings for what to see, do and eat while you’re there. It’s not meant to be comprehensive but rather to offer a taste of what a visit to each area offers — every piece certainly provides more than enough ideas for a fun day trip. The culture reporters, including three of our summer interns, pitched in to write them.

As this project kicked off, we also relaunched our “3 to 6 Hours” series of long-form Vermont travel stories, a day-trip riff on the New York Times’ “36 Hours” series. So far, we’ve been to Manchester, Rutland, Greensboro, White River Junction, Newport and Windsor. These stories also live on the new landing page. Go to sevendaysvt.com/visiting-vermont to find a mix of short itineraries and more in-depth town guides — just in time for peak foliage.

Paula Routly

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FILE: JAMES BUCK

AGRICULTURE UVM Leases Charlotte’s Nordic Farm for Research

Home Run

A program that helps local workers buy houses in Woodstock is a hit

Eager to buy a home in Vermont but daunted by the prices, Dechen Sirianni was open to creative solutions.

Sirianni was in temporary digs in a hostel in Vershire when he learned about Local Deeds, a program that the nonproﬁt Woodstock Community Trust started in January. Modeled closely after an initiative called Vail InDEED in the eponymous resort town in Colorado, Local Deeds helps homebuyers with their down payment in exchange for a deed restriction that stipulates that a local worker must occupy the home.

To qualify, at least one occupant of the house must work an average of 25 hours a week or more within a 16-mile radius of Woodstock and use the house as a primary residence.

Local Deeds is one of many initiatives

aimed at easing the housing crunch around Woodstock. The median sale price for a primary home in this touristy town reached $550,000 last year, according to the Vermont Housing Finance Agency.

than happy to agree to the deed restriction in exchange for help buying his condo in Bridgewater.

“When I came up to interview, one of the very ﬁrst things we talked about was, ‘Where are you going to live?’” Sirianni said. “Even in the interview process, they said, ‘It’s tough.’”

WHEN I CAME UP TO INTERVIEW, ONE OF THE VERY FIRST THINGS WE TALKED ABOUT WAS, “WHERE ARE YOU GOING TO LIVE?”

DECHEN SIRIANNI

The deed restriction is just ﬁne with Sirianni, who was following a long-held dream when he moved to Vermont from Pennsylvania in February 2023 after a divorce. He had found a job as HR manager at the Woodstock Farmers’ Market, a grocery store in town, and he was more

When he ﬁrst moved to Vermont, the only shelter he could find was a bedroom in the nonproﬁt Stagecoach Stop Hostel, a Vershire farmhouse that also houses a community center and a library. He shared a kitchen and bathroom with a rotating cast of three or four other guests.

BY COURTNEY LAMDIN courtney@sevendaysvt.com

An iconic hilltop farm in Charlotte will soon become a hub for agricultural research. e University of Vermont last ursday signed a 30-year lease with the owners of Nordic Farm, a 583-acre former dairy with a signature red-roofed barn that is visible from nearby Route 7.

e $1.9 million deal subleases the property to the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Agricultural Research Service, whose scientists will study food crops and grazing livestock on 400 acres of the conserved farmland. e USDA will also pay the farm’s owners, Benjamin Dobson and Kaspar Meier, $33,000 a year to use the property.

e agreement will put to use a high-proﬁle site that entrepreneurs have tried for years to revitalize. Dobson, who has decades of experience in organic agriculture, said partnering with UVM was “an obvious choice.”

“We’re very aligned with research that’s going to go on here,” he said at a press conference last ursday. “Both Kaspar and I share a philosophy that whether you own the land or rent it, if you’re working on it, you’re stewarding it.”

Dobson and Meier bought the farm in July, about 18 months after the unexpected death of its previous steward, Will Raap, the founder of Gardener’s Supply and the Intervale Center. Raap, who renamed the land Earthkeep Farmcommon, had envisioned building a collective of sustainable agriculture businesses to serve as a model for other defunct Vermont dairy farms. UVM approached Dobson and Meier shortly after it purchased the property this summer.

e USDA plans to raise beef cattle and study the differences between those fed grass and those fed grain. Scientists will also research how various plants, including corn and native grasses, grow on the land. Ofﬁcials hope the research will eventually help improve the region’s food systems.

Richard Cate, UVM’s vice president for ﬁnance and administration, said it’s possible that undergraduate students could someday perform research at the farm.

COURTESY

Dechen Sirianni

UVM’s Richard Cate (center) signing the Nordic Farm lease

Landlord Shuffle

The Bove brothers expand their real estate empire with a trio of purchases

BY DEREK BROUWER • derek@sevendaysvt.com

The Bove brothers, the oft-criticized local landlords also known for their pasta sauce business, have expanded their rental empire despite their poor record of code compliance. Meanwhile, plans to fix up their most prominent property — the blighted former family restaurant in downtown Burlington — remain stalled.

Last month, companies owned by Rick and Mark Bove took ownership of two upscale apartment buildings in the Thayer Commons complex along North Avenue in Burlington’s New North End, city land records show. The deal follows a similar one earlier this year for 42 apartments off Shelburne Road, known as the Bacon Street Lofts, according to South Burlington land records.

buildings, many of which received public subsidies for low-income residents. A housing inspector with the Vermont Housing Finance Agency, a funding entity, wrote to the Boves in 2019 that the state of their properties indicated a “total disregard of Vermont’s Rental Housing Codes, and the health and safety of Residents.” The public subsidies kept flowing.

The Boves pledged to make improvements in response to the news outlets’ reporting, but they stoked outrage when they displaced dozens of low-income and refugee families from a run-down complex in Winooski so they could redevelop it and raise rents. The Boves received approval in March for their plan to construct 69 new apartments and condos at the site, but “there have not

All three apartment buildings were constructed in the early 2010s by developer Eric Farrell, who also managed the properties. Farrell sold the trio of buildings to the Boves for just over $27 million, he said.

The deals add nearly 130 units to the Boves’ portfolio, which was already one of the larger for-profit rental holdings in the state. In 2021, Seven Days and Vermont Public tallied more than 400 units under the Boves’ ownership throughout Chittenden County and also in St. Albans and Hartford.

That joint news report identified persistent code violations at Bove apartment

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been any updates on this project since,” Winooski’s director of city planning, Ravi Venkataraman, said in an email.

The Winooski project is one of several new housing developments the Boves have put forward in recent years, though their proposals have yet to produce any new units.

The brothers unveiled plans in 2022 to construct 42 units of market-rate housing on Northfield Street in Montpelier, then purchased the parcel in 2023, according to the Montpelier Bridge. They have not submitted any permit applications for the

Schoolhouse Lofts at Thayer Commons

A Post Office Finally Reopens in Montpelier

BY ANNE WALLACE ALLEN anne@sevendaysvt.com

The U.S. Postal Service has reopened a post office in Vermont’s capital city, 15 months after the original location was closed by a devastating flood.

The announcement came on Monday, not a moment too soon for Montpelier residents and local leaders who had pleaded for months with Vermont’s congressional delegation to reestablish it.

The postal service installed post office boxes at the new location at 89 Main Street over the summer. On Monday, it started offering postage, mailing supplies and package shipping, the postal service said in a statement.

“We thank our loyal customers for their patience as we underwent the process of seeking out a new location after last year’s flooding,” the statement said. A grand reopening is scheduled for Saturday, October 12.

Many people’s patience with the situation ran out months ago.

“There was an opportunity for the postal service to show real leadership in helping a community to recover from a disaster. Instead they made it harder,” said Ben Doyle, chair of the Montpelier Commission for Recovery and Resilience, which formed after the July 2023 flood caused millions of dollars’ worth of damage to homes and businesses.

Doyle had been rallying residents lately to contact Postmaster General Louis DeJoy directly with their complaints about the post office situation.

“Our community can now focus on other aspects of the recovery that are frankly more important,” Doyle said on Monday. “But it’s just unfortunate that it took more than 450 days to get here.”

The 2023 flood closed several businesses, emptying Montpelier’s streets in mid-summer, one of the busiest times of year. And since the pandemic, merchants have been contending with a drop in daytime visitor traffic as office workers who used to occupy downtown buildings have chosen to work from home.

Doyle and others hope the return of the post office will help. ➆

The hour-long commute between Vershire and Woodstock was grueling, especially in winter, and in March 2023, Sirianni moved to an inn in Quechee. He paid $2,500 for each of the next 10 months there, occupying a bridal suite with no kitchen.

In January, Sirianni met local housing activist Jill Davies, a board member of the Woodstock Community Trust, when she gave a presentation about Local Deeds at the Woodstock Farmers’ Market. Davies and Sirianni worked with a real estate agent, a lawyer and Mascoma Bank so he could buy a two-bedroom condo for $198,000. The trust contributed 16 percent of the purchase price, about $30,000, in exchange for the deed restriction.

He closed on the condo in March. It occupies the top floor of a former ski lodge and includes an outdoor deck and two bedrooms.

“It’s so perfect for me,” Sirianni said. “It’s peace and quiet. And the view is amazing.”

Steve Palmer and Allison Greene, who have two elementary school-age kids, rented a home in Woodstock village for seven years. When the owner decided to sell, she told them first so they’d have an opportunity to buy, Palmer said.

teaches fifth grade at the Prosper Valley School in Pomfret. Palmer works as the media director for a New York City-based nonprofit that combats lymphatic diseases.

“Post COVID, with housing prices going through the roof, we were afraid we weren’t going to be able to stay in town,” Palmer said.

They bought the place with help from Local Deeds, which contributed 16 percent of the condo’s value toward their down payment. Palmer said they would have had trouble coming up with that down payment on their own.

Vail launched Vail InDEED in 2018. The program, run by the town, has secured more than 1,000 deed restrictions, awarding 16 to 20 percent of a property’s appraised value in exchange for a requirement they be occupied by year-round or seasonal local workers. Vail has about 4,000 residents, and Woodstock has 3,000.

Local Deeds is similar, providing a one-time cash payment in exchange for a restriction that requires a local worker to live in the home, apartment or condo in Woodstock or four surrounding towns. The program started in January and has taken off faster than Davies anticipated, she said in an interview. As of mid-September, it contributed funds for 14 housing

units, home to 21 local workers and eight school-age children. The program has contributed a total of $700,000 in downpayment assistance.

“When we started, we thought we’d like to do one a month, but we have surpassed that,” Davies said.

The Woodstock Community Trust funds the program with proceeds from grants and private donations, many from local property owners. Right now, it has enough money to assist with down payments for another five or six properties, Davies said.

The Town of Woodstock is also working on solutions to the local housing crisis. In a pair of votes in August, local residents upheld a cap on short-term rentals in the village but repealed one in the rest of the town.

The town’s Economic Development Commission has created four programs that provide incentives to property owners who add housing for workers. One, Lease to Locals, helps fund conversions of shortterm rentals to long-term leases for local workers.

Davies has been spreading the word through visits to major local employers, such as the Woodstock Inn & Resort, Woodstock Farmers’ Market, and the local school district. Superintendent

Greene

Home Run « P.14

Stephen Palmer and Kristi Clark each bought one side of a Woodstock duplex through Local Deeds.

FILE: KEVIN MCCALUM

A sign at the former post office

Sherry Sousa said prices have simply eclipsed what educators can pay. She’s lost several prospective hires because of this.

“It’s so expensive to live in our community. I don’t know how a new family could do it,” said Sousa, who bought her house 26 years ago. “I’m the highest-paid educator in the district, and I couldn’t buy a house in Woodstock now.”

Five educators in her district have used the program to purchase homes.

THERE ARE A LOT OF HOMEOWNERS WHO WANT TO SELL TO PEOPLE WHO ARE GOING TO MAINTAIN THE COMMUNITY.

There’s still a big housing shortage to address. The Vermont Department of Housing and Community Development reported in August that Vermont needs as many as 36,000 new homes by 2029 in order to meet demand.

JILL DAVIES

Located near the Killington resort, with an historic downtown, Woodstock faces an extra-tight supply because it’s popular with second-home owners, who own about a quarter of Vermont’s housing stock, according to the VHFA. Resort towns such as Woodstock, Dorset and Stowe are particularly stressed by high prices and a large proportion of second homes and short-term rentals.

Davies said local property owners get it.

“There are a lot of homeowners who want to sell to people who are going to maintain the community,” Davies said. “People are very aware of how many second-home owners there are in the community and what it’s like to live next door to a house that is dark most of the time.”

Any town that can raise the money for the down payments can adopt the program, she said. She credited officials in Vail and in Big Sky, Mont., which has a similar program called Good Deeds,

with helping Woodstock get its program off the ground.

“It’s an amazing community,” she said of the nonprofits that are working to increase housing in resort towns. “People share documents and tell you their process and help you with your issues.”

Davies was recently invited to talk to city officials in Newport, on the shore of Lake Memphremagog, about Local Deeds. Officials there are working on a longterm redevelopment plan.

“We are fascinated onlookers who would like to try to emulate some of what they have been doing,” Rick Ufford-Chase, executive director of Newport Downtown Development, said in an interview.

He acknowledged that Newport, a city of 4,000 with a high poverty rate, might not have as many private donors as Woodstock, a busy resort town. Woodstock locals have contributed hundreds of thousands of dollars to economic development and housing efforts.

“It’s not likely we’re going to do it all with wealthy donors,” Ufford-Chase said of the redevelopment. “But there is potential for us to raise money, and there is public funding available.”

The home shared by Palmer and Greene is a condo that’s half of a duplex. Kristi Clark, a social worker, rented the other side with her two kids for years before buying her apartment through Local Deeds. The two families are close friends.

When she heard the home was going to be sold, Clark, a Woodstock native, assumed she would have to move to another town, uprooting her kids.

“I never thought I would own a house in my entire life,” Clark said. ➆

Jill Davies

A Celebration of Showing Up

Be Inspired.

solavida.org/a-celebration-of-showing-up/

Landlord Shuffle « P.15

property, city planning and zoning assistant Nicholas Gauthier said on Tuesday.

Earlier this year, the Town of Georgia, in Franklin County, approved a site plan the Boves submitted that calls for 39 housing units, including apartments, town houses and single-family homes, at the former Homestead Campground on Ethan Allen Highway.

The Town of Essex in 2021 rejected the Boves’ proposal to build roughly 60 units at the town center development, citing their poor record of compliance.

Most visibly, the Boves submitted plans in 2020 to construct a hotel and apartment complex on Pearl Street in downtown Burlington, where their father’s famous Bove’s Café operated until 2015. They struck a deal with the city to purchase a public parking lot, but the project fell apart. The former restaurant has remained covered in graffiti and refuse ever since.

“This Burlington site has no plans,” Mark Bove told Seven Days by email last year.

Auditorium, the city library, a fire station and a church.

Farrell acknowledged that the Boves had “taken some heat” in recent years for how they’ve managed their rental properties, but he thinks they will do a good job with the North Avenue and Bacon Street properties.

“I’ve known the Boves since they were kids,” Farrell said. “We were all born and brought up in Burlington. I’m a little older than they are, but I’ve known them for a long time. They’re a good family.”

The sale made some Thayer Commons tenants nervous, however. One, who asked not to be named for fear of reprisal from his landlord, said the transaction felt secretive. Farrell Properties didn’t identify the buyer in its notification to tenants that the property had been sold, he said. It wasn’t until later, on Sunday, that a sign appeared on the front door from the new owners identifying themselves, the tenant said.

“Something is wrong with how this was handled,” the tenant said. “This is highly questionable, considering the reputation of the buyer.”

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Beyond the Bowl, Bong & Dugout

While progress has been slow for the real estate moguls’ proposed new projects, the deals with Farrell represent a major move into market-rate rentals, where a shortage of supply has enabled Vermont landlords to charge high rents.

The two buildings at Thayer Commons — Schoolhouse Lofts and the Flats — and the Bacon Street Lofts in South Burlington have been marketed as modern, amenity-rich units with above-average rents. “You will not find a more upscale, service oriented apartment rental in the area,” Farrell Properties boasted of Thayer Commons on its website last year.

Farrell said he developed each of the properties with distinct groups of investors. They had always intended to sell the buildings after a decade or so of operation, he said. Farrell Properties will no longer manage the buildings, either.

The tenant, who has lived in the complex for several years and pays just under $2,000 per month for a onebedroom apartment, said the property had been managed well under Farrell’s ownership. He worries that the quality of management could deteriorate or that the Boves might hike rents even further. Either outcome could force him to look for alternative housing in a suffocating rental market.

Mark Bove, who helms the Bove’s pasta sauce company headquartered in Milton, declined to discuss the family’s plans for the properties. He also declined to discuss the status of the redevelopment projects in Winooski or downtown Burlington.

“Thanks for your inquiry, but no new information to share,” he wrote in an email.

The decision to sell is unrelated to ongoing construction at the massive Cambrian Rise development, also on North Avenue, Farrell said. He has already built three high-end apartment buildings at the site, where rents for a studio start around $1,875 and one-bedrooms can run between $2,000 and $3,000 per month. Farrell has secured permits for as many as 950 residential units. More than 500 have been built so far, including buildings owned by Champlain Housing Trust, Cathedral Square and S.D. Ireland.

Farrell is also involved in plans to redevelop a portion of Burlington’s downtown Gateway Block, which includes Memorial

There may be some action at the defunct restaurant, where broken mattresses are piled in tall weeds along one side. On Tuesday, Burlington city officials issued a zoning permit for an eight-foot-tall chain-link fence around the back of the property.

The former restaurant is listed on the city’s vacant building registry, which imposes a small annual fee. The latest annual registration, dated in July, includes a brief description of the owners’ plans to demolish or rehab the building.

“Owner is attempting to reclaim any salvageable materials/items from the building,” the form states, “but need [sic] police assistance before entering.”

UVM Medical Center Delays Construction on Surgical Center

BY COLIN FLANDERS • colin@sevendaysvt.com

The University of Vermont Medical Center announced last Friday that it will pause construction of a new outpatient surgical center indefinitely, just weeks before it had planned to break ground.

Construction at the South Burlington site won’t begin until next spring at the earliest, according to the hospital. That means it will be at least two years — and

possibly more — before the first surgeries can be performed there.

The decision comes as the hospital seeks to comply with a recent budget order from the Green Mountain Care Board that will slightly reduce the amount of money it can charge commercial insurance companies. Vermont hospitals operate on a fiscal year that begins October 1.

“This is not the step we wanted to take, because we know this will delay our ability to reduce wait times for surgeries that patients desperately need,” Dr. Stephen Leffler, the hospital’s president and chief operating officer, said in a press release. “We will continue to assess the situation and proceed as soon as we are able.”

Hospital officials say the new outpatient center will help them meet the anticipated demands of Vermont’s aging population. The hospital projects it will need to eventually perform 4,000 more surgeries per year than what it can handle today.

The Green Mountain Care Board approved the $130 million project this summer. But the board was not willing

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to back the hospital’s latest budget request, which sought to raise prices on commercial insurance companies another 8 percent.

Instead, regulators ordered the UVM Medical Center to lower what it charges private insurers by 1 percent. They justified the move in part by noting that the Burlington hospital has managed to turn a profit the past few years and was now on solid financial ground.

Regulators also reduced the budget proposal at a second UVM Health Network hospital, the Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin. The network says the decisions have left it with a $122 million budget gap it now needs to fill.

“The state regulator’s decisions about our nonprofit safety net hospitals are significant enough that we have no choice but to make some reductions in the care we deliver in Vermont, in addition to further increasing behind-the-scenes expense cuts,” Sunny Eappen, the health network’s CEO, wrote in an open letter last week.

The hospital did not reveal how much it expects to save by delaying the surgical center project. Nor did it spell out what additional cost-cutting measures might be on the way.

A fundraising campaign meant to raise 10 percent of the project’s cost will continue despite the construction pause.

In a statement to Seven Days, Owen Foster, chair of the Green Mountain Care Board, said the regulators appreciated UVM’s “thoughtful approach and understanding” of Vermont’s health care affordability crisis.

“This pause will allow UVM to continue its focus on its fundamentals and operations,” Foster wrote, “and I am optimistic they will be able to realize the surgery center at the right time.” ➆

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University of Vermont Medical Center

lifelines

OBITUARIES

Kevin Patrick Mitchell

MARCH 17, 1960OCTOBER 1, 2024 BURLINGTON, VT.

Kevin P. Mitchell, 64, died unexpectedly on the morning of October 1, 2024. Kevin

Mary Jane Phillips Dickerson

SEPTEMBER 29, 1937OCTOBER 3, 2024

JERICHO CENTER, VT.

Mary Jane Phillips Dickerson died peacefully in her Jericho Center, Vt., home on ursday, October 3, 2024, of heart and lung disease. Born on September 29, 1937, to Angus Peter Phillips, a merchant farmer, and Sue Sherrill Phillips, a schoolteacher, Mary Jane was raised in the village of Cameron in the Sandhills of North Carolina. During her

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

was working hard toward regaining his strength in the rehabilitation program at Birchwood Terrace, following a recent hospitalization.

Kevin grew up in Burlington, Vt. He fell in love with playing sports, excelling in soccer and baseball. His accomplishments were often highlighted in the Burlington Free Press, scoring goals or hitting home runs. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1978 and went on to play baseball at the University of New Haven in Connecticut. Kevin attended for a year before returning to Vermont to begin a career as a lineman. He was able to continue his love for the game of baseball by joining the Burlington A’s, with the wonderful opportunity of being able to both play and coach.

childhood in this close-knit farming community, Mary Jane developed a passion for gardening and a keen appreciation for small-town lore that eventually led to her fascination with William Faulkner’s Yoknapatawpha novels and a career as a college English teacher and poet. Mary Jane earned an undergraduate degree in English and history in 1959 at what was then the Woman’s College of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. ere she began to write poems in creative writing classes with Randall Jarrell, who steered her toward writing about her native North Carolina Sandhills. Mary Jane went on to earn a master’s degree in English at the University of North Carolina in summer 1960. At Chapel Hill, she went on a legendary ﬁrst date to a Robert Frost reading with a lean, witty and difﬁdent fellow graduate student from Vermont, A. Inskip Dickerson Jr., whom she would marry in 1961. ey lived in Chapel Hill, where Mary Jane continued graduate study in English part time with the births of their children, Bert and Ann Meigs,

Kevin later transitioned to coaching soccer at Rice Memorial High School. Beginning as an assistant for the girls’ team, he ﬂawlessly rolled into a head coaching role, then took on the boys’ varsity team in 1988. He was a decorated coach with many winning seasons, two state championships and opportunities to coach the Lions Cup-Twin State team, and he was also inducted into the Rice-Cathedral Hall of Fame. Kevin was able to further his coaching at Rice by joining as an assistant to the varsity baseball team.

Kevin had an outstanding 36-year career at Burlington Electric Department working as a lineman and crew leader. It was there he met the love of his life, Cheryl, marrying in 1989. ey went on to

in 1962 and 1965, while Skip completed his doctoral studies. ey moved to Vermont in 1966 for Skip’s position as an assistant professor in English at the University of Vermont and to Jericho Center in 1968, where they bought a dilapidated brick farmhouse in the center of town, whose renovation and landscaping became their shared labor of love.

From the beginning of her time in Vermont, Mary Jane — an elegant and refined feminist from the South who embraced all that Vermont had to offer — cut a striking figure. She contributed tirelessly to the English department’s program during her 34-year career at the University of Vermont, where she served as the director of freshman English, associate director of writing and, in 1996, associate professor of English. Mary Jane developed courses in women’s autobiography and African American literature (UVM’s first) on the undergraduate and graduate levels. In 1997, she was awarded the George V. Kidder Outstanding Faculty Award and was thrilled to be invited in her final years of teaching

grow their family, welcoming a daughter, Ashley, and son, Keegan. Kevin was so proud of his family, taking any opportunity to teach, coach or brag about them. ere is no doubt that he was meant to be a father to his children and build a beautiful life with his family. He was ecstatic to welcome son-in-law Nick and daughter-in-law Mariah, the perfect partners for his kids. Kevin was even more elated to become a grandfather (“Pa”) to his Lily and Finley.

Kevin and his family faced a challenging diagnosis of frontotemporal degeneration (FTD) in spring 2023, following extensive testing and indicators that had been slowly progressing over a few years. During this past year, Kevin’s FTD symptoms began to progress, limiting his mobility

to Japan and South Africa as a visiting scholar. In 2016, she was inducted as a fellow in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. ough a proliﬁc writer and a dedicated teacher, Mary Jane most loved mentoring young writers, which she continued to do until shortly before she died.

Skip’s untimely death in 1995 helped Mary Jane decide to take an early retirement in 2000 to have plenty of time for her family, friends, travel, and creative and civic interests. During her long and robust retirement, she taught regular classes on reading and writing poetry at local libraries and was a writer/faculty member at the New England Young Writers’ Conference at Breadloaf; published two volumes of poetry; served on numerous boards and committees, including the Deborah Rawson Memorial Library in Underhill, Vt., and the Fleming Museum board; and participated in civic work with the Democratic Party and in her beloved Jericho Center as an elected justice of the peace, treasurer of the Jericho Preservation Association and

and ability to care for himself or communicate in a normal capacity. However, as difﬁcult as this diagnosis and progression was, it never impacted Kevin’s ability to show his love and devotion to his family.

Kevin made the biggest impact on so many people around him. From Little League to rec soccer, club teams and TOPSoccer, he shared his passion for coaching. He was an outstanding role model, mentor and friend. Kevin welcomed everyone into his life with open arms and without judgment. He was a remarkable partner, father, grandfather and uncle.

He is survived by his loving wife, Cheryl; daughter, Ashley Mitchell-Ringuette; son, Keegan, and his wife, Maria; grandchildren, Lily and Finley Ringuette; sister, Shari

a Jericho Democratic Caucus member. Perhaps her proudest accomplishment in retirement was cofounding Sundog Poetry, whose mission is to support Vermont poets.

Mary Jane’s zest for life, empathy, eloquence and generous spirit made a powerful impression on those who were lucky enough to know her. Her gardens, cultivated with care and imagination over 56 years, reflect her magnificent aesthetic sense that seemed to radiate from her at all times. She championed her children and grandchildren in all of their endeavors, valuing each child’s particular talents and interests with equal enthusiasm. Even during her most difficult days at the end of her life, Mary Jane maintained a profound sense of gratitude for all of her blessings. Her survivors include her sister, Ann Phillips McCracken of Sanford, N.C.; son, Albert I. Dickerson (Sarah) of Huntington, Vt., and their children, Angus Dickerson (Hannah) of Huntington and Mary Jo of Santa Fe, N.M.; daughter, Ann Meigs Dickerson (Azzam

LeBlanc, and her husband, Doug; in-laws, Jerry and Rita Snyder; and sister-in-law, Shelly Corley, her husband, Tim, and their children, Colton and Kylie. Kevin was predeceased by his parents, Alan and Pearl Mitchell, and son-inlaw, Nick Ringuette. A casual celebration of life will be held in his honor on Sunday, October 20, 2 to 5 p.m., at Catamount Country Club, 1400 Mountain View Rd., Williston, VT. His family requests that those who wish to express sympathy consider making a donation to the Association of Frontotemporal Degeneration in Kevin’s name. Arrangements are in the care of LaVigne Funeral & Cremation Service. To send condolences to his family, please visit vtfuneralhomes. com.

Elayan) of Hillsborough, N.J., and their children, Adam and Leila Elayan; nieces Sherrill McCracken and son Jack Richardson, Sarah McCracken Cobb (Ken) and daughters Rebecca and Caroline (Donovan), and Mary Ann McCracken Compton (Will) and their children, James Webb (Ginny), Peter and daughter Anna; brotherin-law, Gregory Dickerson (Deena); nephew, Greg Dickerson (Marguerite), and their children, Lily and Ben; and niece Kirsten Dickerson and her daughter, Charlotte.

To make a charitable donation in Mary Jane’s honor, please consider Sundog Poetry (sundogpoetry.org/ donate), or the Mary Jane Dickerson Scholarship fund at the University of Vermont (go.uvm.edu/dickerson). Checks may be addressed to the UVM Foundation (with Mary Jane Dickerson English Department Scholarship Fund written in the memo line), Grasse Mount, 411 Main St., Burlington, VT 05401.

A celebration of Mary Jane’s life will be held on Saturday, October 26, 2024, noon, at her Jericho home.

Joan Hartman Kaye

MAY 14, 1935OCTOBER 6, 2024 ESSEX, VT.

A brilliant star was extinguished on Sunday, October 6, 2024, when Joan Hartman Kaye departed this world. Born in Chicago on May 14, 1935, to Charles Hartman and Ruth Wollenberger, Joan attended Indiana University, married “Mayor” Ken Kaye in 1956, then moved to St. Albans, Vt., where they established careers and raised three children. Those who had the good fortune to encounter Joan’s lifetime journey experienced her boundless ability to connect with others of all ages (she became “Mom” and “Grammy” to countless folks). They also experienced her infectious — often irreverent — sense of humor, her uncanny ability to counsel others through her scarily accurate tarot readings and a kindness that radiated from her, seeming to invite total strangers to share with her intimate details from their lives. She, in turn, would offer just the right support, advice and love, making you friends for life from then on. She was an avid reader — you did not want to play any trivia game with her — a lover of music who could not carry a tune or whistle, and an animal magnet. She had an insatiable sweet tooth and was a talented sketch artist and crossword puzzler. In her early years, Joan was a stay-at-home mom until all three children were

in school. Always a social worker at heart, she started out as the medical social worker at Kerbs Hospital and later left to join St. Albans Home and Health Agency. Following that position, she became a pillar member of the staff at the Community College of Vermont, where she designed courses called Dimensions of Learning. These courses gave support to countless Franklin and Lamoille County residents wanting to enter the world of college, when school perhaps was never easy for them. She was forced to retire when she needed to spend time in Chicago at the end of her mother’s life. Beyond her career and raising children, Joan sat on the board of the now defunct Warner Home and was active on the board of her beloved St. Albans Library, where she volunteered many hours. In her later years, Joan and Ken enjoyed motorcycle trips, camping, traveling the world and snowbirding in Sarasota, Fla.

Joan leaves behind her children, Laurie (Dave) Singer, Dave (Mary) Kaye and Marjie (Mitch) Sheppard; grandchildren, Daniel (Brandi) Singer, Sheara (David) Heon, Charlie and Zoe Sheppard, and Emily and Abby Kaye; and granddogs, Honeybear, Millie and Camrose. She also leaves her great-grandchildren, Sarah and Joshua Heon and Scarlett and Solomon Singer. All of her grands brought her incredible joy. Joan also leaves her brothers, Sam (Karen) Hartman and Joe (Martino) Hartman, as well as her niece, Tipton

(Michael) Hartman Haney. She leaves countless friends in Vermont and beyond but especially her longtime friend Joan Plaisted, with whom she shared love, laughter and everything in between. Joan was predeceased by her parents; her in-laws, Paul and Sarah Kaye; her stepsister, Claudie Viehmann, her husband, Mervin Ken Kaye, and his brother, Robert Kaye; and many close aunts, uncles and cousins. Also predeceasing her were her much loved prancing poodles, Valentine and Teddy Bear.

We can’t thank the staff at McClure Miller Respite House enough for their hardto-describe care and compassion on mom’s final days. Additionally, we thank Emily Germaine, who provided many hours of respite care to Joan when at Maple Ridge and Birchwood, and also the hospice teams from both BAYADA and the University of Vermont, where the love and support they provided us made such a huge difference in both mom’s and our lives. A huge thank-you also to Zachery Wilson, who not only got her up and walking after her stroke but remained a source of comfort and friendship right until the end of her life.

Funeral services will be held on Thursday, October 10, 2024, 10 a.m., at Temple Sinai, 500 Swift St., South Burlington, VT, followed by her burial at Lakeview Cemetery in Burlington. The family will be sitting shiva on Thursday, October 10, 6 p.m., and on Friday, October 11, noon, at Laurie’s house, 49 Logwood Circle in Essex. Family and friends are very welcome to join us for shiva on those dates to celebrate Joan’s life.

Rather than flowers, please consider donations in Joan’s memory to McClure Miller Respite House, (uvmhomehealth.org) or to the St. Albans Free Library (stalbansfreelibrary.org).

Arrangements are being made by Ready Funeral & Cremation Services. To send online condolences, please visit readyfuneral.com.

Wendell E. Carr

MAY 24, 1940OCTOBER 2, 2024 SOUTH BURLINGTON, VT.

Wendell E. Carr, 84, passed away October 2, 2024, at the University of Vermont Medical Center. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 19, 2024, 10:00 a.m., in the chapel of the First Congregational Church of Burlington, 38 So. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT. Arrangements are in care of LaVigne Funeral & Cremation Service. To view the complete obituary and send condolences to his family, please visit vtfuneralhomes.com.

IN MEMORIAM

Lucille Sargent

AUGUST 10, 1941OCTOBER 10, 2022

We will always love and remember you, our beloved wife, mother and grandmother. We miss you every day.

Love, Don, Sarah & Simone Alex, Malcolm, Brandon, Lauren, Olivia, Langston & Myles

Want to memorialize a loved one? We’re here to help. Our obituary and in memoriam services are affordable, accessible and handled with personal care.

Share your loved one’s story with the Seven Days community in Lifelines.

Post your obituary or in memoriam online and in print at sevendaysvt.com/lifelines Or contact us at lifelines@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 ext. 121.

Buyout Blues Buyout Blues

Many Vermont flood victims want FEMA to purchase their damaged homes. But some towns are saying no.

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM • kevin@sevendaysvt.com

Peter Anthony and Gordon George lived for years on opposite banks of the flood-prone Stevens Branch of the Winooski River in Barre.

Anthony, 80, is a retired economics professor who now serves as a state representative. He raised his family in a modest two-story home just feet from where granite-lined banks have for more than a century contained the river in a man-made channel.

George, a 74-year-old retired semiconductor tool operator, moved into a house across the river in 2009. He planned to fix it up for his son and daughter-in-law but ended up living there himself.

Both men grew accustomed to the occasional flooding of their old homes and the recovery ritual of mucking out silt-filled basements and helping neighbors do the same. But neither was prepared for the July 2023 flood that not only surged into their basements but also filled their first floors with several feet of water, rendering both homes uninhabitable.

All too aware of the risk of future floods, George and Anthony decided not to rebuild. Both were hoping for a lifeline from a federal program that would pay them a fair price for their homes and let them move on with their lives.

Only one of them has any hope that will happen.

Anthony’s application was approved by Barre officials earlier this year, giving him a shot at some of the millions that the Federal Emergency Management Agency has made available for Vermont. George’s request was denied — not by faceless federal bureaucrats in Washington, D.C., but by officials in his own city.

“It’s not gonna happen,” Mayor Thom Lauzon told George as he pleaded for the Barre City Council’s help last month.

FEMA’s buyouts come with a caveat: The home and other structures must be removed and the property permanently set aside as green space. Lauzon said the city needs to be “judicious” in supporting buyouts because demolishing too many homes could erode the city’s tax base and exacerbate Vermont’s housing crisis. So, Barre officials have established criteria for deciding which buyouts are justified. George’s home was one of dozens that didn’t make the cut.

Local leaders across Vermont are being forced to make difficult

Gordon George was denied a FEMA home buyout by Barre.

decisions in the wake of three major floods in 12 months. They must choose which of their flooded-out neighbors will be allowed to seek federal buyouts and who will not be given that chance.

While most buyout funds come from the federal government, the first gatekeepers are selectboards and city councils across Vermont: Without local government approval, FEMA will not consider an application.

Anthony’s buyout was endorsed by city staff because demolishing his home and several nearby ones would allow for the restoration of a floodplain, which could reduce downstream flooding. George’s home was deemed too isolated, and

that FEMA could spend up to $50 million on buyouts in Vermont.

Some communities, including Plainfield and Middlesex, are allowing any homeowner who qualifies under FEMA guidelines to seek a buyout, reasoning that it is their right and the tax hit is inevitable.

were either undermined by landslides or are right on the river. The city has greenlighted buyout applications for 25 riverside homes or businesses. It has rejected 38 others.

Some communities with healthier budgets and suitable space to rebuild on

Communities must decide which of their flooded-out neighbors will be allowed to seek federal buyouts.

Other towns are taking Barre City’s approach — saying no to some homeowners in order to protect what they see as

higher ground can afford to offer more buyouts, but Barre, one of the poorest cities in the state, has neither, Barre City

removing it was considered unlikely to improve the city’s flood resiliency.

Interest in the FEMA buyout program has soared since major floods in July 2023, December 2023 and July 2024. The state, which is helping manage buyout applications for cities and towns, now has 295 active applications from 67 communities either submitted to FEMA or in the queue, with many more expected. Doug Farnham, the state’s chief recovery officer, estimated

the greater good of the community. The central Vermont city represents the starkest example of this dilemma.

Hundreds of Vermont homes likely qualify for buyouts under FEMA standards, which require a house to be located in a designated Special Flood Hazard Area. The buyouts aim to cover the property’s market value before any flood damage.

Barre’s conservative approach only supports buyouts for properties that

‘WE LOVED THE PLACE’

After the July 2023 flood, Peter Anthony and his wife, Marsha Kincheloe, stayed with friends before moving into an apartment above a downtown Barre shop. They eventually decided the cost of rebuilding and the continued flood risk made it unwise to return to their riverside refuge of 45 years. Today the house sits behind a tangle of overgrown gardens, its porch littered with tools and muddy floorboards. Inside, the lower four feet of walls are stripped bare.

“We loved the place,” Anthony said. “The kids loved the place. The river was our friend until it slowly ceased to be our friend.”

He remains in limbo, unsure whether the buyout of perhaps $200,000 will come through and where they would go if it does. Nevertheless, he is grateful the city has signed off on his buyout and hopes his and other homes around Scampini Square can be replaced by green space with public access to a widened river.

“I will be overjoyed if that happens,” Anthony said. “I will consider that a gift to the city.”

Across the river, Gordon George’s home sits abandoned about 60 feet from the east bank of the Stevens Branch on a narrow strip of land between the river and North Main Street. The scene is much like that at Anthony’s home: The yard is choked with weeds, and silt covers the steps and porch. A yellow sign taped to the front door by the fire marshal declares the property “off limits to unauthorized personnel” due to “serious hazards.”

On a recent visit, it was evident why. George turned the key and pushed open the door, only to have it hit something heavy. A broken toilet blocked the door from fully opening.

Manager Nicolas Storellicastro said. It’s terrible for municipal staff and elected officials to have to choose between the good of individuals, whose home is often their largest asset, and the good of the city, he added.

“It’s not about the sadness of your story,” he said. “It’s about applying a standard and sticking with it regardless of the consequences. And the consequences suck.”

Squeezing through the gap, George entered the front room to reveal a gutted disaster zone. Walls had been stripped down to the plaster and lath; warped boards had been ripped from the floor.

George readily recounted details of past floods. He hauled out 157 five-gallon buckets of silt from his basement after Tropical Storm Irene in 2011. A few years later, in 2015, another flood deposited even more silt for him to clear out: more than 171 buckets’ worth.

Peter Anthony’s FEMA buyout was approved by Barre.

2NDST.

He was more reluctant to share his feelings about losing his home but eventually opened up. “It’s kinda devastating,” he said. “Sometimes it makes you wonder what life is all about.”

George has moved twice since the 2023 ﬂood and now shares a mobile home with a woman in Weston’s Cooperative in Berlin, an arrangement facilitated through HomeShare Vermont.

While he didn’t have ﬂood insurance, George isn’t destitute. He worked for 28 years in Essex Junction making semiconductors for IBM and its successor, GlobalFoundries. He proudly declares that his thrift (“I’m a Scotsman!”) has left him with savings to fall back on.

But it strikes him as arbitrary and unfair that he can’t even ask FEMA for a buyout because Barre o cials have decided his home, despite being in a FEMA ﬂood zone, is not close enough to the river.

“I think I should at least be allowed to try,” he said. “I believe that deeply in my heart.”

After the city manager turned him down, George took his case directly to the city council in August. “I’d just like to put this to bed one way or the other,” George told councilors at a public meeting, adding that the uncertainty was eating him up.

That’s when Lauzon told George that not only was the city rejecting his bid for a FEMA buyout, but Barre, which has a limited buyout program of its own, wasn’t going to purchase his home, either.

City officials believe some flooded homes sit on land that could be redeveloped with housing designed to withstand ﬂoodwaters and have o ered to purchase a few such places. The city’s bids have been modest because the budget is tight, demolishing houses is expensive, and the sites would have to be o ered at no cost to housing developers.

Homeowners so far have considered the city’s o ers “a slap in the face,”

Storellicastro said, and none has accepted them.

City Councilor Teddy Waszazak said he wishes that both the city and FEMA buyout processes could be opened up to more property owners. Some residents whose FEMA buyouts were rejected, including a couple with a young daughter on Berlin Street, are clearly at risk, he said.

“Call me a bleeding heart, but I think safety is the basis of everything the government does. And if your house is ﬂooding three times a year, you are not safe,” he told Seven Days

But when he proposed expanding the buyouts beyond those that the city

FEMA HOME BUYOUTS IN A NORTHERN BARRE NEIGHBORHOOD

is section of Barre includes 10 of 25 properties approved for buyouts — and 18 of the 38 rejected.

Approved buyout

Denied buyout

Landmarks seen in 2023 ﬂood photo above:

Dollar General 2 1

Salvation Army

manager had proposed during the August meeting, Lauzon discouraged the idea.

“If you listen to these stories and you’re not heartbroken, then you’re not human and you shouldn’t be sitting on the council,” Lauzon told his colleagues. “But if we start messing with the process, that slope is going to turn so slippery so fast, and what is supposed to be a mitigation program is going to turn into a popularity contest.”

BUILD BACK NEVER

Storellicastro has been Barre’s city manager for less than two years. In that time, he’s had a crash course on the city’s

Buyout Blues « P.23

July 2023 ﬂooding at the intersection of North Main and Fourth streets in Barre

history of flooding and the development patterns that make it particularly vulnerable.

Last week, as he walked past a cluster of homes on River Street that have been approved for buyouts, he explained the city’s rationale for limiting applications mostly to homes or businesses directly adjacent to the river. This land holds promise for projects that would reconnect the river to its historic floodplain and thus reduce flooding downstream.

“We’ve targeted the properties that we think have the greatest value as a whole to the city,” he said.

The city also hopes to limit FEMA buyouts to preserve places — including other parts of the floodplain — for future flood-proof development.

to help flood victims. Their concerns have only deepened as FEMA faces tens of billions of dollars in potential aid and rebuilding costs from Hurricane Helene, which struck Florida and other southeastern states in late September. On its heels, a second major hurricane, Milton,

If we don’t build on floodplains … it’s like signing a death warrant for the city.

BARRE CITY MANAGER NICOLAS STORELLICASTRO

“Look at us. We’re either ledge or floodplain,” Storellicastro said. “If we don’t build on floodplains, if we don’t take advantage of every potential site, it’s like signing a death warrant for the city.”

That puts Barre at odds with the goals of the FEMA buyout program, which is to remove structures from high flood-hazard areas to minimize danger, according to Richard Verville, deputy director of the Mitigation Division of FEMA Region 1.

“We’re getting people out of harm’s way,” he said.

Using FEMA buyouts is an important part of Vermont’s strategy to protect the state and its residents from the frequent floods driven by climate change. After Tropical Storm Irene, the state used about $37 million in FEMA funds to purchase 170 properties. Some of them formed the backbone of signature flood-mitigation projects, such as a new four-acre park in Northfield. Dog River Park replaced some of the 18 flooded homes that were bought with FEMA funds and torn down.

But critics say the disaster relief program is itself a disaster. In addition to pitting residents against local governments and eroding local tax rolls, they say it’s underfunded and takes too long

was bearing down on central Florida as this issue went to press.

Storellicastro said FEMA’s prohibition on all future rebuilding on buyout parcels is unreasonable for a city such as Barre and needs to change. Buildings can be designed and constructed to be flood resilient, as evidenced by how the City Place building in downtown Barre, built in 2014 to stringent codes, survived recent floods unscathed. Building floodresistant housing on properties FEMA purchases should be allowed, he said.

It’s a “terrible conversation” to tell the owners of a damaged home that they can’t pursue a FEMA buyout because the city needs to preserve the possibility that someone else might someday build modern housing on the site.

“If we’re in this purported housing crisis, we have to act like we’re in a housing crisis, and that means we have to be super conservative and aggressive on maintaining every potential lot that could have a flood-resilient house,” Storellicastro said.

Changing the rules that prevent development on buyout sites would require an act of Congress. U.S. Sen. Peter Welch

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(D-Vt.) agrees that major changes to the FEMA process are necessary, including the change that Barre officials support. He favors bipartisan legislation to streamline FEMA’s processes and push more decision making to the local level. He’s also called for an audit of the agency’s relief programs.

“All of us can imagine how heartbreaking, how traumatic, it is for a family to have lost their home,” Welch told Seven Days last week. “But then to have the pain of a dysfunctional process inflicted on them just adds to that trauma.”

The program should place more decision making in the hands of local officials, who could get flood victims aid payouts more quickly and give municipalities the flexibility they need to buy people out without undermining their grand lists, Welch said.

Waszazak, the Barre councilor, agrees that FEMA’s program needs major reform, but he’s not holding his breath for Congress to act.

He said state government should step in now. It could help Barre and other communities bypass FEMA, buy flooded properties more quickly, and then decide whether the land should be returned to floodplain or rebuilt with safer housing.

“Right now, we’re in this sort of hellscape of bureaucracy which takes forever. But climate change is happening now,” Waszazak said.

MIDDLESEX IS ALL IN

Barre is not the only community grappling with buyout decisions. Liz Scharf, chair of the Middlesex Selectboard, expressed concern earlier this year about the impact on the town budget if all those who sought buyouts received them. Ultimately, however, the selectboard decided the tax impact from losing taxable property had to be secondary to helping residents escape flood danger.

“I don’t think we actually thought twice

It’s a lot of expense to maintain that house in a place that it shouldn’t be.

SKIP FLANDERS

about not accepting these applications, because we’re thinking about our townspeople,” she told Seven Days. Middlesex, which straddles the Winooski River, has 14 buyout applications under review by FEMA, making it second only to Barre. That could change, however, when new batches of applications come in from hard-hit towns such as Johnson and Plainfield, according to Stephanie Smith, the state’s hazard mitigation officer.

Waterbury, downstream from Barre on the Winooski River, has also struggled with buyouts. Its selectboard has approved some but has resisted allowing homeowners in one desirable neighborhood to pursue them.

Randall Street is lined with well-kept homes. Pumpkins adorn porches, and children’s chalk drawings decorate the sidewalks. The state office complex and popular downtown businesses such as Prohibition Pig are a short walk away.

But the neighborhood also shows subtle signs of distress. Some homes are in disrepair, with porches and siding damaged as a result of two floods in the past year. Two stately homes that previously would have inspired bidding wars have languished on the market for months.

Skip Flanders has lived for decades on the corner of Randall and Elm streets. This summer he inquired about a buyout, but some selectboard members worried that endorsing his FEMA application might open the floodgates to others.

“I think it would dramatically change the character of our community,” selectboard member Mike Bard told his colleagues.

Board chair Roger Clapp, who lives two doors down from Flanders, asked whether,

instead of seeking a buyout, Flanders had considered offering his house on the stillstrong real estate market.

“Why would you not put out a ‘for sale’ sign and sell this problem to somebody else?” Clapp asked.

Flanders, 78, replied that he’d feel wrong selling his home to someone while knowing that future floods would surely drive them from the home in the middle of night, as had happened repeatedly to him and his wife.

On a recent visit, a car jack held up a corner of a porch covered with tools. When Flanders lifted a piece of plywood to expose the undermined foundation, his dog wandered over for a look and fell into the hole.

After extracting the disoriented canine, Flanders explained that he’d flood-proofed the home as best he could after Irene, including moving the furnace, electrical panels and personal items out of the basement. But mucking out and drying out a basement after every flood is exhausting, he said.

“It’s a lot of expense to maintain that house in a place that it shouldn’t be,” Flanders said.

He’s not sure he’d take a buyout if FEMA offered one. But he feels the

KEVIN

MCCALLUM

July 2023 flooding at the corner of Randall and Elm streets in Waterbury

Flood damage hasn’t prevented homeowners on Randall Street in Waterbury from rebuilding.

selectboard shouldn’t be blocking him from asking.

“I don’t think that’s letting people decide their own fate,” he said.

Flanders ultimately was able to convince the selectboard to back his application. But his next-door neighbor, Lisa Meyer, could not get approval for her three-unit apartment building, which sustained serious flood damage.

Unsure why the board didn’t support her application, Meyer noted that Clapp, the board chair, had publicly downplayed the impact of the floods on the neighborhood.

“(He) has an approach of, ‘Hey, what’s the big deal? You have to clear out your basement once in a while,’” Meyer recalled. “That’s really frustrating to hear.”

Clapp did say at an August selectboard meeting that he’s become so used to flooding that it “doesn’t really affect my life all that adversely, honestly.”

In an interview at his home, Clapp noted that it is one thing to offer a buyout for a single family but another entirely to let desperately needed apartments be torn down.

He wants to explore ways to prevent flooding in the first place. This includes strategies to acquire land elsewhere in the watershed for floodplain restoration projects, lowering the height of the state-owned cornfield immediately behind Randall Street and even using that soil to build a berm to protect his neighborhood.

But building berms to protect private property is prohibited under state rules and is the opposite of the state’s strategy of giving flooded rivers room to spread out so that they slow down and their energy dissipates, according to Rob Evans, rivers program manager at the Department of Environmental Conservation.

There are exceptions for emergencies and densely populated areas with no other options, but “it’s a really high bar” and “largely cost prohibitive,” he said.

Helping people elevate their homes has also come up, though municipal manager Tom Leitz has warned that such projects are significantly more complicated.

Clapp said he’s aware of the challenges but has spoken with Gov. Phil Scott and other state officials who are open to considering the cornfield project. If the Netherlands can figure out how to keep dry its vast swaths of land below sea level, Vermont — which after Irene found ways to protect the government office complex near Randall Street — ought to be able to safeguard his neighborhood, he said.

“I think there is a fairly legitimate chance of protecting this street,” Clapp said, “and until we investigate that further, I’m not willing to let that go.” ➆

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Democracy 101

How Vermont’s colleges and universities are preparing their students for the November election

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

Marta Shcharbakova was attending Bennington College in August 2020 when anti-government protests erupted in her native Belarus against the authoritarian regime of Alexander Lukashenko, who was widely seen as having stolen the recent presidential election. Shcharbakova, then 21, immediately flew home to join the demonstrations.

“My dream has always been to participate in the freeing of my country,” she said.

The pro-democracy rallies, the largest in Belarus history, sparked a swift and brutal government crackdown.

“People were disappearing from their homes,” Shcharbakova recalled. “You would go to the shop to buy bread, and you would not come home because everyone was kidnapped and thrown in jail and tortured. It was just insane.”

EDUCATION

Among them was Shcharbakova, who was arrested twice and spent a total of three weeks in jail before finally fleeing the country. She has been unable to return ever since.

The 2023 Bennington College grad, who now lives in San Francisco, returned to her alma mater last month to share her story in an on-campus forum called “Civic Education, Gen Zers, and the Future of Democracy.” The free event, sponsored by the Patrick J. Leahy Public Policy Forum, was part of an ongoing campus series this fall called “Saving Democracy Together,” which aims to boost youth participation in the electoral process. More than 200 people attended in person or online, including some from around the country.

Millennials and Gen Zers now comprise nearly half of all eligible U.S. voters. Yet recent studies suggest that these generations, the most diverse in American history, are also the most cynical about the role of government and the future of democracy.

Programs such as “Saving Democracy Together,” as well as similar efforts at other Vermont colleges and universities, are trying to convey a different message to students: Democracies are not self-propagating. Like gardens, they require constant tending. And we ignore them at our peril.

“I have witnessed the collapse of democracy firsthand,” said Abraar Arpon, a Bangladesh native and Bennington College

junior who also spoke at the event. After decades of progress, Bangladesh has seen a dramatic deterioration in human rights and the rule of law in recent years, he said.

Recognizing that many young Americans take for granted their right to vote, Arpon created a nonpartisan website, myballot.info, that provides easy, accessible and anonymous information on how to register to vote in every state.

“Believe me, it’s far easier to cast your ballot to strengthen the democracy,” he said, “than to rebuild it from scratch.”

Recognizing that the greatest threats to American democracy are coming not from foreign powers but from within — in the form of apathy, divisiveness, disinformation, voter disenfranchisement, intimidation and violence — Vermont’s colleges and universities have taken a variety of approaches. At Middlebury College, the ALL IN Campus Democracy Challenge is organizing voter registration drives, getout-the-vote events and debate-watching parties with faculty-provided analyses. The University of Vermont’s political science department is teaching courses this

semester titled “The 2024 Election” and “The Struggle for Democracy.”

Saint Michael’s College recently hosted a lecture by a visiting Jesuit priest about the role of Catholicism in voter ethics. At Norwich University, students are polling the political leanings of tens of thousands of college students across the country. And Middlebury College and Champlain College

are teaching students how to have difficult conversations about divisive issues — without resorting to shouting or name-calling. Several of these programs were borne from the strife that roiled college campuses nationwide earlier this year after Israel’s invasion of Gaza. Though no such protests

Middlebury College students watching the vice presidential debate

took place at Champlain College, Monique Taylor, the college’s provost and chief academic officer, knew that the school needed to arm its students with the skills necessary to engage in civil discourse.

“On any given day, there are hundreds of topics we could take on: guns, reproductive rights, affirmative action, the climate, this war, that war. It’s exhausting,” Taylor said. “We’re supposed to help people talk and understand and think critically and arrive at new points of knowledge.”

To that end, Champlain College launched a series of on-campus workshops in the spring called “Learning to Listen, Listening to Learn.” The goal, Taylor said, is to provide students with skills and techniques for seeing beyond partisan and ideological differences. And they’re teaching those methods without ever broaching a hot-button issue.

The first “Learning to Listen” event of the semester, held in mid-September, was moderated by Mason Crochetiere, a 20-year-old junior from Springfield, Mass., who’s majoring in computer game design. Crochetiere, who described himself as “not especially political,” likened a conversation to playing a game, in that both have a defined set of rules, mechanics and unspoken conventions. Rather than focusing on “winning” a discussion, he said, fruitful conversations foster greater mutual understanding of differing points of view.

The event began by breaking the 40 or so participants into small groups, each with a facilitator. Students were instructed to have a very structured conversation in which one person was the speaker and the others, the listeners. The process began with very benign questions such as: Where are you from? What’s your favorite kind of pizza? Those built up to: What is the most contentious issue that came up at a recent family gathering?

Ultimately, the goal wasn’t to move on to

more politically fraught topics. Rather, it was to help students see beneath the surface of other people’s identities and become more open-minded, empathetic and curious about their values and points of view. Taylor described the process as “heartwarming.”

At Saint Michael’s College, Father Thomas Massaro took a different approach to exploring students’ values as they relate to politics. A Jesuit priest and professor of moral theology at Fordham University in New York City, Massaro is a theologian whose research focuses on the role of religion in American public life.

some students were surprised to learn that Pope Francis recently described both U.S. presidential candidates as “against life.” Indeed, the pontiff advised Catholic voters to search their souls and — without naming names — choose the “lesser evil” when casting their ballots in November.

In short, Massaro concluded, a good Catholic need not be a single-issue voter to remain true to their faith.

IT’S FAR EASIER TO CAST YOUR BALLOT TO STRENGTHEN THE DEMOCRACY THAN TO REBUILD IT FROM SCRATCH.

On September 24, he visited St. Mike’s campus to give a talk called “Toward a Catholic Voting Ethic: Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.”

Though politicians often assume that Catholics vote as a monolithic bloc in the U.S., Massaro reminded the roughly 100 students in attendance that, while the Catholic Church has a defined body of teachings, “It does not dictate how you should vote.”

Indeed, every four years the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops publishes a document called “Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship.” The 30-page treatise addresses a range of political issues, from the environment to poverty to ending war. Though issues directly related to life — abortion, euthanasia, capital punishment, cloning — are considered the “preeminent priority,” Massaro said, that doesn’t mean that Catholic voters should not consider other factors when choosing a candidate.

Failing to do so “would be objectionable to me, frankly,” added Massaro, who described himself as politically moderate.

How did students respond to Massaro’s message? While St. Mike’s is considered among the more liberal-leaning Catholic colleges in the U.S., Massaro noted that

On the campus of Norwich University, America’s oldest private military college, expressions of overt partisan politics are rare. Because the majority of undergraduate students are members of the Corps of Cadets and will eventually serve in one of the five branches of the U.S. military, they swear an allegiance to the Constitution, not to a political candidate or specific politician occupying the White House.

Which is not to suggest that politics has no presence on the campus. Spencer Rada and Hector Aponte are 20-yearold juniors and political science majors.

Last year, the pair resurrected Norwich’s political science club, Politeia, after years of inactivity. The club, which now has about 20 formal members, has brought speakers to campus, organized field trips to the Vermont Statehouse and the Supreme Court, run voter registration drives, and held debate-watching parties.

Some of the club’s work was motivated by a sense that Norwich students seemed disengaged from the political process — an observation, members learned later, that’s reflected in Norwich students’ traditionally low voter participation rate.

“I don’t see too much political interest in the election that’s being outwardly expressed,” Aponte said. While they don’t know what is being discussed behind dorm

room doors, he and Rada said they’ve heard very little talk on campus about the upcoming election, except from their fellow political science majors.

So about a year ago, Aponte and Rada decided to see how students at other colleges and universities feel about the upcoming election. They launched a national survey to gauge the political attitudes of college students on such issues as the economy, reproductive rights, immigration and foreign policy. Aponte and Rada will analyze the results to see how those views are influenced by demographic factors such as geography, gender and race.

Thus far, they’ve contacted more than 1,100 colleges and universities across the U.S., as well as 50 national academic and political science organizations. Their goal is to survey 51,000 students by October 18, or at least 1,000 from each state plus the District of Columbia.

Due to the study’s protocols, Aponte and Rada were not permitted to discuss their results yet but expect to publicize their preliminary findings before the November 5 general election. They’ve also created a new course on campus — Political Science 199 — that has brought in 12 students to help them analyze the survey results and compare them to youth voting patterns in past elections.

Historically, U.S. colleges and universities have largely avoided wading into the treacherous waters of partisan politics, said Sen. Brian Campion (D-Bennington), director of public policy programs at Bennington College’s Center for the Advancement of Public Action and one of the organizers of the “Saving Democracy Together” series. But given the broad consensus, on college campuses and elsewhere, that the upcoming election is no longer business as usual, “We can’t do that anymore,” Campion said. “If institutions of higher education aren’t going to get engaged in protecting our democracy now, there may not be another opportunity.” ➆

ABRAAR ARPON

Let’s Connect.

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INSTANT HEADSHOT LOUNGE: Come camera-ready and get a professional proﬁle pic by StoryWorkz. Book by 10/23 for a $15 session. Limited walk-ups: $25.

10 A.M.-3 P.M.: Exhibitors at our annual career and tech expo make everything from microchips to motion sensors, robotics systems to charging stations, AI tools to electric aircraft. And all of them want to know if you can help them — or if they can help you.

NOON TALK: In his Church Street studio, Unnecessary Inventions creator Matty Benedetto uses 3D printers to prototype peculiar products for global brands including Wendy’s, Captain Morgan and Apple. He explains his evolution from Saint Michael’s College grad to a content creator with more than 10 million followers.

3 P.M. KEYNOTE: South Burlington-based OnLogic generates more than $100 million in revenue annually designing and producing specialized computers. Cofounder Roland Groeneveld and VP of HR Lauren Lavallee discuss how the 21-year-old company got its start and the opportunities it o ers for the next generation of Vermont workers.

NEW

RÉSUMÉ REVIEW:

Drop in with Sue Schlom from The Targeted Resume and get some free advice for your job search. Don’t forget your résumé!

The Perfect Blend

It’s not hard to find a coffee and a quick bite to eat around Vermont, but if you’re craving a maple latte with rich, Vermont-tapped syrup or a freshbaked pastry made in-house, Black Cap Coffee & Bakery is the spot. Owner Laura Vilalta has grown Black Cap’s single location in Stowe to four coffee shops around the state, all with a commitment to sourcing ingredients from as many local businesses as possible, from the coffee to the cream to the flavors.

Black Cap has gained a reputation for the quality of its products over the years. When Vilalta originally bought the Stowe business in 2012, it was focused solely on the quality of the coffee, but over the years, as she opened more locations, she noticed a demand for baked goods, too. So, she adapted, hiring New England Culinary Institute-trained head baker Ashia Messier to lead a six-person team of bakers. They supply all four locations with pastries made fresh that day. But don’t just take our word for it — the reviews online speak for themselves.

“Okay. This is the first review I’ve ever posted, but this was hands down the best pastry I’ve ever had in my life,” enthused a customer visiting from Philadelphia. “Jealous of everyone who lives here and has access to this regularly!”

“We really try to give back to the Vermont community by supporting other small businesses in Vermont like us,” Morris said.

BLACK CAP IS WOMAN-OWNED AND LOCAL

Vilalta, a Stowe resident, is originally from Barcelona. She had a career in marketing and taught at a Spanish business school before deciding to move her family to Vermont in 2010. She bought the first Black Cap location, in Stowe, in 2012. In 2015, she hired Danielle Dolisie as the general manager after meeting her at a spin class that Dolisie instructed. As a team, they opened three more locations, in Burlington, Morrisville and Waterbury.

“We say Black Cap is a great place to eat, meet and work,” Vilalta said. “The service is good, the quality is awesome, and we are open every day, and we make a point of that.”

“THAT REAL VERMONT MAPLE SYRUP FLAVOR — YOU CAN’T FAKE THAT. IT TASTES SO GOOD.”

Lauren Morris, director of HR for Black Cap, eats the pastries regularly. “This is the first place I’ve ever worked where I enjoyed the food,” she said. “I actually have to keep myself from taking things here because it’s all so delicious.” Morris noted that Messier is always searching for new ways to source local products for her recipes — for example, by using King Arthur Baking flour out of Norwich for all of the pastries.

It’s not just the ingredients — items from local businesses are all over the shelves for purchase at any Black Cap location, from Queen City Kombucha drinks to soaps and lotions from Elmore Mountain Farm.

Morris’ favorite drink is the maple latte, which is Black Cap’s specialty. Every single ingredient in it has a local connection. The syrup is from Lamb Family Maple out of Waterville, the coffee is roasted by Brave Coffee & Tea in Waterbury, and the milk is from Monument Farms Dairy and Mansfield Dairy.

Most of the decision makers on Vilalta’s team are women — including head baker Messier, operations manager Maria Cabezas and HR manager Morris, who started out as a barista in Black Cap’s Burlington location.

Vilalta quickly noticed that Morris was essential. “She demonstrated my value by giving me more and more responsibility over time,” Morris said. “It became clear to me that this was a place I could grow both personally and professionally.”

In April 2023, Vilalta hired Morris as Black Cap’s director of HR, a new position for the growing company. As Morris began attending classes for her HR certification, Black Cap covered the cost and paid Morris for her time in class. “They noticed what skills I had and helped me develop those skills. This isn’t an opportunity I would have gotten at a huge corporation or big chain,” she said.

There are so many things that set Black Cap apart from those larger companies, Morris explained. For example, Black Cap donates its day-old pastries to local food programs rather than selling them, to eliminate waste and give back to the community.

The Black Cap barista experience is different, too. Black Cap employees don’t just print out an order on a ticket and pass it off to the next worker on the assembly line. They make an effort to

Lauren Morris, Laura Vilalta, Ashia Messier and Maria Cabezas at Black Cap Coffee & Bakery

get to know their customers. “I like to know not only my customers’ names and orders but their preferences as well. I want to make their drink how they like it, even if they forget to ask because they haven’t had their morning caffeine yet,” Morris said.

The local partnerships also make a difference, Morris added. She has a close relationship with Black Cap’s local vendors. If she notices that the shop is low on decaf beans, she sends a text message and someone will deliver beans that day. As Morris explained, “We support each other.”

THE SWEET SPOT

Black Cap’s maple syrup also comes from a supplier nearby. Justin Lamb often describes the process of maple sugaring with an old cliché: “It’s a labor of love.” In early spring, Lamb and his wife, kid, cousins and in-laws head out to tap the trees on their land in Waterville. After about 4,100 taps, they boil the tree sap by putting it through a reverse

osmosis machine that separates the sap from the water. From there, they boil it down to make the sweet, rich maple syrup that makes a latte from Black Cap Coffee & Bakery taste so delicious.

“That real Vermont maple syrup flavor — you can’t fake that. It tastes so good,” Morris of Black Cap said.

Justin Lamb has fond memories of heading out to sugar as a kid on his family’s property with his grandfather. Back then, it was just a hobby. “We had a small sugaring arch, and we’d tap 450 trees. We’d sell a little, but we mostly gave it away to family and friends,” he recalled.

That changed in 2014 when he went pro, turning Lamb Family Maple into a real business. After five generations of sugaring in Vermont, Lamb saw the potential and started to grow it through retail and wholesale accounts.

An old friend, Tippy Tilton, who ran the now-retired Tilton Family Maple, connected him to Vilalta. Tilton used to

supply Black Cap, but when he decided to retire, Vilalta asked him to recommend another local family business.

“We greatly appreciate our partnership,” Lamb said, adding that those local partnerships are extremely important to his family’s business. “Because of Black Cap’s success, people from in and out of state can buy our products there. It really helps us get our name out.”

INGREDIENTS FROM ITS NEIGHBORS

Brave Coffee & Tea has a deeper relationship with Black Cap: The coffee shop’s original owner, Chris Townsend, sold it to Vilalta in order to focus on Brave, his roastery. A couple of years later, Townsend sold the roastery to one of its employees, Scott Weigand. But since Vilalta began running Black Cap, one thing hasn’t changed: Every single coffee bean in all of Black Cap’s locations is roasted in Waterbury, and as Black Cap has grown, Brave has grown right along with them.

“Every time Laura’s opened a new location, she’s given me a call and asked, ‘Hey, do you think you can handle one more?’” Weigand said with a wide grin. “And every time, I’ve said, ‘Absolutely, let’s do it.’”

Brave has about 30 wholesale accounts and 150 subscribers to its home delivery coffee service, but Black Cap is its biggest account. “They’re so essential to our business,” Weigand said. The small coffee roastery has a staff of three employees — Weigand and two part-time hires who help him roast and package the coffee. They do all of their work out of a small warehouse in Waterbury, just down the road from Black Cap’s Waterbury location.

“It’s great working with Laura. We’ve both helped each other out a lot, working together for 10 years,” Weigand said. When he started at Brave, he was a total newbie when it came to roasting. He came in and learned everything for the first time — including running a business. “I’ve learned a lot from her,” he said of Vilalta.

Those local connections are a big part of what makes the state such a great place to live and work. “In Vermont, local businesses are such a vital part of what we are. ‘Made in Vermont’ really means something, and it starts with supporting each other,” Weigand said.

And, sometimes, hiring each other: Weigand’s 15-year-old child will soon start their first job, as a barista at Black Cap in Waterbury. As Weigand said, “It’s a fullcircle moment.”

They could be the Black Cap barista serving up your next maple latte, which has traveled throughout the state to make it to your table, with ingredients sourced from many hardworking Vermonters. For visitors or locals in the state, that’s a sip of coffee you can’t get anywhere else in the world. 

42 Church St. 802-540-1744 STOWE 144 Main St. 802-253-2123 MORRISVILLE 53 Lower Main St. 802-521-7197

blackcapvermont.com @blackcapvermont

Pastries from Black Cap Coffee & Bakery

Cupcakes from Black Cap Coffee & Bakery

food+drink

B Is for Business

Tasting our way through two new St. Johnsbury restaurants: Birches and the Buttery

STORY & PHOTOS BY SUZANNE PODHAIZER

Even in a town experiencing a renaissance, which many say is the case in St. Johnsbury, beloved businesses close.

In January, Cosmic Cup Café, which specialized in sweet treats and farm-to-table lunches, ended its four-year run on Railroad Street, one of the burg’s main drags. Nearby Kingdom Table, a locavore restaurant established in 2019, closed in February. Five months later, so did its decade-old downstairs sister, Kingdom Taproom.

But unlike in past eras, when certain Railroad Street storefronts stood vacant for years, both locations were quickly snapped up by young business owners looking to expand on their already successful ventures.

WE’D LOVE TO GET PEOPLE OUT OF THEIR COMFORT ZONE.

DARRELL “DJ” MCLAUGHLIN

First, in early May, Darrell “DJ” and Katey McLaughlin, who own bustling Boule Bakery just down the block, took over the Kingdom Table space and opened Birches, a brunch and dinner restaurant emphasizing local ingredients and handmade pastas. They’re preparing to expand downstairs, into the space formerly occupied by the Taproom.

Then, in June, following a lucrative Kickstarter campaign that raised $30,000 toward startup costs, the Buttery opened in the former Cosmic spot. It’s run by Maggie Gray, owner of Haven — an upscale thrift store for home goods, located just around the corner — and her romantic partner, Gavin Wynkoop-Fischer. The sweet and petite eatery o ers grocery items, natural wines, co ee drinks, and seasonal snacks and meals.

We headed to St. Johnsbury to see what the new businesses are serving up.

Clockwise from top: Gavin Wynkoop-Fischer, delicata toast and egg plate at the Buttery; lamb Bolognese, a seating area and dry-aged steak at Birches

SIDEdishes

SERVING UP FOOD NEWS BY

Manhattan

Pizza & Pub Rebrands

as

Rincon With Latin-Inspired Tapas

Downtown Burlington staple

Manhattan Pizza & Pub relaunched over the weekend as RINCON PIZZERIA AND TAPAS BAR, bringing a menu of Latin American and Caribbean-inﬂuenced dishes and cocktails to 167 Main Street.

NATHAN MACALPINE, who owns Maple Valley Contracting in Colchester and is assisting a new investor group with the renovation and rebrand, said the business now has “much more” of a restaurant focus, serving full-size entrées as well as “quick and a ordable” tapas, with both vegan and meat options. Pizza is still available, both as design-yourown pies and specialty combos.

Rincon’s soft-opening menu featured dishes such as gluten-free arepas with tinga, so ritto or black beans, avocado, and sweet plantain; spicy chorizo; housemade tortilla chips with guacamole, pico de gallo and hummus; smash burgers; and wings in a variety of sauces.

MacAlpine is friends with one of the unnamed investors backing the project and DAVID QUINTANA, who bought the pizza spot last October and also owns DESPACITO, a vegan restaurant in the Old

North End. Quintana remains an owner and is now focused on running the kitchen.

“Dave and I are both Puerto Rican, and we’re trying to provide foods that are cultural, delicious and vibe with our communities,” MacAlpine said. “We’re really rocking the Latin ﬂavors.”

While Rincon will keep the bar’s 18 taps ﬂowing, it has a new focus on cocktails to match the updated menu. Drinks include coquito — which MacAlpine called “Puerto Rican eggnog” — and the Johnny Tsunami, with spiced rum, tropical juices, crème de coco and a butterﬂy pea powder-infused rum topper.

The rebrand comes three months after a social media controversy following a sta walkout, which was sparked by the sudden ﬁrings, via text message, of two bartenders.

Rincon will open at noon for lunch and stay open past midnight, MacAlpine

CONNECT

October 25, 2024 | 6pm-10pm October 25, 2024 | 6pm-10pm

JORDAN BARRY • jordan@sevendaysvt.com

Johnny Tsunami cocktail at Rincon Pizzeria and Tapas Bar

BUTTER DAYS AHEAD

e Buttery, 379 Railroad St., Suite 102, St. Johnsbury, 424-1710, thebutteryvt.com

Walking into the Buttery for the ﬁrst time raises some valid questions: Is it a store? A co ee shop? A restaurant? Even better: It’s all three.

On the left, separate from the rest of the business per Division of Liquor Control regulation, are shelves of natural wines, their prices written on the bottles in chalk marker, most ranging from $18 to $45. As Gray explained, natural wine is made “the way wine has been made for thousands of years” — that is, sans the more than 80 additives, including sweeteners and preservatives, that might be found in other wines.

Against the walls on the right are a cooler and a rack holding grocery items, including Sobremesa and Pitchfork Farm pickles and ferments; a basket overﬂowing with Jasper Hill Farm, Maplebrook Farm and Vermont Creamery cheeses; mackerel, smoked rainbow trout and other seafoods packaged in tins with whimsical art; and a Mediterranean- and Asian-leaning selection of sauces and condiments.

“I love a well-stocked and well-organized pantry,” Gray said, “and I wanted to o er a lot of the things that Gavin and I were driving a long distance to procure.” That includes cult fave Huy Fong “rooster” sriracha, which has become hard to ﬁnd in recent years. “Some people are like, ‘How did you get [this] sriracha?’ and I’m like, ‘That’s for me to know,’” Gray said with a smirk.

At the Buttery, Gray is in charge of choosing the wines, stocking the retail shelves and developing the menu for the café, which has striking potted plants, a tiled bar with a live-edge top and walnut-colored chairs around a handful of tables. She earned a degree in nutrition, with a minor in culinary skills, from Bastyr University near Seattle, and she loves putting together Vermont versions of the so-called “Bastyr healthy plates” that she learned about in school.

These plates prominently feature vegetables, whole grains, healthy fats, and either leafy greens, fermented vegetables or both. Animal proteins maintain a lower profile. “I’m sort of a believer … in beautifully sourced meats that are more of a garnish than a main,” Gray explained.

One key feature of the Buttery’s menu is that no matter a customer’s dietary preferences, they can customize to their

heart’s content. The base “charcuterie” platter ($12) is actually vegetarian, featuring half of a Boule baguette, cornichons, radishes and an herby white bean spread. All the available meats, cheeses and seafoods are add-ons. It’s much the same with the baguette toast breakfast ($3), which can be gussied up with ﬁ g jam ($1.50), anchovy butter ($2), Jasper Hill Farm’s Harbison cheese ($6), tinned cockles ($11) or a “full lox setup” ($10), among other delectables.

Currently, Gray and Wynkoop-Fischer are working with their interim kitchen manager on autumnal dishes. “We opened this business with no oven or stove,” Gray explained. “We had an induction burner and two pizza ovens that have gotten us through the summer.” Their newly acquired stove will be installed this week, leading to the immediate launch of a new

evening menu with more robust dinner entrées and seasonal small plates.

Wynkoop-Fischer’s domain is general management and hot beverages. Before cofounding the Buttery, he spent nearly six years working at Lucky’s Co ee Garage in Lebanon, N.H. “I grew with the business in a very organic way, where I had a lot of ownership over it and a lot of say over the way things ran.”

“I really fell in love with the café atmosphere,” he added, musing on his career path. “I’m a social and community-oriented person, and co ee is an amazing thing to gather around.”

The Buttery brews and sells beans from Vermont-based Brio Co eeworks, Carrier Roasting and Abracadabra Co ee, as well as New York’s Touchy Co ee. There are also teas from Vermont’s Free Verse Farm & Apothecary and a dandelion-based

[THE BUTTERY] WASN’T EVEN AN IDEA AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR, EXCEPT THAT I WANTED SOMEBODY ELSE TO DO IT.

MAGGIE GRAY

herbal co ee from California’s Wooden Spoon Herbs.

The high-quality beverages, malleable menu and warm sta turn strangers into regulars and keep those regulars coming back. After just a few months in business, Wynkoop-Fischer said, “The close community has been incredibly gratifying.”

Gray is amazed by how quickly things

Seared scallops in herb sauce at Birches

Sandwiches at the Buttery

came together. It feels “wild,” she said, that opening a place like the Buttery “wasn’t even an idea at this time last year, except that I wanted somebody else to do it.”

BRANCHING OUT

Birches, 397 Railroad St., 1st Floor, St. Johnsbury, 424-1289, birchesvt.com

When DJ and Katey McLaughlin opened Boule, which specializes in creative sourdough bread loaves and flaky pastries with seasonal fillings, they knew it wouldn’t be their only business. “It was always our plan that Katey would do her bakery thing and that I would do a restaurant,” DJ said. “We were a little surprised that it happened as soon as it did, but sometimes you’ve just gotta go for it.”

The impetus to “go for it” came when the Kingdom Table space became available. “It matches our aesthetic,” McLaughlin explained. And, with about 95 seats when the patio is open, “The size is good.”

Alongside Noah Owen, his former culinary school roommate and “right-hand man,” McLaughlin is working on the forthcoming fall menu, which will lean more into fine dining than their opening menu did.

“Some of the dishes on our current menu that were a little more ‘out there’ were really well received. It encouraged us to push more in that direction,” he noted. “We’d love to get people out of their comfort zone a little bit.”

The more exotic dishes on the opening menu included a crispy, juicy seafood burger ($19) packed with crab, shrimp and haddock and served with ultra-brown chunks of potato; fettuccine ($22) with a roasted medley of mushrooms, plus sage, browned butter and pine nuts; and local

food+drink

farmed trout ($28), roasted whole, with a citrus-soy glaze.

Some of the meals currently in development for autumn are a vegan coconut curry with roasted squash and a variety of mushrooms; braised short ribs from Danville’s Badger Brook Meats; and a dish that will combine coffee, duck and handmade pasta. The fresh noodles are “a labor of love” to roll out, McLaughlin said with a laugh.

They’re also going to offer black sea bass. “Folks who like seafood want something other than salmon [as a main dish], but that’s all you can find around here,” he observed.

For as long as they can, into the cooler seasons, they’ll keep buying vegetables from Joe’s Brook Farm and Small Axe Farm, both located in nearby Barnet.

Indeed, the folks from Small Axe were spotted on this reporter’s two recent visits to Birches. It’s a testament to the restaurant’s status as one of just a handful of dinner options in town, and as part of an even smaller circle dedicated to using ingredients from area farms.

The dining room has an exposed brick wall, cherry-red banquettes and tables made from dark wood. The décor includes entire, slender birch trees, plus branches attached to modern light fixtures.

The cooking and plating are both adept. Scallops ($14), in a pool of herb sauce, are seared to a crisp on top but beautifully tender inside. A dry-aged steak ($35), with red-wine butter melting on top, is stacked sculpturally atop deepgreen broccolini spears and potatoes on a large white square plate.

The dessert menu is small, but both the pumpkin cheesecake ($10) and the espresso-chocolate mousse cake ($10) are pitch-perfect ends to a meal.

As McLaughlin and Owen fancy up the Birches dinner selection, casual fare such as burgers and pizza will land on the menu at the new, subterranean location, opening as a separate business in October. “Upstairs will be more for date night or an anniversary,” McLaughlin explained.

Does the forthcoming spot have a name? They’re working on it, he said. Asked if it would begin with a B, he chuckled. “One of the names we like does start with a B, and there are feelings on both sides about whether we should have three B names or pick something else,” he admitted.

Whatever they choose, the business will surely be beloved. ➆

GRAND OPENING CELEBRATION!

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 11, THRU SUNDAY OCTOBER 13TH

holiday collection launch • complimentary drinks & sweet treats free gifts with purchase • DIY bracelet making

You’re invited to celebrate the grand opening of the NEW Elli Parr Jewelry Flagship Store & HQ! Explore our curated collection of handcrafted jewelry while browsing the shelves of coordinating products ranging from accessories, bath/ body and childrens gifts. Make a DIY bracelet at our “bead bar” or get pierced in our ear-piercing studio. We can’t wait to welcome you to our new home!

41 IDX Dr. Ste #150, South Burlington elliparr.com • info@elliparr.com

30% on massages, facials and body treatments

Mondays - Thursday from October 21 - December 12 (excluding November 27-28) Must mention Fall Special at time of booking. If booking online, add “Fall Special” into the notes. Based on availability. Subject to change. Reservations required.

Boulevardier cocktail at Birches

CAMPUS DINING

Chef’s Challenge

ree questions for UVM Dining’s Ryan Hickey

BY JORDAN BARRY • jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

Until last summer, Ryan Hickey had never tried kale ribs. As it turns out, they’re his ticket to Paris.

e executive chef of Harris Millis Dining on the University of Vermont’s Athletic Campus, Hickey dreamed up a vibrant dish of vegan kale gnocchi with celery root purée, shaved beets, fried celery root and those underutilized center-of-the-kale-leaf stems for Sodexo’s Cook for Change! Sustainable Chef Challenge. ree hundred and fifty chefs took part in the international challenge’s first round in June, and Hickey was one of eight finalists. In November, he’ll head to France to represent all of North America in the Global Cook-Off.

would when I came here, just from pure exposure.

How did you come up with your dish for the Sustainable Chef Challenge?

A UVM alum, Hickey has worked for Sodexo — which runs dining operations at the university — for three years. Prior to that, he cooked at Burlington restaurants such as Rí Rá Irish Pub, Pascolo Ristorante’s original location, and now-closed Breakwater Café & Grill, Sweetwaters and Bluebird Tavern.

“It’s a little more structured here than the restaurant world,” Hickey said of his job on campus. “It’s more predictable — you feed a lot more people, but it’s the same amount of kids every day.”

When he’s not cooking for 4,000, Hickey is focused on initiatives that ﬁt in with the challenge’s focus on sustainability. Last year, his team members participated in a pilot program tracking greenhouse gas emissions in which they replaced meat with plant-based protein. Over a four-week period, they saved enough power to charge 500,000 smartphones, Hickey said.

“We can really effect change, because we feed so many people,” he added.

We asked Hickey how he came up with the dish and what he’s looking forward to doing in Paris next month.

What’s it like being a chef for a college dining hall?

It’s like a playground for a chef. Whatever you want, we cook it here at least once. In our ﬁve-week menu rotation, we cook stuff from all over the world, all sorts of cuisines and all different [dietary] requirements to feed such a vast customer base. I’ve learned a lot more than I thought I

What are you looking forward to in Paris?

I thought about local stuff that I knew would shine on a plate — really Vermont, like root vegetables and kale. Basically, that’s the dish. It’s two ingredients, just in different ways. I wanted something simple, good, local, and that could be done in 45 minutes, the [competition’s] time limit. You gotta have a plan for that. One of the rules of the challenge was to use a part of the plant that would normally be composted; in this dish, there’s kale ribs, which I’d never had before. But if you peel the rib of the kale and blanch it, it’s actually pretty good. Also, one of my personal favorite things to do is change the color of pasta. So I dyed the gnocchi green with the tops of the kale plant to give it a fun appearance.

Eating a baguette sandwich on a bench along the Seine river. [Laughs.] But the competition is really exciting, too. We’ll be training with Michelin-starred chefs for two days at the Lenôtre Culinary Arts School. en we’ll compete, with 90 minutes to cook the dish that got us there and a mystery box dessert. We don’t know anything about what’s in the box, just that it’s vegan. I’ve been watching a lot of “Chopped.”

is interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

INFO

Learn more at uvmdining.sodexomyway.com.

I always think of food as this language where no one has to talk — you just see, smell or taste it. I’m excited to see how chefs from other areas of the world took that sustainability mindset and translated it into their food. ➆

Ryan Hickey making pasta

Ryan Hickey’s vegan kale gnocchi dish

Ryan Hickey

said. The team is also working on a breakfast menu, which it plans to offer both in the morning and during late-night hours.

“People can pregame here, then come back later,” MacAlpine said.

Read more about Rincon’s ownership change and music offerings in this week’s “On the Beat,” page 53.

Changes at Montpelier’s Filibuster Café and Middlesex’s Filling Station

Two central Vermont businesses owned by local restaurateur BRIAN LEWIS have undergone big changes this fall. In Montpelier, Filibuster Café is now FILIBUSTER RESTAURANT & BAR, with a new menu and dinner service. In Middlesex, the sushi menu at FILLING STATION has been replaced by barbecue.

Filibuster’s expanded hours — daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. — began on September 30. The nighttime addition makes the most of the restaurant’s elegant location in a former bank at 45 State Street, Lewis said.

“We thought there was an opportunity in Montpelier to provide a really nice style of dinner, and we have the talent in the kitchen to do it,” Lewis told Seven Days

Filibuster’s new menu includes shareable small plates and entrées such as filet mignon, pan-seared half chicken and bouillabaisse — similar to the food Lewis cooked during his 15 years in kitchens on the West Coast, he noted.

The restaurant’s daytime menus, in place since its January opening, have also been updated to reflect a “French-style ambience and feel,” Lewis said. Offerings include classic eggs Benedict and veggie hash for breakfast and pub burgers, fish and chips, and harvest salad for lunch.

Filling Station opened in a former service center at 970 Route 2 in 2021 and built a following for its unique menu of sushi and burgers. But the sushi part was unsustainable without more specially trained staff, Lewis said. In early September, the restaurant’s concept switched to house-smoked barbecue.

“We had to go in a different direction and provide something for people that we could do for years,” he explained.

The new menu features St. Louis-style ribs, a smoked brisket-and-kimchi sandwich, smoked chicken wings, pulled pork, and a burger. An expanded menu of sides is soon to come and will be available by the pound for takeout, Lewis said, targeting ski tourists.

McKee’s in Winooski to Reopen Under Longtime Owner Lance McKee

McKee’s Pub & Grill closed in August, but Winooski won’t be without the watering hole at the top of the rotary for long. LANCE MCKEE — who sold the business in 2023 as part of his “semiretirement” — is taking the reins once again and plans to reopen as MCKEE’S ORIGINAL by the end of October.

McKee told Seven Days on Monday that the new concept would return the bar to what it was when his father opened it in 1987: “just a little local hangout for people to come and have a couple cocktails and relax with each other.”

The business had grown over the years to include a full food menu, which had “slim margins” when he sold it to RYAN JOHNSTON and JAMIE LACOURSE, he said. The new owners cited increased costs, rising insurance rates and taxes, and issues related to ongoing construction in Winooski as primary reasons for shuttering the East Allen Street bar 18 months after they bought it.

“We’re still friends and hunting buddies, and everything’s good,” McKee said of Johnston and Lacourse.

McKee initially tried to find a new buyer for the pub while spending the past month and a half deep cleaning and renovating the space. During that work, “I realized I can’t just let it sit here,” he said. “We’ve had regulars for 30-plus years, and they need a place to go. They finally broke me,” he added with a laugh.

The new concept will be a bar and game room, with minimal food — likely self-serve hot dogs, chili and soup, McKee said. He’ll have local restaurant menus on hand and will encourage customers to bring in food from elsewhere. A new game room in the back will have video games, a pool table and dartboards, and football games will play on TV.

“Generations of families have gathered here, and I’m excited to reopen so that the community can have that spot to do so again,” McKee said. “I retired for a reason, but I ran it for 35 years for a reason — because I love the town so much.” ➆

St. Louis-style ribs at Filling Station

Beef tenderloin at Filibuster Restaurant & Bar

BOOKS culture

Flight Risk

Book review: We Need No Wings, Ann Dávila Cardinal

BY JIM SCHLEY • schley@sevendaysvt.com

One ingredient most of us look for in a novel is plausibly lifelike ﬁctional beings we’re willing to spend some time among. While many of the characters in Ann Dávila Cardinal’s new book We Need No Wings fail to make strong or lasting impressions, her protagonist, Tere Sanchez, is enchanting — good company indeed.

Cardinal, who lives in Morrisville and earned her MFA at Vermont College of Fine Arts, is a self-avowed “aging tattooed GringaRican punk.” Her previous books include the young-adult horror novel Five Midnights (2019), which won an AudioFile Earphones Award and an International Latino Book Award; and a sequel, Category Five (2020), an ILBA finalist. Her first adult novel, The Storyteller’s Death (2022), was a finalist for the Vermont Book Award and winner of the popular fiction category of the ILBA. Her young-adult “horror rom-com” Breakup From Hell was published in 2023.

As of last month, Cardinal has two new books: We Need No Wings and Hispanic Star: Bad Bunny. The latter, written for children with Claudia Romo Adelman, is a biography of the Puerto Rican rapper.

In We Need No Wings, Tere is a Puerto Rican professor of American literature who lives in Vermont. On leave from teaching after her husband, Carl, su ered a fatal stroke, she is mired in grief, with “hours spent sitting in a chair staring o into space … as if the silence of the empty house had weight, like a pile of cinder blocks that pressed down on her.”

Colleagues implore Tere to return to the classroom, and she’s refreshed by the students’ responses when she gives a guest lecture on magical realism. Yet Tere is unable to get back in motion. As a year passes, she risks losing her tenured position.

Then a plot device sets off tectonic shifts: Tere suddenly and inexplicably

FROM WE NEED NO WINGS

Tere took one last deep breath, opened her eyes, and turned to put her key in the front lock to find it was a foot below where it should be. She looked up and saw the stone cornice that ran over the door right in front of her face and felt the rapturous release of gravity’s hold on her, her skin alive as if it were its own separate being. As she grabbed hold of the stone with her fingers, a sensation swelled in her belly, much like when a roller coaster dropped suddenly — safe but unimaginably thrilling. For a moment, she considered letting go, imagined letting her entire self go and becoming one with the eternity that blossomed at the edge of her known universe, but then a flame of fear built in her chest, that if she did, she would fly up into the cosmos and be lost forever.

weightless but rather unbalanced, out of control. She pinwheeled her arms and kicked her legs, but all this did was upend her in the air, until she was horizontal to the ground, frantically swimming with her limbs and getting nowhere. She held tight to the bright green hose, the only thing tethering her to the earth. Her stomach lurched, and she wondered if she was going to vomit; meanwhile, all she could do was impotently flail about like a ﬁsh on a dock.

Cardinal’s middle name, Dávila, means “from Avila” — the city in Spain from which some of her family hails and where most of this new novel is set. As she explains in an interview at the back of the book, Cardinal has found evidence that she’s descended from the family of Spanish mystic and author Teresa of Ávila (1515-1582), cofounder of the “discalced” (barefoot or sandal-wearing) Carmelite order of nuns and friars. In We Need No Wings, Tere also counts Teresa as an ancestor as well as namesake. Tere is unnerved by nearly being caught levitating on campus. Having learned from a book that St. Teresa was known for “raptures” that at times involved levitation, Tere decides to travel to the nun’s birthplace. She hopes to ﬁnd an explanation, and a remedy, for her inconvenient and potentially dangerous spells of weightlessness. If not halted by a ceiling, would she just keep ﬂoating up and away like a helium balloon?

As the

levitates while watering a bed of peonies that her husband had planted and lovingly tended.

The familiar electric heat of panic ﬂooded her body in a wave, and suddenly she no longer felt

The story that unspools in Spain is captivating, if never entirely surprising. Cardinal has fashioned a protagonist as vivacious as she is passionate to learn. The urgency of Tere’s quest to understand why she sometimes slips free of gravity is complemented by her gradual passage through mourning for her lost beloved.

None of the other characters is nearly as engaging as Tere. Her son, Rowan; fellow professor Richard; and new Spanish acquaintances Rodrigo, Yolanda and Juan are only sketchily developed and tightly harnessed to the requirements of a storyline.

Only Tere’s distant cousin Sister Isabella, a marvelously cranky cloistered nun who has long lived in Ávila, succeeds in rising o the page whenever she appears — and never predictably.

Like her characterization, Cardinal’s

Ann Dávila Cardinal

e Fig Tree Committee Brings a Greek Epic to Vermont Prisons

BY HANNAH FEUER • hfeuer@sevendaysvt.com

Prisoners rarely get to see the same performances as their friends or family on the outside. But the Fig Tree Committee — a Portland, Ore., theater company touring in Vermont this month — is looking to change that. By staging the same play in and outside correctional facilities, the troupe aims to create a shared experience across prison walls.

e company began performing An Iliad — a modern theatrical adaptation of Homer’s epic Greek poem e Iliad — in prisons and public venues across Oregon in 2018. Actor Paul Susi portrays the Poet, narrating the story of the Trojan War, while Anna Fritz plays an original score on cello as the Muses, the goddesses of literature, science and the arts.

Now making its out-of-state debut, the Fig Tree Committee has booked fall dates across Vermont, Wisconsin and Maine.

On Monday, Susi and Fritz performed An Iliad to an audience of 24 at Southern State Correctional Facility, a men’s prison in Springﬁeld. e duo will appear at Chittenden Regional Correctional Facility, a women’s prison in South Burlington, on ursday, October 10. A public show will follow at the O.N.E. Community Center in Burlington on Friday, October 11.

e idea to perform in both public venues and prisons emerged from conversations with prisoners, Fritz said.

“We would have [incarcerated] folks come up to us saying, ‘Are you guys gonna be in Portland? Are you gonna be in different towns? Because my brother would love this’ or ‘My mom would love this,’” Fritz said. “ e conversations that happened between people on opposite sides of the walls who had this same experience together — there’s not really anything like that.”

Local organizations, including the American Civil Liberties Union of Vermont, Vermont Humanities and Burlington Friends Meeting, helped the theater company navigate the bureaucratic hurdles to gain access to the prisons. e unique setting requires a bare-bones production: Susi is the lone actor onstage, while Fritz sits in a chair and plays cello. ere are no costume changes, special effects or high-tech stage lights.

e performers initially chose An Iliad for pragmatic reasons. “It was a path of least resistance: It’s Homer. It’s ancient Greek culture,” Susi said. “So it’s a little bit easier for authority ﬁgures to give that a pass. We’re trying to give people as few reasons as possible to say no to us.”

Susi said he was also drawn to the show because of its themes of coming to terms with anger and the desire for vengeance.

e narrative centers on the clash between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles during the Trojan War, offering commentary on both the gloriﬁcation and the destructive consequences of violent conﬂict.

After each 90-minute show, audiences discuss how the story resonated with them. e play often strikes a chord with prisoners, many of whom have personal experiences with violence or trauma, Susi said. He noted that the program offers a rare opportunity for prisoners to be emotionally unguarded.

“I hesitate to use the phrase, but it’s a kind of safe space for vulnerability,” he said. “ ere are still guards in the room, and it’s still behind walls, but we are able to hold a space where that can happen.”

e show can also be a brief respite from the daily drudgery of prison life.

“It’s deﬁnitely something we’ve heard

An Iliad, Friday, October 11, 7 p.m., at the O.N.E. Community Center in Burlington. Pay what you can. ﬁgtreecommittee.org

Anna Fritz and Paul Susi

Bot-Body Connection

Theater turns out to be a perfect medium to explore artificial intelligence, as Northern Stage demonstrates in its premiere of Matthew Libby’s Sisters. The bold staging of a stimulating script proves that both breathtaking spectacle and intimate intensity can emerge from the emotional weight of two characters, talking. One of them is a computer bot; the other, her lifelong human companion. It’s an acting masterwork that unspools effortlessly and never stops surprising.

Matilda is 6 when her father tells her that she has a sister. Greta is a voice coming from the computer in Matilda’s father’s office, a cluttered room where a computer scientist can litter every surface and a kid can spin in his swivel chair. Matilda is the only character we see, but even as a disembodied voice, Greta is a presence onstage. The play tells two life stories as Matilda ages from 6 to 96, always interacting with the AI sister her father created to be her companion after her mother died. Events are shown out of chronological

order, the better to convey the abrupt turns in a long life. Viewers can stop to notice the exceptional acting demands of the play, but the neatly built story is so captivating that it’s easy to become lost in it.

Matilda is alone onstage, but every scene is a partnership. Jihan Haddad, as Matilda, produces all the play’s physicality, including the quick changes between scenes to launch into a different age and emotional state. Offstage, Madeleine Barker has only her voice to create Greta and a monitor to observe Haddad. The actors can’t connect physically, but what’s subtracted intensifies their work. Director Aileen Wen McGroddy establishes such a strong relationship between them that every beat in the play is built together.

Sisters is a way of looking at human perception, memory and connection. Greta, a creation of compiled code, is

also a creation of her sister’s experience. The voice is real, but at times it is both inside and outside Matilda’s head. This lifelong conversation is constructed from the most human impulses, but it is not between two humans. Can Greta evolve? Can the sisters lie to each other? What can a computer know, or feel? How can their connection be called love? How can it not be?

Libby isn’t offering a political dissection of AI’s place in society. While the play doesn’t explore computers replacing human creativity or intelligence, it does examine our ability to project human attributes onto a computer that responds in language. Because it is extremely difficult to imagine language forming without a brain, we feel we’re observing two beings.

The script is a beautiful machine itself, operating on three levels. One is a story of connection: As sisters, Matilda

Jihan Haddad in Sisters

CONNECTING ART AND TECH WITH GRETA 2.0

Northern Stage offers audiences an interactive experience with the technology that is the subject of Sisters. In the lobby, a computer is available for audience members to type remarks and see responses from an AI bot. Greta 2.0 is based on the character in Matthew Libby’s play. The program was developed by the students and staff of the Digital Applied Learning and Innovation (DALI) Lab at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., in partnership with Northern Stage.

Greta 2.0 has learned the play’s script and other related materials and speaks from the perspective of the character. Audience members can chat and experience the feeling of conversing with a sentient being. The bot is customized for this production and not trained on generalized data, politely steering conversations away from wide-ranging questions that aren’t in its training.

While Greta 2.0 won’t be provoked or trade insults, it will respond with calm authority about the experiences of the character. I chatted a bit before and after the show and can attest that the responses truly seem to come from a specific, thoughtful mind. Try it out to see if Greta 2.0 makes you feel connected or uncomfortable in exchanges with artificial intelligence.

On Thursday, October 10, Northern Stage will host Tech Affinity Night, a free gathering with refreshments before the 7:30 p.m. performance of Sisters. The theater welcomes people connected with the tech community to mingle and chat.

and Greta are never alone, a relationship that enriches them both but also allows them to hurt each other. A second layer is about isolation: Matilda’s perceptions have a quality of internal self-talk, and directing them to a computer companion doesn’t prevent loneliness; it may even magnify it. The third focuses attention on the emotional essence of being human: AI is just close enough to human intelligence to reveal the contrast between technology that simulates feeling and the ineffable quality of human emotion.

This production may give the playwright ideas for revision, perhaps smoothing out the long exploration of Greta’s lack of a body when her essential dilemma is artificiality itself. The ending is riveting, but the build is a little slow. Still, the play is already capable of transfixing an audience. Last Thursday’s performance was packed with young people discovering theater’s vitality.

Haddad has all the physical burden

of a one-woman show, onstage the full 90-minute run time. The craft of sustaining an entire performance, always working with nowhere to hide, is impressive. It takes skill, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for art in itself — Haddad’s stamina is nothing compared to her nuanced portrayal. She never overdoes the markers of age but always delivers specific qualities, from the 6-year-old’s unruffled acceptance of novelty to the maturity-inprogress at 23 to the reflectiveness of 96. Haddad makes interior thoughts exceptionally clear and keeps the character startling and open to emotion.

Barker performs live from a sound booth backstage. The plot indicates Greta’s evolution, but it’s up to Barker to show change through her voice. Greta’s computer voice starts with the elongated vowels of fake enthusiasm, proceeds to the droning effect of not-quite-right vocal stresses and finally achieves the richness of convincing conversation. Beyond producing a bot’s voice, Barker creates a character far deeper than synthesized sound. She uses rhythm and pauses to express reactions to Matilda; by the end of the play, Greta’s voice after 90 years has astonishing resonance. Northern Stage has the technical resources to enhance the play, though the script could succeed with austere staging. The set, music, lighting and special effects that scenic designer Tatiana Kahvegian, lighting designer Jennifer Fok and sound/media designer Alek Deva supply make Sisters a visual and auditory wonder.

Theater is spatial, and this production uses the viewer’s sense of scale and distance. The set expands and contracts as lighting illuminates or darkens its extent. As we watch in a large, shared space, the play shrinks to the dot of a single woman and swoops outward to the vastness of a huge screen on what feels like a limitless back wall. The text’s consideration of infinity is realized in space — the play becomes a visceral experience.

The most overwhelming moment uses story and stage effects to make us feel, in our bones, the horror of deep loneliness. Sisters is a reflection on being human, being alone and being connected, but it operates emotionally, reaching viewers through the heart as well as the mind. ➆

INFO

Sisters, by Matthew Libby, directed by Aileen Wen McGroddy, produced by Northern Stage. Through October 20: Wednesday through Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Thursday and Saturday, 2 p.m.; and Sunday, 5 p.m., at Byrne Theater, Barrette Center for the Arts, in White River Junction. $20-74. northernstage.org

Gone Fishin’

On a recent foggy Saturday morning, 11 canoers met at the Upper Lamoille River Access in Wolcott — not for a leisurely paddle but, rather, a trash-picking adventure. The crew launched boats into the Lamoille River and, while paddling downstream, stopped to collect all manner of garbage, including tires, plastic and propane tanks. Some of the debris was from the summer ﬂoods. Northern Forest Canoe Trail and Lamoille River Paddlers’ Trail organized the outing.

For the latest episode of “Stuck in Vermont,” Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger hitched a ride with the group and recorded the afternoon’s muddy finds. They traversed almost five miles, filling seven canoes with rubbish along the way. At one point, Sollberger flipped a canoe and wound up in the river — luckily, no harm was done.

Sollberger spoke with Seven Days about ﬁlming the episode.

ﬁlled with tires. I don’t recall who posted it or which waterway it was from, but it made me curious. Then I received a press release about this outing from Chris Morris, the communications director at Northern Forest Canoe Trail. I thought it would be interesting to capture the journey — even if it meant waking up at 6:30 a.m. to get to Wolcott on time.

Do you go paddling often?

Not much these days. The last time I covered an event on a river was in 2016, and it was quite memorable. I was filming a nighttime paddle on the Winooski River and standing on my paddleboard when a rowboat rammed into me. I fell backward into the water and got a concussion and whiplash. Luckily, I kept hold of my GoPro camera. I was able to ﬁnish the paddle and eventually recovered after a lot of physical therapy.

So what happened this time?

in his canoe. He did all the hard work of steering and paddling while I sat in the front of the canoe and ﬁlmed with my iPhone.

About half an hour into the trip, Delhagen got out to fetch some trash. A moment later, we were in the water. I’m still not sure what happened, but I was recording at the time, so you’ll see the dunk in the video. Luckily, newer iPhones are water-resistant, and mine continued to ﬁlm for the remainder of the trip. And it was a warm, sunny day, so we were dry in no time. Thanks to the volunteer who loaned me a towel and to the couple who grabbed my hat before it ﬂoated down the river!

Did you ﬁnd anything interesting?

Delhagen found a colorful plastic rooster with a solar light, which we think might have been a lawn ornament. I think he will keep that gem. Kim Jensen, who’s on the steering committee of Lamoille River Paddlers’ Trail, discovered a child’s bowling ball, which went home with her. I came upon a green wooden sign that used to hang outside a family’s trailer; their last name had been rubbed away. A group found a gigantic tractor tire that was too large to pull out. There was so much plastic wrapped around the trees and snaking through the underbrush. I counted a total of 14 tires, which were incredibly heavy because they were ﬁlled with muck. The mud had a lot of clay in it and felt like glue. At one point, I sank down to my knees in the mud — talk about getting stuck in Vermont.

Who was there?

AT ONE POINT, I SANK DOWN TO MY KNEES IN THE MUD — TALK ABOUT GETTING STUCK IN VERMONT.

It was a friendly group of volunteers, and many had participated in other river cleanups. Everyone was working so hard to drag trash off the banks and out of the river. They made a great team, even though not everyone knew each other when we set o . Delhagen was pulling an empty canoe behind our vessel that he called “the barge.” It was not easy to maneuver two canoes, but soon they were both ﬁlled with tires, pieces of metal and the top of a chest freezer. The water was shallow in places, and we had to walk the canoes over rapids and ri es. We were lucky it had rained recently, or we would have been dragging the canoes.

Looked like you got some nice weather.

How did you hear about this

I saw a photo on Facebook of a canoe

I am a novice canoer, so I was a little worried about this trip. Most of the paddlers brought their own canoes and seemed experienced. Alex Delhagen, the assistant trail director for Northern Forest Canoe Trail, gave me a spot

The day started o foggy and then transformed into a brilliant fall afternoon. It was so wonderful just being outside, seeing the river from a new perspective, soaking up the colorful foliage and listening to the birds. I saw raccoon tracks, and another volunteer spied a great blue heron’s footprints. We disturbed a ﬂock of geese, who ﬂew away honking. I was exhausted, wet and muddy by the end of the four-hour paddle, and my iPhone battery was dead. But I also felt sun-kissed and happy from being outside with a great group of hardworking people. ➆

Alex Delhagen picking up garbage from the Lamoille River

dialogue often sounds predetermined by the narrative scheme, advancing the story effectively but dutifully.

In Spain, of course, everyone interacts with Tere in Spanish, which the Nuyorican Vermonter also speaks. Is it unreasonable to suggest that Cardinal’s dialogue ought somehow to reflect these conversations taking place in another language? Instead, the characters in We Need No Wings always speak an especially slangy, present-day American English.

Despite these distractions, Cardinal’s novel is enjoyable and memorable. As a protagonist, Tere is intrepid enough to carry the weight of a story that’s essentially about how life resumes beyond a staggering loss. Whether her levitations are real or imaginary, as literary spectacle they are convincing and cathartic.

Each chapter begins with a quotation from Teresa of Ávila’s own writings. We can see why Cardinal, and her character Tere, have found instructive grace in passages such as this one from the nun’s 16th-century autobiography, which seems to describe a levitation:

Sometimes I have been able to overcome it, but the struggle has left me drained, like someone who has been in a fight with a giant. At other times it has been impossible to resist. Then it has carried away my entire soul — and sometimes my head too — and I have been powerless to hold myself back. Sometimes the experience has taken up my whole body and lifted it off the ground.

on screen

Joker: Folie à Deux ★★★

We’re early in awards season, and two highly touted ﬁlms have already ﬂopped, commercially and critically: Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis and, this past weekend, Todd Phillips’ sequel Joker: Folie à Deux

Joker (2019) was an Oscar-winning smash that reimagined the titular DC Comics villain as a realistic character living in 1981 “Gotham City,” taking its cues from Martin Scorsese’s Taxi Driver and The King of Comedy. Many critics hailed it as a successful fusion of comic-book material and art cinema. So what happened to make Folie à Deux worthy of its name?

The deal

Two years ago, professional clown Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) was imprisoned at Arkham State Hospital for ﬁve murders, including that of a beloved late-night host on live TV. As his trial approaches, Arthur’s lawyer (Catherine Keener) hopes to prove that he su ers from dissociative identity disorder and cannot control his bloodthirsty alter ego, the Joker. Meanwhile, Arthur/the Joker has attracted a following, partly due to a TV movie based on his crimes. Among his fans is Lee Quinzel (Lady Gaga), a fellow Arkham inmate. The two quickly become soulmates, and Lee encourages Arthur to embrace his inner Joker at the trial. Should he risk the death penalty to make his name as a rebel against society, or remain the butt of its killing joke?

Will you like it?

Go online, and you’ll see a lot of discourse attributing the failure of Joker: Folie à Deux to the musical factor. Many fans of the first Joker do indeed seem to consider singing and dancing unworthy of their beloved antihero — strangely, since the Joker is a showman in most of his incarnations — but I think a more powerful factor is at play. Folie à Deux isn’t a departure from Joker. On the contrary, Phillips’ vision for this film (cowritten with Scott Silver) is absolutely consistent with his vision for the first one. It just isn’t the vision that fans hoped for.

Joker is a story of grinding miserabilism, livened by a few scenes of joyful violence. Never does the movie suggest that Arthur is anything but the person we hear summed up by a psychiatrist in Folie

REVIEW

à Deux as a narcissist with a low IQ and a history of abuse. In both ﬁlms, there’s nothing glamorous about his mental illness, no ﬂashes of brilliance or subversive insight. His humor is on par with middle schoolers’. When Arthur decides to dismiss his lawyer, the best defense he can muster is sneering at a traumatized witness’ name.

In short, this is not the Joker we know from Batman movies. Everything Arthur does in both of Phillips’ ﬁlms is a damaged man-child’s clumsy e ort to win the love he craves. Only when those e orts fail does he kill out of despair.

The main innovation of Folie à Deux is that Arthur ﬁnally meets someone who o ers him love, provided he’s willing to play the role of Joker to the hilt. The movie reframes the comic-book supervillain — mastermind of diabolical plots, agent of chaos — as the projection of a demented fan onto a pathetic sociopath. If you hoped Arthur would blossom into someone he wasn’t in the ﬁrst movie, you’ve made the same mistake as Lee.

Phillips deserves full credit for the courage of his convictions — his determination not to portray murderous rage as cathartic or sexy. Unfortunately, the way he illustrates this thesis remains pretty dreary.

Like its predecessor, Folie à Deux is a triumph of seamless yet joyless design. If Gotham City’s mean streets were grimy and hopeless in the ﬁrst ﬁlm, Arkham is even more so.

In its determination to rub the audience’s nose in Arthur’s misery, the movie does muster some bracing moments of mordant humor. But the jukebox musical numbers, which are framed as fantasy sequences, add only superficial color and verve. The songs rarely advance the characters’ development or reveal their hidden feelings, and the performances have been kept whispery and underwhelming. Only one of them — Phoenix’s rendition of “The Joker,” from the 1964 musical The Roar of the Greasepaint — The Smell of the Crowd — gives the movie the shot of energy it needs.

Maybe Phillips’ Joker films are less a commentary on society than on the degrading nature of showbiz itself. The ﬁrst movie proved that the most lucrative way to get a dark character study into today’s theaters is to make it superheroadjacent. When Phillips stayed true to his original vision, fans rejected him, just as fans reject a remorseful Arthur who refuses to give them any more vicarious

thrills. As the old song (featured in the ﬁlm) goes, “That’s entertainment.”

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY…

“THE SINGING DETECTIVE” (1986; try your local library): If you want to see how good (and dark) jukebox musicals can be, check out the pioneering BBC work of writer Dennis Potter, who also made “Pennies From Heaven” (1978). Both TV series are better than their ﬁlm adaptations.

THE PEOPLE’S JOKER (2022; rentable): Vera Drew’s outrageously creative lowbudget parody — not connected with Warner Bros. — reimagines the Joker as a trans woman who incorporates the subversive energies of Harley Quinn. If you want a joyfully rather than lugubriously irreverent take on the character, this is for you.

DANCER IN THE DARK (2000; PLEX, Roku Channel, Tubi, rentable): Or, if miseryporn musicals are more your style, Lars von Trier has you covered. Star Björk’s songs are arguably good enough to make up for a plot that is basically one misfortune after another.

e iconic allure of pairing Joaquin Phoenix and Lady Gaga is a trap for the viewer in this punishing sequel.

NEW IN THEATERS

THE APPRENTICE: Sebastian Stan plays the young Donald Trump in this biopic about his real estate dealings; Maria Bakalova is Ivana. Ali Abbasi (Border) directed. (120 min, R. Capitol, Roxy)

LOOK BACK: Two very different girls bond over drawing manga in this animated adaptation of Tatsuki Fujimoto’s work. With the voices of Yumi Kawai and Mizuki Yoshida. Kiyotaka Oshiyama directed. (58 min, NR. Playhouse, Roxy)

PIECE BY PIECE: Lego animation tells the story of Pharrell Williams, who stars in the musical biopic with director Morgan Neville, Kendrick Lamar and Gwen Stefani. (93 min, PG. Majestic)

SATURDAY NIGHT: Jason Reitman’s comedy-drama chronicles the 90 minutes before the 1975 premiere of “Saturday Night Live.” Gabriel LaBelle and Rachel Sennott play Lorne Michaels and Rosie Schuster. (109 min, R. Capitol, Majestic, Roxy)

TERRIFIER 3: Art the Clown (David Howard Thornton) gets his own holiday movie in the third installment of this cult gore-fest. “Unrated” means don’t bring kids. Damien Leone directed. (125 min, NR. Majestic, Sunset)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

AM I RACIST? Matt Walsh goes undercover to discredit diversity, equity and inclusion experts in this comic documentary. Justin Folk directed. (101 min, PG-13. Bijou)

BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICEHHH1/2 A grown-up Lydia Deetz (Winona Ryder) must save her daughter in this Tim Burton fantasy sequel, partially shot in Vermont. (104 min, PG-13. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Star, Stowe, Sunset, Welden; reviewed 9/11)

DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE: Two superheroes team up in the latest Marvel flick, starring Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman. (127 min, R. Majestic, Sunset)

A DIFFERENT MANHHHH A aspiring actor (Sebastian Stan) regrets his drastic plastic surgery and fixates on his old face in this Golden Berlin Bear nominee from director Aaron Schimberg. (112 min, R. Roxy, Savoy)

JOKER: FOLIE A DEUXHHH Gotham City’s notorious institutionalized spree killer (Joaquin Phoenix) finds love (Lady Gaga) in Todd Phillips’ comic-bookadjacent musical sequel. (138 min, R. Big Picture, Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Paramount, Roxy, Star, Stowe, Sunset, Welden; reviewed 10/9)

LEEHHH Kate Winslet plays fashion model and Man Ray protégée turned World War II correspondent Lee Miller in this biopic directed by Ellen Kuras. (116 min, R. Catamount)

MEGALOPOLISHHH “New Rome” is the setting for Francis Ford Coppola’s science fiction epic about the clash between an idealistic architect (Adam Driver) and the mayor (Giancarlo Esposito). (138 min, R. Big Picture, Essex)

THE OUTRUNHHH1/2 Saoirse Ronan plays a woman who returns to her Orkney Island birthplace to confront her past in this festival fave drama from Nora Fingscheidt. (188 min, R. Roxy, Savoy)

REAGANH Dennis Quaid plays the actor turned president in this biopic. Penelope Ann Miller is Nancy; Sean McNamara directed. (135 min, PG-13. Star)

SPEAK NO EVILHHH1/2 A family’s weekend stay with new friends doesn’t go well in this psychological thriller directed by James Watkins. James McAvoy and Mackenzie Davis star. (110 min, R. Sunset)

THE SUBSTANCEHHHH1/2 Coralie Fargeat (Revenge) wrote and directed this horror drama about a celebrity (Demi Moore) seeking the fountain of youth, also starring Margaret Qualley. (140 min, R. Roxy; reviewed 9/25)

TRANSFORMERS ONEHHH This animated adventure tells the origin story of how Optimus Prime and Megatron became enemies. With the voices of Chris Hemsworth and Brian Tyree Henry. (104 min, PG. Essex, Majestic)

WHITE BIRDHH1/2 A boy learns life lessons from his grandmother’s story of escaping Nazi-occupied France in this family drama directed by Marc Forster, starring Ariella Glaser, Armando Schwerdt and Helen Mirren. (120 min, PG-13. Essex, Majestic)

THE WILD ROBOTHHHH1/2 A shipwrecked robot becomes caretaker to an orphaned gosling in this animated family adventure from Chris Sanders, with the voices of Lupita Nyong’o and Pedro Pascal. (101 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Paramount, Playhouse, Roxy, Star, Stowe, Sunset, Welden)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

THE CREMATOR (Catamount, Wed 9 only)

THE NIGHTMARE BEFORE CHRISTMAS (Majestic)

SAVING FACE (Savoy, Fri only)

TERRIFIER 2 (Sunset)

TRAP (Sunset)

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

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, 2290598, savoytheater.com

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

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

SUNSET DRIVE-IN: 155 Porters Point Rd., Colchester, 862-1800, sunsetdrivein.com

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

Seeking new PACE participants!

The Vermont Department of Health and The Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies are doing a research study to understand the impact of state-level policies and communication campaigns on substance use beliefs and behaviors in Vermont teens and young adults

The Vermont Department of Health and The Rutgers Institute for Nicotine & Tobacco Studies are a research to understand the impact of state-level and communication campaigns on substance use beliefs and behaviors in Vermont teens and young adults.

EARN

UP TO $75 IN GIFT CARD REWARDS FOR COMPLETING 4 SURVEYS!

Recruitment ends: November 30th, 2024

Recruitment ends: November 2024

go.rutgers.edu/sevendaysprint

Kate Winslet in Lee

art

Becoming Unstuck

“Collage/Uncollage” highlights the medium’s strengths

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

It’s collage season. Every elementary schooler in this part of the world has, at some point, picked up a fallen leaf and glued it to a piece of paper: voilà, a collage. But is glue really what holds collages together?

That’s one of the questions curator and artist David Powell investigates with “Collage/Uncollage” at the Phoenix in Waterbury (and in the related “Juxtaposition Show,” concurrently at Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph). In addition to works by eight artists, Powell has compiled a gallery packet of writings on the topic.

They include an essay by artist Todd Bartel, who posits the idea of “uncollage.” Where collage is an accumulation of things glued together, “uncollage is seamless unison, but uncollage can also be an instigatory connection prompted by a readymade or a juxtaposition of any two things,” he writes. The category is a bit too broad to be useful: By his deﬁnition, the only thing that’s neither collage nor uncollage would be pure abstraction.

REVIEW

The works in the show tell a di erent story. What’s exciting about them — and what makes them collage even when they aren’t glued — is the way they explore ruptures between ideas. They place things that don’t make logical sense together in pictures that do make visual sense; the disjunction can be spooky, unnerving and wonderfully surprising.

Leslie Fry’s prints on aluminum don’t seem like collage: At ﬁrst glance, the viewer might suspect Photoshop. In reality, Fry stages paper cutouts and then photographs them, sometimes in real settings. In “Chthonic,” a Renaissance face pokes out from underneath ﬂowers in a compost pile. The cracks in the portrait’s painted surface contrast with the photo clarity of eggshells and rotting leaves, creating a puzzling image.

In “Leafscape,” Fry combines a photo of a leaf with a snippet of painted feet to suggest a body resting on a distant, picturesque landscape. Though the image has

very few separate elements, the leaf’s deep, realistic shadow binds them together in an arresting composition. Similar art historical sources play into Jennifer Koch’s assemblages, which take a more maximalist approach. In “Specimen #62 After Raphael,” she brings together what was originally an early 16th-century diptych of Agnolo and Maddalena Doni with a large junk

drawer’s worth of studio detritus: spools of thread, bent pencils, doll parts, a very small ship in a bottle. Those items erupt from the couple’s heads, as though they are planning a million projects beneath their posed portrait calm. Color successfully uniﬁes the 44-by-41-inch work, as does Koch’s skillful use of negative space. Amid the bright bustle of the stu and the Donis’ sumptuous outﬁ ts, there’s a

spare bit of calm sky pieced together from Raphael’s backgrounds.

Across the gallery, Luciana Frigerio’s gorgeous shadow boxes, housed in antique clock bodies, likewise pair historical portraiture with objects. She tells incomplete and alluring stories through deliberate placement of cutout images, as well as brass gears, an antique light bulb and other bits.

In “So Disappointed,” women lament among ocean waves, numbered brass buttons connecting them to a diagram of moons overhead. Nearby, a songbird in “Bird, Chair” uproots a building-size chair from a city, pulling the furniture by real threads held in its beak. The narratives read like ambiguous references to halfforgotten folktales. In contrast, Frigerio makes it very clear what’s going on in her hilarious “Abduction” series of collages: Vintage irons, cups and kitchen tools become UFOs, sucking people and objects out of 19th-century paintings.

Collage lends itself to funny juxtapositions, and it’s a quick jump from there to satire. Michael Oatman contributes several political works to the show, making his points with surreal humor. In “F(armed),” he comments on rural America’s co-optation by a culture of violence. Vintage farm scenes mix with old army illustrations, and the result is exploding

"Specimen #62 After Raphael" by Jennifer Koch

"Leafscape" by Leslie Fry

tractors. A custom-built frame bends around this image that a rectangular format wouldn’t be able to contain, highlighting the absurdity of the whole scene.

Oatman’s 5-by-4-foot collage “American Storm” hits a little too close to home right now: In it, tornadoes made out of tires touch down on an idyllic mountain landscape.

In another work, “American Spring (after Wallace Berman),” Oatman quotes Berman’s Verifax collages, made with an early copy machine in the 1960s and ’70s. Berman collaged di erent images onto a recurring one: an advertisement for a handheld transistor radio. Here, Oatman has done the same with a photo of a smartphone taken from a U.S. Postal Service brochure. The repeated images flow together, becoming a powerful grid of Black hands holding portable screens that frame vintage illustrations of police, the military and civil rights-era scenes.

also incorporates a contemporary view of its destruction.

Bartel’s contributions are harder to parse but aesthetically rich. Hinged frames make his “interlocking” collages visible from both sides. The paper itself becomes important in these works, with holes and discoloration giving physical presence to the dictionary deﬁnitions and map fragments that make up his delicate compositions.

THE DISJUNCTION CAN BE SPOOKY, UNNERVING AND WONDERFULLY SURPRISING.

Contrast that delicacy with Peter Thomashow’s assemblages of vintage games and toys. He arranges bold, colorful objects in wooden boxes, sometimes pushing them toward abstraction, as in “Wolfson Colour Study.” At other times, he highlights the toys’ extreme creepiness — as in “Anatomy,” a vintage illustration paired with electrical wires that’s surely the scariest-ever version of Operation.

Laura Christensen goes further back for her sources. While Victorian portrait photographers commonly touched up their work with charcoal, she takes that practice further, augmenting antique originals with her own charcoal additions. In one image, a squirrel pops up from a respectable gentleman’s coi ure; in another, a cranky baby shares the scene with a swooping owl.

Christensen’s mysterious images pair well with Powell’s. His collages lean toward ﬂora and fauna more than portraiture. Some are whimsical: “Bugsy’s Fun Safari” combines animals from encyclopedia engravings, placing an eel within kissing distance of a giraffe. Others seem to have overt messages, such as “Arctic Debris,” which looks like an early 20th-century illustration of the Arctic but

Viewers of “Collage/Uncollage” will also want to take in the work of one artist who’s not featured there: E.L. Schmidt, whose solo show is directly upstairs at the Hesterly Black at Waterbury Studios. Her work includes several collages that use negative space and rich color to suggest unspeciﬁed but believable forms made from bits of birds, religious iconography and ads.

Schmidt’s show is a smart companion to the one downstairs, though all of the accumulated details — collaged and uncollaged — are a lot to take in. As Phoenix gallerist Joseph Pensak writes in his essay in the gallery packet, “Don’t overthink it, but don’t underthink it either.” ➆

INFO

“Collage/Uncollage,” on view through November 21 at the Phoenix in Waterbury. thephoenixvt.com

"F(armed)" by Michael Oatman

South Burlington’s ‘Interwoven’ Marks Stitches in Time

STORY & PHOTOS BY ALICE DODGE

• adodge@sevendaysvt.com

ere’s a richness that comes from balancing contemporary thinking with a deep sense of time. It’s palpable in “Interwoven,” an exhibition of ﬁber works by Karen Cygnarowicz, Janet Fredericks, Bradie Hansen and Trista Ringer on view through October at the South Burlington Public Art Gallery. Environmental and feminist themes coexist with clear — and, well, literal — ties to a craft tradition.

Fredericks’ wall hangings have a narrative sensibility. e Lincoln artist stitches together old fabrics and other storied items — the materials list for one piece reads “dried shelf fungus, dried beech leaves, teabags, paper wine label, upholstery fabric, netting, tulle” — to create works laden with history. Her prevailing palette of inky blues incorporates scraps of fabric printed with cyanotypes, as well as some that recall Japanese indigo-dyed textiles.

Water plays an important role in Fredericks’ works, especially in “Safari,” a 68-by-42-inch wall hanging. In contrast to her smaller, ocean-hued pieces, this one recalls a desert: A pale blue river traverses an expanse of sandy tulles and muslins layered over patterned fabrics. Careful stitching details contour lines on the map. e dimension Fredericks creates through layering is like a record of this landscape over time — not just where a river is but also how it has moved and eroded the world around it.

Other artists in the show continue the watery theme. Ringer’s quilt “ e Pond” pairs a single wavy blue fabric with a palette of greens. Slightly angled pieces within each block create the optical illusion of water ﬂowing through a maze, like a formal garden in a marsh.

“ e Pond” is one of the Fletcher artist’s most traditional quilts on view. Others incorporate text, boldly proclaiming, “Go forth and set the world on ﬁre” and “Raised by Strong Women.” is last one works equally well as a feminist throw quilt and here with an added meaning: e hanging piece is a ﬁtting comment on what it takes to display your inner thoughts on a public wall.

Cygnarowicz lives in Montpelier, and, according to her artist statement, her practice was impacted by the 2023 ﬂood. Her sculptural piece “In Between Homes: Goldenrod, Queen’s Lace, Aster, June” is substantial at 53 by 45 inches, a tree branch supporting thick ropes of cotton, wool and wooden beads. Despite its heft, the work speaks to a temporary, marginal situation, the ropes reading both as strength and as a weight that must be hauled around.

“Ferry Landing” deconstructs colors and textures from a river scene. A heavy band of woven black and brown wool creates a block between sky-blue ropes above and a shimmering array of more ropes in teal, white and reﬂective safety-vest green below. e nautical references are even more pronounced in “ e River Finds Its Way Again,” where Cygnarowicz’s knots and whorls accumulate into a kind of ﬁshing net, its gray-blue coils pulled taut at the top and weighed down by a more intense palette of ultramarine and indigo tangles.

Hansen’s weavings are also netlike, but lighter and more delicate. In “Evidence of Signiﬁcant Repair,” knitted loops of linen thread barely hold together, patched with occasional small sticks. Softness and rigidity are at play throughout the Shelburne artist’s works: “Rhythms” punctuates subtly different weaves of whisper-thin wool with a pattern of little twigs, making it unclear whether the wool is holding the wood or vice versa.

“Hema rinó,” a knitted hanging, pairs red cotton thread with glossy black witches’broom twigs, which cluster in front of a hole in the soft surface. It’s a wildly erotic piece for this setting, drawing a connection not only back to the women who perpetuated these craft traditions but also to those who will build on them in the future. ➆

INFO

“Interwoven,” on view through October 31 at the South Burlington Public Art Gallery. southburlingtonvt.gov

"Spinning Suki" by Trista Ringer

From top: "In Between Homes: Goldenrod, Queen Anne's Lace, Aster, June" by Karen Cygnarowicz; “Safari” by Janet Fredericks

CALLS TO ARTISTS

CALL TO KIDS FOR ‘GLASSTASTIC’: Children in grades K to 6 are invited to submit drawings of fabulous imaginary creatures, a selection of which will be turned into sculptures by glass artists for the museum’s 2025 “Glasstastic” exhibition. Guidelines at brattleboromuseum. org. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, through December 16. Info, 257-0124.

LARGE AND SMALL WORKS:

Seeking artist submissions of works under 12 inches and over 24 inches for the annual holiday exhibition. Details at spacegalleryvt. com. The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery, Burlington, through October 24. Info, spacegalleryvt@gmail.com.

RECEPTIONS

FALON STUTZMAN: “Being Alive,” an exhibition of recent paintings by the Omaha, Neb. artist, whose work depicts vulnerability and the human condition. Kishka Gallery & Library, White River Junction, through October 26. Info, info@kishka.org.

JAMES SECOR: An exhibition of works from the “Eclosion” series. J. Langdon Antiques & Art, Montpelier, through October 31. Info, 498-3905.

ART AT THE HOSPITAL: ERIKA LAWLOR SCHMIDT: Mixed-media and chine collé prints about the assimilation of observation and experience of the body, the psyche and the spiritual. University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, through January 31. Info, kashman@burlingtoncityarts.org.

ART AT THE HOSPITAL: JORDAN DOUGLAS: Blackand-white photographs documenting the dense neighborhoods of central Havana, Cuba. University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, through January 31. Info, kashman@burlingtoncityarts.org.

ART AT THE HOSPITAL: KATHLEEN FLEMING: Mixed-media paintings inspired by the Vermont landscape. University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, through January 31. Info, kashman@ burlingtoncityarts.org.

ART AT THE HOSPITAL: PETER GIVEN: Oil paintings that capture light and shadow in the landscape. University of Vermont Medical Center,

Burlington, through January 31. Info, kashman@ burlingtoncityarts.org.

ART AT THE HOSPITAL: TODD CUMMINGS: Travelstyle digital art prints celebrating natural places in Vermont and New England. University of Vermont Medical Center, Burlington, through January 31. Info, kashman@burlingtoncityarts.org.

GARY ECKHART AND ROARKE SHARLOW: An exhibition featuring barns, rolling farmland and rustic machinery rendered in watercolor and as digital images. ART, etc., Randolph, through November 30. Info, 279-5048.

TYLER GATELY: An exhibition of oil paintings featuring aircraft, pilots and scenes of aviation. ART, etc., Randolph, through November 30. Info, 279-5048.

SAGE TUCKER-KETCHAM: “Under the Water and Into the Woods,” a collection of jungle-themed oil paintings by the 14th-generation Vermonter. Reception: Thursday, October 10, 5:30-8 p.m. Soapbox Arts, Burlington, October 10-November 16. Info, info@ soapboxarts.com.

PEOPLE’S ART SHOW: The second annual exhibition, open to everyone and highlighting diversity. Reception: Friday, October 11, 5-8 p.m. Montgomery Center for the Arts, October 11-27. Info, mcaprogramingdirector@gmail.com.

‘MY VOICE, MY STORY’: An exhibition of works created by 28 artists participating in Art Lab, a visual art program serving adults with special needs. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, N.H., October 11-November 9. Info, 603-448-3117.

SUSAN SMEREKA AND KEVIN DONEGAN: “Stitched & Screwed,” a show featuring Smereka’s mixed-media collage and Donegan’s rustic assemblage. Reception: Saturday, October 12, 4-6 p.m. Towle Hill Studio, Corinth, Saturday, October 12, noon-6 p.m. and Sunday, October 13, noon-3 p.m. Free. Info, 373-7096, Susansmereka@gmail.com.

ANGELA MANNO: “Saving Biodiversity: Contemporary Icons of Threatened and Endangered Species,” a series depicting extinct or fragile species as religious icons made by the current Mollie Davis Ruprecht visiting artist. Reception: Wednesday, October 16, 5 p.m.; artist talk, 6 p.m. Francis Colburn Gallery, University of Vermont, Burlington, October 16-25. Info, 656-2014.

MATT NECKERS: “A Device to Communicate with Spirits,” an MFA exhibition featuring new work by the sculptor. Reception and artist talk: October 17, 3-5

p.m. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Vermont State University-Johnson, October 15-November 22. Free. Info, phillip.robertson@vermontstate.edu.

ROBERT CHAMBERLIN: “Momentary Consolations,” an exhibition of original watercolor paintings spanning 10 years of work and including recent compositions. Reception: Thursday, October 17, 6-8 p.m. All Souls Interfaith Gathering, Shelburne, through October 31. Info, rchamberlin@rchamberlinart.com.

LARRY BOWLING AND JANET VAN FLEET: “Putting Our Heads Together,” an exhibition of oilstickon-Yupo paintings of heads and mixed-media sculptural assemblages of faces. Reception: Friday, October 25, 6 p.m. Quimby Gallery, Vermont State University-Lyndon, Lyndonville, through October 29. Info, 626-6487.

FINNEGAN WATSON: “Things I Hold Onto,” an MFA exhibition. Reception and artist talk: Thursday, November 21, 12-2 p.m. Susan Calza Black Box Gallery, Visual Arts Center, Vermont State UniversityJohnson, Johnson, October 15-November 22. Free. Info, phillip.robertson@vermontstate.edu.

ART EVENTS

DANCE, PAINT, WRITE!: An exploration in which participants focus on their own creative experience in community with others. Open to adults and teens and accessible to all regardless of mobility. No experience required. In person with Zoom option. Expressive Arts Burlington, Wednesday, October 9, 9:30 a.m.-noon, and Wednesday, October 16, 9:30 a.m.-noon. $25. Info, 343-8172.

HISTORY UNFRAMED TALK: JANE SHAW: A discussion with the owner and gallerist of Visions of Vermont gallery in Jeffersonville. Bryan Memorial Gallery, Jeffersonville, Wednesday, October 9, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 644-5100.

AUTUMN WATERCOLOR CLASS: A series taught by Pauline Nolte for experienced painters and newcomers; supplies provided for beginners. Register by email. Waterbury Public Library, Tuesday, October 15, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

ARTIST TALK: DARIO ROBLETO: The artist discusses his film Ancient Beacons Long for Notice, on view as part of the exhibition “Invitation to Awe.” Middlebury College Museum of Art, Tuesday, October 15, 4:30-6 p.m. Info, 443-5007.

OPEN STUDIO: A guided meditation followed by an hour of art making in any medium and concluding with a share-and-witness process. Many art materials available. In person and online. Expressive Arts Burlington, Tuesday October 15, 6:30-8:30 p.m. By donation. Info, 343-8172.

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

In 2006, Vermont singer-songwriter

Anaïs Mitchell and a handful of local actors, musicians and artists staged the very ﬁrst production of her so-called “folk opera,” Hadestown, at the Old Labor Hall in Barre. An inventive and at times abstract retelling of the Greek myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, the musical was conceived, written and produced in a matter of weeks in collaboration with artist Ben T. Matchstick and composer Michael Chorney. Its original cast and crew included Mitchell herself in the role of Persephone alongside a ragtag cadre of friends.

The show was weird and wonderful, with a steampunk aesthetic and indiefolk musical sensibilities. And the story of what’s happened to it since is the stu of legend — or maybe mythology.

Over many years and revisions, the production evolved in scope and style. In 2007, a more developed version of Hadestown toured Vermont, with a stop in Somerville, Mass. A concept album released on Ani DiFranco’s Righteous Babe records followed in 2010.

Six years later, a revamped Hadestown debuted off-Broadway to rave reviews in the New York Times and the Village Voice . It was mounted in Canada and England before landing on Broadway in 2019. That year, it won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical and Best Original Score. Following a pandemic hiatus, the play returned to Broadway in 2021 and is still running there, as well as at the Lyric Theatre in London’s West End.

music+nightlife To Hell and Back

With its sold-out run at the Flynn, Anaïs Mitchell’s Tony-winning folk opera, Hadestown, comes home

BY DAN BOLLES

• dan@sevendaysvt.com

At heart, Hadestown is a love story. Its central hero is a musician, Orpheus, who travels to the underworld to bring his beloved Eurydice back from the dead. But it’s also a parable whose themes have deepened against the backdrop of a fraught political landscape. That’s particularly thanks to the musical’s central villain, Hades, a billionaire tyrant obsessed with building a wall to keep people out.

A touring production of Hadestown is currently making its way around the U.S., including a sold-out four-show run this Tuesday to Thursday, October 15 to 17, at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington. Mitchell will be in the audience for one of those shows with cast members, musicians and crew from the original Vermont productions. She answered questions by email about the nearly two-decade-long journey of Hadestown and what it means for the show to come home.

Let’s say you struck a deal with Chronos to send you back in time to opening night at the Old Labor Hall. What would you tell 2006 Anaïs about the Hadestown journey to come?

Any advice you’d give her?

Oh, wow. I’d have a lot of advice for her, but she wouldn’t take it. She was 25 and not taking a lot of advice back then. I deﬁnitely wouldn’t tell her she was gonna work on that thing for more than a decade. All the twists and turns of the development of that piece are so intimately connected with real-life things — moving from Vermont to New York City and back, twice; becoming a mom; hard, beautiful lessons in creativity and collaboration. I’m grateful for it all and the time it took. There are no shortcuts.

If 2006 you could be at the Flynn watching Hadestown with the original Vermont cast next week, what do you think she’d make of the show?

We’re gonna find out! Because I will be there with a bunch of folks from the Vermont show, including the original director, Ben Matchstick; arrangerorchestrator Michael Chorney; [and] members of the OG cast, band and design team. I imagine there’ll be a lot of feelings, not easily described.

It’s been nearly two decades since the ﬁrst songs that would become Hadestown came to you. How has your relationship to the show evolved through all of its various incarnations? Do you see or feel aspects of it differently than you did ﬁve, 10, 15 years ago?

Yeah, it’s always a surprise, seeing it brought to life by new folks in a di erent time and place, what jumps out or recedes. Certainly it resonates in di erent ways politically now than it did in 2006. I’d say the main evolution in my own heart has been that I started writing it at 25, and I’m now 43, so I’ve gone from deep identification with the young lovers (Orpheus, Eurydice) to a sort of bittersweet and tender identiﬁcation with the older couple (Hades, Persephone).

What does it mean to you for Hadestown to come full circle, from Barre to Broadway and now back to Vermont?

Generally, when I see the show now, I feel like the parent of an adult child, where

Anaïs Mitchell

2007 Hadestown cast, from left: Miriam Bernardo, Sarah-Dawn Albini, Lisa Raatikainen, Sara Grace, Nessa Rabin, David Symons, Ben T. Matchstick, Anaïs Mitchell and Ben Campbell

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH

New Looks for Two Burlington Clubs

Regular readers of this column know how bullish I am on the current state of Burlington’s music scene. Just about every genre is enjoying a purple patch with great bands, solid records and singles, and artists such as LILY SEABIRD and ROBBER ROBBER making waves outside the Green Mountains.

Despite the vibrancy of the scene, local music venues have faced challenges. A combination of factors, from soaring insurance costs to crime concerns in downtown Burlington, have negatively impacted some area clubs. Winooski’s Monkey House, for example, has been hosting a greatly reduced lineup of shows lately, and a recent fatal shooting in front of Red Square rattled Queen City clubgoers.

It’s not all grim news, however. Two Burlington spots with long histories of supporting the local music scene have relaunched with new names and a fresh dedication to showcasing the area’s best artists.

First up is a rebrand for one of the city’s most storied venues, Club Metronome. Opened in 1992 by ANNE ROTHWELL and LOU NATALE, the club is located upstairs from its more famous sibling, Nectar’s, and has for decades hosted some of the most memorable nights of rock and roll in Burlington — think the KILLERS, BLIND MELON, ANI DIFRANCO, the WAILERS, PILE and so many others.

It’s not exactly a hot take, but I’m of the opinion that Metronome has always been Burlington’s best room to see a

live band, especially when legendary soundman SERGEI USHAKOV is manning the board. As the club changed hands a few times over the years, it lost some of its vibrancy and became a spot for late-night DJ sets, while most of the live music is downstairs at Nectar’s.

General manager TYLER NETTLETON decided it was time for a reset. So, he and his crew have transformed Metronome into the Lounge at Nectar’s.

“We wanted to make it a usable room, even when there aren’t shows going on,” Nettleton said during a tour of the retrofitted venue. Gone is the bar in the second room, directly adjacent to the stage and main room. In its place are a pool table, sofas and televisions, which really do make the area a proper latenight lounge.

“You’ll be able to get late-night food, as well,” Nettleton added, knowing how slim the after-hours food pickings have gotten in Burlington. “But we’re planning on some big shows up here. This is definitely going to be a great spot for that again.”

Nettleton was mum on details, as the rebranding is still a work in progress,

but he said the Lounge will function differently from Metronome.

“By and large, this will be a free club — no cover charge,” he said. “When we have larger acts on the stage, those will certainly be ticketed shows. But for most nights, this is going to be a great spot to just come in for some drinks and food and local music.”

I have to admit to feeling both old and sad to see the Club Metronome name go, but, as Franny O’s begat the Old Post and Hunt’s (eventually) begat Vermont Comedy Club, it’s just the way of things. The prospect of a revitalized live room upstairs from Nectar’s is too promising for me to get hung up on nostalgia. While the folks downstairs do an incredible job booking many of the best roots, funk and jam bands in the land right now, I’m truly looking forward to the wider lens of programming that Nettleton teased for the Lounge.

“There’s such great history here,” he said of the club. “We want to continue and build on that and make this one of the best places to see a show in town again.”

Just a block away, on the corner of Main and Church, another local spot is getting a major makeover. With a new ownership team and management, Manhattan Pizza & Pub has relaunched as Rincon Pizzeria and Tapas Bar. While previous owner DAVID QUINTANA remains and is managing the kitchen — read more about the food changes in “Side Dishes,” page 35 — he is now part of a seven-person investor group led by NATHAN MACALPINE, who owns Maple Valley Contracting in Colchester.

“I’ve been friends with Dave for a while,” MacAlpine said by phone. “We were talking one day about Manhattan and how badly it needed a restart and a rebrand. With my contracting business,

General manager Tyler Nettleton and bar manager Calista Hanna at the Lounge at Nectar’s

Rincon Pizzeria and Tapas Bar

music+nightlife

“She

To Hell and Back

I’m like, Wait, you have your own job and apartment? You don’t need me to cut your grapes in half anymore? Who even are you? And this particular fullcircle moment is like, Here’s this child who was born in Vermont, moved to New York City, backpacked all over the world, lived a while in London and is now back in Vermont. The same child but entirely different.

It’s a miracle, honestly. I think, as a songwriter, I’m always hoping to write a song that “gets covered,” you know, becomes part of the canon, travels the world on its own legs. I think of songs and theater work as building a house for others to inhabit — you don’t have to inhabit it yourself. So it’s deeply moving and satisfying that others are still living in the house. I think it’s a testament to everyone who ever worked on it — and there are a lot of us! — that we built a thing sturdy enough to survive on its own, sturdy enough to return, as an adult, to the place it was born.

You’re launching a climate change initiative as part of the touring production. What can you tell me about that?

During the first Hadestown tour, our drummer, Eladio Rojas, had this beautiful idea of connecting our tour itinerary with organizations doing climate disaster response and resilience work. It didn’t work out for that tour, but with the show kicking off a second tour of smaller cities, I reached out to him and we’re making it happen. I’m donating a portion of royalties to these orgs, ideally raising awareness, and the production intends to get involved, as well.

In Vermont, we’re supporting the Vermont Community Foundation’s Flood Response & Recovery Fund. But in Colorado and California, for example, we’re supporting wildfire response, and

IT’S A TESTAMENT TO EVERYONE WHO EVER WORKED ON IT — AND THERE ARE A LOT OF US! — THAT WE BUILT A THING STURDY ENOUGH TO SURVIVE ON ITS OWN.

ANAÏS MITCHELL

in the Carolinas, we’ll support Hurricane Helene relief. We’re also supporting some food shelves and refugee resettlement orgs. The common denominator, obviously, is our changing climate. ➆

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

INFO

Hadestown, Tuesday, October 15, through Thursday, October 17, 7:30 p.m.; and Wednesday, October 16, 2 p.m., at the Flynn Main Stage in Burlington. Sold out. flynnvt.org

Shaina Taub, Lulu Fall and Jessie Shelton in Hadestown at New York Theatre Workshop in 2016

« P.52

Anaïs Mitchell in Hadestown in Barre in 2007

I had plenty of workers ready to help do a quick remodel.”

First up was ﬁxing the stage. Having played music at Manhattan’s plenty of times myself over the years, I can attest that the stage was really only ﬁt for DJs and singer-songwriters. Squeezing a band onto that thing took some serious Tetris skills. So MacAlpine and his crew opened it up, expanding it from 8 to 14 feet wide. It now faces the entire bar, as opposed to just the back, which should make for better engagement between the musicians and the crowd.

“Our vision for the space is that it will be a place for all genres, but particularly for genres that don’t necessarily have a home base in the scene,” MacAlpine explained. “We have large populations of Jamaicans and Haitians — Nepalis, as well — and we really want to provide an opportunity to have space for their music and culture. We really want to bring in a lot of ﬂavors, music-wise.”

It’s a good new look for the club and restaurant, which stirred up some controversy a few months back when sta boycotted followed the ﬁring of two bartenders via text message — a management move that Quintana later admitted was “highly unprofessional.”

“I remain dedicated to providing a safe space [and] food for the community and will continue to work at becoming a better leader,” Quintana posted to social media after the boycott. (He also owns

Last week’s live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry Soundbites « P.53

Eye on the Scene

Listening In

(Spotify mix of local jams)

1. “NORWEGIANS” by the Mountain Says No

2. “CATCH THAT TRAIN” by Connor Young

3. “FUCKHEAD” by Lily Seabird

4. “RED EYE” by Sheepskin

5. “ALIVE AGAIN” by Hunter Paye

6. “ALL PLEASURE” by THUS LOVE

7. “BACK TO THE CITY” by About Time

Scan to listen sevendaysvt. com/playlist

Burlington vegan eatery and nightclub Despacito.)

Both Rincon and the Lounge had soft openings last week. As they ﬁnish their respective remodels and reintroduce themselves to the community with shiny ﬂoors, new menus and invitations to local musicians to reach out, there’s no doubt Burlington’s music scene will welcome these stages. ➆

DELICATE STEVE, NECTAR’S, BURLINGTON, FRIDAY AND SATURDAY, OCTOBER 4 AND 5:

Touring bands successfully playing double headers at a downtown Burlington venue is not something that happens often, but Nectar’s has been pulling it off this year with bands such as RAQ, Dopapod and Everyone Orchestra. When Nectar’s hosted Delicate Steve this past Friday and Saturday, it had no problem packing the room both nights. Guitarist and front man STEVE MARION is currently touring in support of his new release, the potentially misleading Delicate Steve Sings. Did Marion sing a single note on the album or during these shows? at depends on whether you agree that a guitar can sing, which it absolutely does in Marion’s delicate hands. e trio ended the two-night run with an encore mashup of Elton John’s “Bennie and the Jets” and John Lennon’s “Jealous Guy,” even throwing in a nod to Donny Hathaway’s version. As Marion played the melodies on his cream-colored 1966 Fender Stratocaster, I heard every single lyric sung loud and clear.

L king for connections?

Introduce yourself to reps from these ﬁne local organizations at Tech Jam!

COMMUNITY PARTNERS

• BETA Technologies

• Data Innovations

• GBIC

• GlobalFoundries

• Hula

• KORE Power & NOMAD

• Marvell

• Myti

• National Life Group

• Northﬁeld Savings Bank

• Norwich University

• UVM O ce of the Vice President for Research (OVPR)

• Vermont Technology Council

• VIP

SUPPORTING PARTNERS

• Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman

• The Targeted Resume

• Vermont Technology Alliance

• Vermont Public

• WCAX

OTHER EXHIBITORS

• Accessible Web

• Aira Tech Corp

• Burlington Telecom

• Codingscape

• Collins Aerospace

• Community College of Vermont

• Creative Micro

• Damstrong Systems LLC

• Dynapower

• Fluency

• Galen Healthcare Solutions

• Generator Makerspace

TECH JAM BOOT CAMP

FRIDAY, OCT. 18, NOON-1 P.M.

Learn helpful tips on networking and getting hired at this free, pre-Jam webinar hosted by Sue Schlom of the Targeted Resume. Info at techjamvt.com.

• Governor’s Institutes of Vermont

• Green Mountain Power

• Hayward Tyler

• Hazelett Strip-Casting Corporation

• ipCapital Group

• Isotech North America

• Lake Champlain Chamber & LaunchVT

• NDI

• OnLogic

• Orion Global Talent

• Physicians Computer Company

• Polhemus

• Revision Miltary

• Rigorous

• State of Vermont Agency of Digital Services

• Test-Rep Associates, Inc.

• Transmille Calibration

• VELCO

• Vermont Community Broadband Board

• Vermont State University

• Wildlife Imaging Systems

CLUB DATES music+nightlife

live music

WED.9

Ali T (singer-songwriter) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

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

Bent Nails House Band (blues, jazz) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

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

Jake McKelvie, Neato, English Major (indie rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

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

Live Jazz (jazz) at Leunig’s Bistro & Café, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

TRS Live: Matt Hagen’s Murder Ballads (live recording) at Tank Recording Studio, Burlington, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $35.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10. Willverine (electronic) at the Wallflower Collective, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

THU.10

AJ Lee & Blue Summit, the Dyl McNeil Trio (roots) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $23/$25.

The Curls, Brunch, Rangus (indie rock) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Frankie & the Fuse (rock) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Jazz with Alex Stewart and Friends (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Karl Lucas (acoustic) at Filling Station, Middlesex, 6 p.m. Free.

Lovecraft (jazz) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Lungbuster, North Star the Wanderer, SlugWeed (metal) at Despacito, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

The Old Soul House Band (indie) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Old Time Jam (open jam) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Public Serpents, Corrupt World, OFC, Robbery (ska, punk) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Unruly Allies (rock) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Valentin Prince, Chelonia, Lunch (indie rock) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $10.

FRI.11

B-Town (rock, blues) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Ben Sollee (roots, folk) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $25.

Charlie Mayne & Friends (hiphop) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10/$15.

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

THU.10 // LUNGBUSTER, NORTH STAR THE WANDERER, SLUGWEED [METAL]

Thrash Is King

When Boston’s NORTH STAR THE WANDERER join forces with Vermont metalheads LUNGBUSTER (pictured) and SLUGWEED, it’s a night to celebrate the many shades of metal and hardcore. Purveyors of doom and sludge metal, Burlington power trio Lungbuster just released their latest EP, Mike Tyson Ego Death, a three-track album featuring samples of the former heavyweight champion talking about ingesting magic mushrooms. SlugWeed, meanwhile, dropped Cloudracing in June, a one-man stoner-metal EP that edges into a head-banging form of shoegaze. Together with the thrash and power of North Star, it all makes for one seriously heavy night of music on Thursday, October 10, at Despacito in Burlington.

Corner Junction Bluegrass Band (bluegrass) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 7 p.m. Free.

The Curls (psych rock) at CharlieO’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

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

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

Forest Station (bluegrass) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

G.A.M.B.L.E. (jazz) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Karl Miller & the Instrumentals (acoustic) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free.

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

Mal Maïz (psych, Latin) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

The Mallett Brothers Band, Saints & Liars (Americana) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $15/$18.

Matt Saraca (singer-songwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

Michael Perry & Jesse Taylor (singer-songwriter) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Nick Carter (folk) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Nowhere Washington, Western Terrestrials, Jonny Hick and the Kickers (pop rock, honky-tonk, Americana) at the Underground, Randolph, 7:30 p.m. $14/$17.

Quadra (covers) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5. Sabouyouma (Afro funk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

Sarah Bell (singer-songwriter) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

Shane McGrath (acoustic) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6 p.m. Free.

Smokey Newfield Project (jazz) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7 p.m. Free.

Soul Porpoise (funk, soul) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Tracie & Paul Cassarino (jazz) at Bleu Northeast Kitchen, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

TRS Live: Madaila (live recording) at Tank Recording Studio, Burlington, 7:30 & 9:30 p.m. $45.

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

SAT.12

The Aaron Audet Band (rock) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. Free.

The Champlain Shoregasm, Fisher Wagg, Yabai!, Circadian Rhythm (indie) at Despacito, Burlington, 8 p.m. $8/$10.

Compactor, Snowbeasts, Burial Woods, Starvation Wages, Peasant Farm, Jo Bled (electronic, experimental) at Community of Sound, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

Diamond Special (rock) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

Drumstick with Bossman (funk) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Gnomenclature (rock, dance) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

John Lackard Blues Band (blues) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Jon Wagar & Friends (rock) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

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

Keepsake, Iron Gate, Altar (metal) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 7:30 p.m. $10.

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

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

Mal Maïz (psych rock, Latin) at the Double E Lounge at Essex Experience, 7 p.m. $10/$15.

The Moss, hey, nothing (rock) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $25/$29.

The Mountain Says No, Nancy Druids (indie rock, punk) at Standing Stone Wines, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Paul Miller, Jess O’Brien (folk) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

Ray Vega Quartet (Miles Davis tribute) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10.

Rosier, A Box of Stars (indie folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $12/$15.

Sarah Kinsley, Ha Vay (pop) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $20/$25.

Shane Murley Band (folk) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7 p.m. Free. Sheepskin (indie) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free. Strange Machines, Annie in the Water (jam) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15.

Tamlin Briar (Celtic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7:30 p.m. Free.

SUN.13

Jamie McLean Band (rock, soul) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $15/$17.

Little Stranger, Joe Samba, Jarv, Damn Skippy (hip-hop) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $25/$30. Noah Gundersen, Abby Gundersen (singer-songwriter) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $22/$25.

Phil Cohen (singer-songwriter) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free.

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m. The Sweet Remains (folk) at the Green at Essex Experience, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. $30/$40.

MON.14

Evan Honer, Brendan Walter (singer-songwriter) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $20/$25. Yaima (electronic, ambient) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $35/$40.

TUE.15

Big Easy Tuesdays with Jon McBride (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free. Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free. Grateful Tuesdays (Grateful Dead tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$20.

Honky Tonk Tuesday with Wild Leek River (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10. Illuminati Hotties, Daffo (rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $18/$22. Jay Southgate (vibraphone) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 5 p.m. Free.

Kevin Hanlon (singer-songwriter) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

music+nightlife

live music

TUE.15

Otter Creek (bluegrass) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5.

Sammy B (rock, blues) at Lawson’s Finest Liquids, Waitsfield, 5 p.m. Free.

WED.16

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

Doctor Gasp (folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

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

Live Jazz (jazz) at Leunig’s Bistro & Café, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

The Pentagram String Band (bluegrass) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$15.

Robin Reid & Friends (acoustic) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

Sam Grisman Project (bluegrass, folk) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $25/$30.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10. Willverine (electronic) at the Wallflower Collective, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

djs

WED.9

DJ CRE8 (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Mildew (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Local Dork (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

The Mid Week Hump with DJs Fattie B and Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.10

All Ears (DJ) at the Big Spruce, Richmond, 6 p.m. Free.

Country & Western Thursdays (country, DJ) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

DJ Two Sev (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.11

DJ Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ JP Black (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 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.

DJ Two Rivers (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

Drum and Bass Night with Kanganade, Insight, Mvlleus, Pantsoph (DJ) at Despacito, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

EDM with Kayla (DJ) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

NEWMANTRA, DJ WECK (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$15.

SAT.12

DJ 2s7ven (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 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.

Kate Kush (DJ) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

The Lofi Lounge: Axian, David Chief, Notation, Sobe, Esk (DJ) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

SUN.13

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae, dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

TUE.15

The Vanguard: Jazz on Vinyl (DJ) at Paradiso Hi-Fi, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.16

DJ CRE8 (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Mildew (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Local Dork (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Thrive Ball: TVLAND (DJ) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $20/$25.

open mics & jams

WED.9

Irish Sessions (Celtic, open mic) at Burlington St. John’s Club, 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 Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.10

Open Mic (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Moogs Place, Morrisville, 8 p.m. Free.

Open Stage Night (open mic) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

SUN.13

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

MON.14

Open Mic (open mic) at Despacito, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.15

Open Mic Night (open mic) at Drink, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Mad About You

Even after three decades in the business, St. Louis-born comedian KATHLEEN MADIGAN is still finding ways to evolve. Often described as the hardest-working woman in comedy, Madigan is a true road warrior, averaging around 250 gigs a year. She’s also a regular guest on the late-night talk show circuit, has appeared on shows such as Jerry Seinfeld’s “Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee” and hosts the popular weekly podcast “Madigan’s Pubcast” from her home in the Ozarks. Following the 2023 release of her Amazon Prime special “Hunting Bigfoot,” Madigan launched the Potluck Party tour. On Saturday, October 12, she swings through the Flynn in Burlington.

SAT.12 // KATHLEEN MADIGAN [COMEDY]

Venetian Soda Open Mic (open mic) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.16

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass open jam) at Stone’s Throw, Richmond, 4 p.m. Free.

Irish Sessions (Celtic, open mic) at Burlington St. John’s Club, 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 Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

TURNmusic hosts October Jazz Jam (jazz jam) at the Phoenix, Waterbury, 6 p.m. $5-35 suggested donation.

comedy

WED.9

Comedy Jam (comedy) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

Laughs for Lund (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $25.

Standup Comedy Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m.

THU.10

Kurt Braunohler (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $30.

FRI.11

Kurt Braunohler (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $30. Wit & Wine (comedy) at Shelburne Vineyard, 8 p.m. $10.

SAT.12

Good Clean Fun (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 5 p.m. $5/$10. Juston McKinney (comedy) at Barre Opera House, 8 p.m. $28. Kathleen Madigan (comedy) at the Flynn, Burlington, 6:45 p.m. $43-64.

Kurt Braunohler (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $30.

TUE.15

The Cafeteria Presents: Hot Lunch Tuesdays (comedy) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Three Leaves Comedy Showcase (comedy) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.16

$5 Improv Night (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5.

Standup Class Performance (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free. Standup Comedy Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. trivia,

WED.9

Karaoke Night (karaoke) at Drink, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

FRI.11

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Untapped: A Night of Drag & Burly-Q (drag) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $15.

SUN.13

Karaoke with DJ Coco Entertainment (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.14

Trivia with Brain (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.15

Godfather Karaoke (karaoke) at the Other Half, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Karaoke Night (karaoke) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Karaoke Tuesdays (karaoke) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with Cam (karaoke) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 p.m. Free.

Musical Bingo (music bingo) at the Depot, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Musical Bingo (music bingo) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Stone Corral, Richmond, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Rí Rá Irish Pub Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Venetian Trivia Night (trivia) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Team Trivia (trivia) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

THU.10

Karaoke Night (karaoke) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. Free.

Summer Trivia with Katy (trivia) at Highland Lodge, Greensboro, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at McGillicuddy’s Five Corners, Essex Junction, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Thursday (trivia) at Spanked Puppy Pub, Colchester, 7 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Music Bingo (music bingo) at Stone Corral, Richmond, 7 p.m. Free.

Taproom Trivia (trivia) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at the Depot, St. Albans, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Tuesday (trivia) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free.

Tuesday Trivia (trivia) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.16

Karaoke Night (karaoke) at Drink, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with Cam (karaoke) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 p.m. Free.

Musical Bingo (music bingo) at the Depot, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Musical Bingo (music bingo) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Stone Corral, Richmond, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Alfie’s Wild Ride, Stowe, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Rí Rá Irish Pub Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Venetian Trivia Night (trivia) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Team Trivia (trivia) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free. ➆

WONDERLAND

Dave Kleh, 20th Century Exile

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Dave Kleh is “takin’ o the shades,” as he proclaims on his new album, 20th Century Exile. The latest entry into the Vermont songwriter’s eclectic oeuvre, it is at once a nostalgic dedication to simpler times and an eye roll at the present and future. While the mashup of styles produces a somewhat jarring e ect, it is always interesting.

The album opens with “Why Do We Pray to the Gods Who We Pray to,” a mix of ’70s blues-rock noodling, sloweddown ’80s new wave, modern-sounding synths and psychedelic interludes. After a short intro, Kleh ponders faith and motivation in a wandering monotone. Later, the title track o ers the most distilled example of this lyrical style. There he ri s on everything from decades-old news to his current TV

Violet Crimes, Fighting Words

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

habits to Taylor Swift, all through overlapping streams of consciousness.

The second track, “Sensibly Challenged Persons,” follows a similar formula to the ﬁrst, albeit with a chip-tune intro and trap-sounding high hats throughout.

The song closes with a quick monologue about the political usefulness of pandemics before “There’s a Revolution” starts up with a musical nod to Jimi Hendrix. But that’s merely the chorus — the much longer verses return to a breathless spoken word.

to ﬁnd sonic cohesion: The now-sung vocals sit more comfortably, and the stylistic tensions within the songs ease with a slowdown and a slight R&B inﬂuence.

Approaching the album’s midpoint, Kleh pumps the brakes on the weird with the tamer “I Miss the Old Days.” The soothing ode to nostalgia teases the thematic through line that connects the album’s disparate styles. It’s also where the record starts

Rarely has an album title been as fitting as Fighting Words, the debut EP from Burlington punk outfit Violet Crimes. From the first song, “Some Exceptions May Apply,” to the closing track, “Get O My Lawn!,” it’s clear the band has a lot to get o its collective chest. Led by vocalist Amy Klinger, the quintet hit the scene in 2023 with its demo Change My Mind, a raw but promising recording that suggested the band was caught between harder-edged punk and the melodic pop-punk of bands such as the Descendents. On Fighting Words, Violet Crimes have arrived at the right formula for a powerful record that is full of rage and yet somehow simultaneously retains a sense of — for lack of a better term — fun

“I’m agnostic, you’re Islamic / He’s a Wiccan, she’s a Christian / Like the bumper sticker says, coexist, coexist!” Klinger roars on the hard-charging opener. She adds: “Except for racists, homophobes and the fascists.”

The record’s thesis is all right there. The song is

Similarly, “I Love My Green Mountain State” breaks up the eclecticism in the album’s back half with a departure from Kleh’s bluesy new-wave tack — he veers into the folkier end of 20th-century music. Yet even these two more traditionalsounding songs keep each other at arm’s length.

Kleh’s attempt to condense three or four decades of American music into a 10-track collage of styles held together with Mod Podge is admirable, artistically. But it can leave the listener dizzy as inﬂuences emerge and dissipate at light speed.

both a call to unity and a warning of where the line is drawn. It brings to mind a quote from writer and activist Robert Jones Jr.: “We can disagree and still love each other unless your disagreement is rooted in my oppression and denial of my humanity and right to exist.”

Things move from politics to the bedroom on “Can I Be Honest.” Klinger sings of a relationship frozen in

The album’s real charm is in the desperate sincerity with which Kleh sings (or, more often, chants) his way through the experience of living several decades past a world that makes sense. He muses through scientiﬁc and cultural changes and, by album closer “Legend in My Own Mind,” ﬁnishes with an ambivalence between wishing to do it all again and just settling for living on one’s own terms.

Ironically, for a record that decries the chaos of contemporary society, it heavily gestures toward the beauty of an eternally recycled postmodernism. While Kleh’s words want for a return to the past, his collage of sound suggests a present that has room for the new and the reused alike — a place for both mavericks and old-heads to keep on truckin’.

20th Century Exile is available at davekleh.bandcamp.com and on all major streaming platforms.

TIM ROUSSEAU

apathy and lovers who have morphed into strangers. The song eases back from hardcore inﬂuences as melliﬂuous guitar ri s help replace the punk snarl with the indie-rock drive of Sleater-Kinney.

Things get literal on “A Slap in the Face,” a song that’s actually about, well, ﬁghting. As Jason Dean sets an explosive pace on the drums, locked in with bassist Kevin Duerr and guitarists Roger Klinger and Mark Tomase, Violet Crimes lay out an anthem for wrestling that would make John Cena proud. They are such fans that they even reference kayfabe, a shorthand term for the staged nature of professional wrestling. “They’ll say it’s fake, but the scars are real,” Klinger sings. “Landing on your back again, again the heel.”

The sound of a lawn mower being fired up signals the EP’s final track, the satirical “Get O My Lawn!” A fitting end to the record, the song focuses on a lawn where “everything is lush and green, every blade pristine.” It spoofs the NIMBYs (“Not in My Backyard”) out there, mocking their fear of the wider world, as well as the fetishization of rural symbols like tractors as Klinger coos at a John Deere: “Oh, oh, oh, you know / You’re the only one I ride on.”

Fighting Words is a donnybrook of a record, featuring six tracks perfect for giving someone sweet chin music and dropping hard truths on them as they pull themselves up o the canvas. Will the dummies of the world need another punch in the kisser? We’ll have to wait for Violet Crimes’ follow-up to know.

The album is available at violetcrimesvt.bandcamp. com and on all major streaming platforms.

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

Violet Crimes

calendar

OCTOBER 9-16, 2024

WED.9

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: Savvy businesspeople make crucial contacts at a weekly chapter meeting. BCA Center, Burlington, 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 829-5066.

VERMONTBIZ2BIZ EXPO:

Community members engage in networking opportunities, attend seminars and keynote speaker presentations, and peruse a variety of exhibitors. DoubleTree by Hilton, South Burlington, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. $0-155. Info, 863-8038.

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.

SCAVENGER HUNT IN STOWE: Folks put on their detective caps, grab a map at the library and search the town for stickers. Prizes include hotel stays and goods from local merchants. Stowe Free Library. Free. Info, 253-6145.

crafts

GREEN MOUNTAIN CHAPTER OF THE EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD OF AMERICA: Anyone with an

interest in the needle arts can bring a project to this monthly meeting. Holy Family Parish Hall, Essex Junction, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, gmc.vt.ega@ gmail.com.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP:

A drop-in meetup welcomes knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers and other fiber artists. BYO snacks and drinks. Must Love Yarn, Shelburne, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 448-3780.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

2024 VTIFF FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Cinephiles get the inside scoop about the buzzworthy lineup, special events and visiting filmmakers. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free; cash bar. Info, 660-2600.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: Andy Serkis narrates the journey of a lifetime into the realm of the world’s largest mammals and the scientists who study them. 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, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

These community event listings are sponsored by the WaterWheel Foundation, a project of the Vermont band Phish.

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE!

All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

Listings and spotlights are written by Rebecca Driscoll Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘THE CREMATOR’: This 1969 Czechoslovak dark comedy masterpiece is both a gripping study of the banality of evil and a biting commentary on totalitarianism. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2600.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: Sparkling graphics take viewers on a journey into the weird, wide world of mushrooms, which we are only just beginning to understand. 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, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM’: Viola Davis stars in the acclaimed 2020 period drama exploring the blues singer’s most contentious recording session. Dana Auditorium, Sunderland Language Center, Middlebury College, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

NXT ROCKUMENTARY FILM SERIES: ‘HOMECOMING’: The 2019 documentary affords viewers a peek into the creation of Beyoncé’s epic concerts. Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, 7 p.m. $10. Info, 387-0102.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: Scientists dive into the planet’s least-explored habitat, from its sunny shallows to its alien depths. 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, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: Through the power of special cameras, audiences are transported into the world of the teeniest animals on Earth. Northfield Savings Bank

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE AND ONLINE:

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art. film

See what’s playing in the On Screen section. music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/music.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

food & drink

WHAT’S THAT WINE

WEDNESDAYS: Aspiring sommeliers blind-taste four wines from Vermont and beyond. Shelburne Vineyard, noon-6 p.m. $15. Info, 985-8222.

games

ABSURDABLE GAME NIGHT: Creative folks compete in the hilarious tournament-style party game until one is crowned winner. Flynn Space, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5. Info, 863-5966.

CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities test their skills with instructor Robert and peers. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

CHESS TIME: All ages and experience levels practice the ancient board game of strategy and skill. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

language

ELL CLASSES: ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS AND INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS: Learners of all abilities practice written and spoken English with trained instructors. Presented by Fletcher Free Library. 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov.

lgbtq

QUEER WRITERS’ GROUP: LGBTQ authors meet monthly to discuss their work, write from prompts, and give each other advice and feedback. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE E-BIKE TOUR: Cyclists roll through a pastoral 20-mile trail ride, then enjoy artisan eats, including Vermont’s award-wining cheddar. Lamoille Valley Bike Tours, Johnson, 9 a.m.5 p.m. $115. Info, 730-0161.

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: Pedal lovers cycle through scenic trails and drink in the views with stops at four local breweries. Lamoille Valley Bike Tours, Johnson, 11 a.m.5 p.m. $85. Info, 730-0161.

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: Adventurous souls shed the car and hit the cycling trails, offering a more intimate view of Vermont’s spectacular fall color. Lamoille Valley Bike Tours, Johnson, 9 a.m.5 p.m. $80. Info, 730-0161.

STAR PARTY: Astronomy fans raise their eyes to the night sky and learn how to identify stellar objects

and their features. Richmond Free Library, 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 434-3036.

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.

talks

EVA SOLLBERGER: Seven Days senior multimedia producer discusses the evolution of her “Stuck in Vermont” video series. Ilsley Public Library, Middlebury, 1-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 388-4095.

theater

‘SISTERS’: Spanning 90 years, the events of this stirring Northern Stage play track the lifelong sibling bond of Matilda and Greta — one a human, the other an AI computer program. Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 7:30 p.m. $24-74. Info, 296-7000.

‘TRANSLATIONS’: Vermont Stage presents renowned Irish dramatist Brian Friel’s play exploring the power of language to kindle romance in 1830s Dublin. 13 and up. Black Box Theater, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $34-64. Info, 862-1497.

words

JENNIFER GROTZ: The poet, teacher and translator engages listeners with a featured reading of her works. Vermont Studio Center, Johnson, 8-9 p.m. Free. Info, 635-2727.

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.

PAULA MUNIER: Phoenix Books presents an evening with the New England novelist to celebrate the release of her latest mystery, The Night Woods in conversation with fellow author Carolyn Haines. 7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 872-7111.

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.

STEPHEN P. KIERNAN: The Vermont author enlightens listeners about his fascinating historical fiction novel, Universe of Two. A Q & A follows. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

THU.10 community

SCAVENGER HUNT IN STOWE: See WED.9.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR: All ages and abilities knit or crochet hats and scarves for the South Burlington Food Shelf. Materials are provided. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of all experience levels get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

WOODWORKING LAB: Visionaries create a project or learn a new skill with the help of mentors and access to tools and equipment in the makerspace. Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, 5-8 p.m. $7.50. Info, 382-1012. etc.

ADVANCED MANUFACTURING DAY: Makers take facility tours, watch co-working space demos and a Q&A with local industry leaders, and build connections. Generator Makerspace, Burlington, 3-6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 540-0761.

HUBBARDTON FORGE 50TH

ANNIVERSARY OPEN HOUSE: Community members commemorate a half-century of manufacturing in Vermont with a site tour, table lamp raffle and refreshments. Wear closed-toe shoes. Hubbardton Forge, Castleton, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, 468-2711.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘FROM EARTH TO EARTH: THE LOST ART OF DYING IN AMERICA’: This 2024 documentary short showcases the beauty and significance of natural burials, while exploring the contentious subject’s path to legalization in Vermont. A Q&A follows. Craftsbury Public Library, Craftsbury Common, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 586-9683.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9. food & drink

3RD ANNUAL HARVEST DINNER: Locavores enjoy a farm tour, lawn games and appetizers, followed by a farm-to-table buffet dinner and dessert. Proceeds benefit the Health Care Share. Vermont Youth Conservation Corps, Richmond, 5:30-8 p.m. $50; free for kids. Info, 434-3969.

FREE WINE TASTING: Themed wine tastings take oenophiles on an adventure through a region, grape variety, style of wine or producer’s offerings. Dedalus Wine Shop, Market & Wine Bar, Burlington, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, 865-2368.

games

BASIC BEGINNER BRIDGE: Newbies learn bidding, playing and scoring — and find out firsthand

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.9

burlington

INTERNATIONAL BOOK CLUB: Lit lovers ages 11 through 18 discuss recent reads written by foreign authors or taking place in another country. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

TODDLER TIME: Librarians bring out books, rhymes and songs specially selected for young ones 12 through 24 months. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: Infants and their caregivers enjoy a slow, soothing story featuring songs, rhymes and lap play. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

GAME ON!: Kids take turns collaborating with or competing against friends using Nintendo Switch on the big screen. Caregivers must be present to supervise children below 5th grade. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: Little ones and their caregivers listen to stories, sing songs and share toys with new friends. Richmond Free Library, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 434-3036.

READ TO A DOG: Kids of all ages get a 10-minute time slot to tell stories to Emma the therapy pup. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister via email. Info, sbplkids@ southburlingtonvt.gov.

barre/montpelier

HOMESCHOOL BOOK GROUP: Kids ages 10 to 15 who learn at home bond over books. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338. upper valley

PRE-K STORY TIME: Little ones and their caregivers hear a different farm-themed tale every week. Snacks included. Ages 3 through 5. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 9:30-11 a.m. $10-12; preregister. Info, cpeavey@billingsfarm.org.

THU.10

burlington

BABY & ME CLASS: Parents and their infants ages birth to 1 explore massage, lullabies and gentle movements while discussing the struggles and joys of parenthood. Greater Burlington YMCA, 9:45-10:45 a.m. $10; free for members. Info, 862-9622.

Mascot Madness

Costumes will be out in full force at the Leahy BTV Spooktacular Block Party, making it the ideal moment for the airport’s mascot reveal — the symbolic figure will be in very good company. The fun-filled Halloween fest features themed games, bouncy houses, dunk tanks and trunk-or-treats, culminating in a peppy parade of other local icons as the Champlain Valley’s larger-than-life legends usher in the airport’s newest friendly face. Is it a bird? Is it a plane? Is it a giant suitcase with googly eyes? Be the first to find out!

LEAHY BTV SPOOKTACULAR BLOCK PARTY

Saturday, October 12, 11 a.m.-4 p.m., at Veterans Memorial Park in South Burlington. Free. Info, arcohen@btv.aero, btv.aero.

STORIES WITH GEOFF: Little patrons of the library’s satellite location enjoy a morning of stories and songs. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

FRENCH STORY TIME: Kids of all ages listen and learn to native speaker Romain Feuillette raconte une histoire. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:1510:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

LEAHY BTV SPOOKTACULAR BLOCK PARTY: Kick-start Halloween with a jampacked day of spooky activities, including a mascot parade, dunk tank, costume contest and trunk-or-treating. Veterans Memorial Park, South Burlington, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, arcohen@btv.aero. See calendar spotlight.

STORY TIME WITH WILLIAM ALEXANDER & LINDA URBAN: Kiddos enjoy a very special reading of The Kids in Mrs. Z’s Class: The Legend of Memo Castillo, followed by a book signing with the two Vermont authors. Phoenix Books, Essex, 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 872-7111.

barre/montpelier

MONTPELIER BRIDGES TO BELONGING:

Families share stories about the places, people and organizations that generate a sense of belonging and thriving in the Capital City. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

mad river valley/ waterbury

FAMILY-FRIENDLY HIKE: Naturalist Amanda Palumbo guides families on a 2.5-hour trek exploring local plant life and the beauty of Stark Mountain. Ages 5 and up. Mad River Glen, Waitsfield, 2-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 583-3536.

INKLINGS CHILDREN’S BOOKS

ANNIVERSARY PARTY: Bookworms of all ages enjoy a daylong celebration filled with cupcakes, story time and crafts. Inklings Children’s Books, Waitsfield, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 496-7280.

barre/montpelier

chittenden county

BABY TIME: Pre-walking little ones experience a story time catered to their infant interests. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

GROW PRESCHOOL YOGA: Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga leads little ones ages 2 through 5 in songs, movement and other fun activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

HALLOWEEN COSTUME SWAP: Families prepare for spooky season and share gently used, clean garb. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PRESCHOOL MUSIC WITH LINDA

BASSICK: The singer and storyteller extraordinaire guides kids in indoor music and movement. Birth through age 5.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

PRESCHOOL PLAY TIME: Pre-K patrons play and socialize after music time. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

STORY TIME: Little ones from birth through age 5 learn from songs, crafts and picture books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

POKÉMON CLUB: I choose you, Pikachu! Elementary and teenage fans of the franchise — and beginners, too — trade cards and play games. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME: Kids and their caregivers meet for stories, songs and bubbles. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

stowe/smuggs

WEE ONES PLAYTIME: Caregivers bring kiddos 3 and younger to a new sensory learning experience each week. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

mad river valley/ waterbury

BUSY BEES PLAYGROUP: Blocks, toys, books and songs engage little ones 24 months and younger. Waterbury Public Library, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036. northeast kingdom

STORY TIME: Youngsters 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and color. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

FRI.11

barre/montpelier

LEGO CLUB: Budding builders create geometric structures with snap-together blocks. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: Participants ages 5 and under enjoy thematic science, art and nature activities. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

upper valley

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in tales, tunes and playtime. Latham Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

SAT.12

burlington

PARKING LOT DANCE PARTY: Families jive and jitterbug to live music by 18-piece big band Green Mountain Swing. A dance lesson is offered at 4:30 p.m. College Street Congregational Church, Burlington, 4-5:45 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 603-557-7504.

upper valley

DAD GUILD PLAYGROUND TAKEOVER: While kids play on the giant wooden structures, local parents meet staff from the nonprofit, whose mission is to enhance the experience of fatherhood through community engagement. Elizabeth’s Park, Bradford, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 449-7597.

northeast kingdom

WEEE! DANCE PARTY: Little ones and their caregivers express themselves through movement at this free-wheeling DJ bash. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 2-3 p.m. $5 suggested donation; preregister. Info, 533-2000.

manchester/bennington

MUSEUM ABCS TRAIL TALE: ‘EXTRAORDINARY JANE’: Littles ones and their caregivers walk the George Aiken wildflower trail while listening to a circus-themed story, followed by a peek at some big top-inspired art. Bennington Museum, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 447-1571.

why the trick-taking game is so popular. Milton Public Library, 1-2:30 p.m. Free; space is limited; preregister. Info, 893-4644.

BASIC BRIDGE CLASS: Beginners learn the basics and make new friends in a social, amicable environment. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES:

Snacks and coffee fuel bouts of a classic card game. Burlington Bridge Club, Williston, 12:30-4 p.m. $6. Info, 872-5722.

WEEKLY CHESS FOR FUN: Players of all ability levels face off and learn new strategies. United Community Church, St. Johnsbury, 5:30-9 p.m. Donations accepted. Info, lafferty1949@gmail.com.

health & fitness

FALL MEDITATION SERIES:

Practitioners of all experience levels attend this guided session seeking to cultivate positive inner qualities such as kindness, generosity and compassion. Milarepa Center, Barnet, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 633-4136.

QI GONG CLASS: Practice mindful movement with meditation and breath to strengthen the body, quiet the mind and balance the emotions. Waterbury Public Library, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

language

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP:

Semi-fluent speakers practice their skills during a conversazione with others. Best for those who can speak at least basic sentences. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

music

BANDWAGON SUMMER SERIES:

ONEBEAT: Twenty musicians from around the world pair with five American musicians for an evening of collaborative original songs. West River Park, Brattleboro, 6 p.m. $20-25; free for kids under 12. Info, 387-0102.

GRAHAM NASH: The legendary artist performs favorites from across his sixty-year career. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $60.25-91.75. Info, 863-5966.

outdoors

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: See WED.9.

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

talks

GARY ELSON: The guest speaker at this month’s Tropical Fish Club of Burlington meeting shares his adventures in Gabon, covering mostly microctenopoma, cichlids and neolebias. Essex Junction VFW Post, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 372-8716.

POETRY AS PORTAL: Local poets James Crews, Julie Cadwallader Staub, Patricia Fontaine and Alison Prine chat about their recent works in an evening filled with hope, heart and compassion. Film House,

Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 917-5677.

theater

‘SISTERS’: See WED.9, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘THE TEMPEST’: Lost Nation founder Kim Bent plays the sorcerer Prospero in William Shakespeare’s final play, a magical tale of reckoning and redemption, comedy and romance. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $10-30. Info, 229-0492.

‘THE THANKSGIVING PLAY’: Shaker Bridge Theatre stages Larissa FastHorse’s woke-era satire about a school pageant attempting to celebrate both Turkey Day and Native American Heritage Month — without ruffling feathers. Briggs Opera House, White River Junction, 7 p.m. $20-45. Info, 281-6848.

‘TRANSLATIONS’: See WED.9.

‘THE WOMAN IN BLACK’: The past refuses to stay buried in Weston Theater’s hair-raising adaptation of Susan Hill’s classic ghost story. Weston Theater at Walker Farm, 2 & 7:30 p.m. $59-79. Info, 824-5288.

‘YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN’: It’s alive! The iconic Mel Brooks musical reimagines the story of a bright young doctor who brings a corpse to life. Presented by the Lamoille County Players. Hyde Park Opera House, 7 p.m. $15-20. Info, 888-4507.

words

BOOK LAUNCH & CELEBRATION OF JANET HUBBARD: Community members, friends and admirers commemorate the late author’s literary legacy with selected readings from her final novel, The Eloquence of Grief. Lareau Farm Inn, Waitsfield, 5:30-7 p.m. $20; cash bar. Info, k8izwrite@gmail. com.

NEW ENGLAND REVIEW’S ULYSSES READING SERIES: Novelist Ann Dávila Cardinal, Middlebury student Cole Chaudhari, and writers Samantha DeFlitch and Christopher Shaw participate in the inaugural event, demonstrating the breadth and complexity of our literary moment. Humanities House, Middlebury College, 7-8:15 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 443-5075.

NO PRESSURE BOOK GROUP: Bibliophiles share whatever recs they like at this low-key Zoom hangout hosted by Waterbury Public Library. 7 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

FRI.11

bazaars

WOMEN’S ALLIANCE RUMMAGE SALE: Folks find thrifty deals for facing winter weather with an array of warm clothing, shoes and boots. Unitarian Church of Montpelier, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, 223-7861.

OCT. 12 | FAIRS & FESTIVALS

Fall Aboard

Can’t you hear the whistle blowing? Yes, you most certainly can — at the picturesque Fall for St. Johnsbury fest, spanning the town’s quaint, historic streets. The all-day autumn affair runs the gamut from international food fest to 5K and half-marathon, but the main attraction is undoubtedly the foliage train ride, returning for the first time since 2019. Folks can pack a picnic and hop on board the round-trip river-hugging locomotive, with four regular rides offered throughout the day. A special, scenic sunset ride affords passengers the opportunity to enjoy seasonal appetizers and drinks by St. Johnsbury Distillery during the enchanting outing.

FALL FOR ST. JOHNSBURY

Saturday, October 12, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., in downtown St. Johnsbury. $10-90 train tickets; free for kids 2 and under. Info, 748-8575, discoverstjohnsbury.com.

community

SCAVENGER HUNT IN STOWE: See WED.9.

crafts

FIBER ARTS FRIDAY: Knitters, crocheters, weavers and felters chat over passion projects at this weekly meetup. Waterbury Public Library, noon-2 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

etc.

THE FIG TREE COMMITTEE: ‘AN

ILIAD’: Lisa Peterson and Denis O’Hare use one of the world’s oldest stories to examine cycles of violence, trauma, displacement and hope. O.N.E. Community Center, Burlington, 7-10 p.m. Pay what you can. Info, 503-730-1525.

fairs & festivals

STOWE FOLIAGE ARTS FESTIVAL: Festivalgoers delight in a weekend of one-of-a-kind jewelry, stunning pottery, handcrafted furniture and eye-catching artwork. Topnotch Field, Topnotch Resort, Stowe, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $12-15; free for kids 14 and under. Info, 489-6650.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘DAISIES’: Two young women embark on an unabashed pursuit of pleasure in this 1966 Czech new wave classic. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5-10. Info, 660-2600.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

food & drink

RICHMOND FARMERS MARKET:

Vendors present a diverse selection of locally produced foods and crafts as picnickers jive to live music. Volunteers Green, Richmond, 3-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, rfmmanager@gmail.com.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.10, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

health & fitness

GUIDED MEDITATION

ONLINE: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies.

Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org.

PEOPLE WITH ARTHRITIS CAN EXERCISE: Active adults with stiffness and pain keep joints flexible, muscles strong and bodies energized with a weekly low-impact class. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

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.

lgbtq

RPG NIGHT: Members of the LGBTQ community get together weekly for role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Everway. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

KAVITA SHAH: The award-winning jazz vocalist and composer performs her most personal work to date. Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, 7-9 p.m. $10-40. Info, 728-9878.

SETH GLIER & ROSIER: The Grammy-nominated folk singer-songwriter and the bilingual, female-fronted indie-pop band take the stage for an electrifying double bill. Virtual options available. Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, 7:30 p.m. $10-25. Info, 387-0102.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE E-BIKE TOUR: See WED.9.

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: See WED.9.

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

seminars

OWLS & THEIR CALLS: An educator from the Vermont Institute of Natural Sciences teaches participants about the defining characteristics and adaptations necessary for life as a nocturnal predator. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

talks

ACHIEVING AFFORDABILITY: HOW ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

COULD MAKE VERMONT MORE AFFORDABLE: Vermont Department of Economic Development commissioner Joan Goldstein discusses the state’s plans. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 2-3 p.m. $8 cash or check; free for members. Info, 343-5177.

HOMEGOINGS LIVE: MARJANI

FORTÉ-SAUNDERS: Audiences embark on an evening of engaging conversation, reflection and expression with choreographer Marjani Forté-Saunders, hosted by Myra Flynn. Vermont Public, Colchester, 6-9 p.m. $10 suggestion donation. Info, events@ vermontpublic.org.

theater

‘ARCH’: Audiences hold their breath while two performers build a freestanding structure out of concrete and ice blocks over an open flame — and then watch it fall. Mount Philo State Park, Charlotte, 5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-5966.

‘IMAGINE: A NEW PLAY & PERFORMANCE FEST’: Local creators showcase works imagining the next 50 years in Vermont. Off Center for the Dramatic Arts, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, theoffcenter@gmail.com.

‘THE MOUSETRAP’: Theater fans flock to the iconic Agatha Christie

murder mystery, brimming with intrigue, sophisticated humor, psychological thrills and shocking plot twists. Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7 p.m. $14-18. Info, 583-1674.

‘MURDER AT EIGHT’: Audiences delight in the world premiere of a witty and stylish thriller presented by the Shelburne Players. Shelburne Town Center, 7-9 p.m. $20. Info, 343-2602.

‘SISTERS’: See WED.9.

‘THE TEMPEST’: See THU.10.

‘THE THANKSGIVING PLAY’: See THU.10.

‘TRANSLATIONS’: See WED.9.

‘THE WOMAN IN BLACK’: See THU.10, 7:30 p.m.

‘YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN’: See THU.10.

words

FRIENDS OF THE RUTLAND FREE LIBRARY BOOK SALE: A broad selection of used, rare and antique books goes on sale to benefit the library. Rutland Free Library, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. By donation. Info, 773-1860.

GOOD LIVING BOOK CLUB: Senior readers swap thoughts on Sue Monk Kidd’s powerful period novel The Invention of Wings. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:3011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

SAT.12

bazaars

WOMEN’S ALLIANCE RUMMAGE SALE: See FRI.11, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

community

SCAVENGER HUNT IN STOWE: See WED.9.

dance

SATURDAY NIGHT SWING DANCE: Local Lindy hoppers and jitterbuggers boogie down to lively music from jazz, big-band and contemporary eras. Bring clean shoes. North Star Community Hall, Burlington, 8-10:30 p.m. $5. Info, 864-8382. etc.

A CELEBRATION OF SHOWING UP: Storytellers regale listeners with tales that weave together communities and compassion. Hula, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. $17.50. Info, dan@solavida.org.

DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER: A GOLDEN GALA: The black-tie, James Bond-themed party marks the 50-year anniversary of Feeding Champlain Valley. Burlington Country Club, 7-11 p.m. $50. Info, 846-9597.

SISTERHOOD CAMPFIRE: Women and genderqueer folks gather in a safe and inclusive space to build community through journaling, storytelling, gentle music and stargazing. Leddy Park, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, sisterhoodcampfire@gmail.com.

fairs & festivals

ART IN THE PARK FALL FOLIAGE

FESTIVAL: The annual outdoor event showcases juried fine artists,

Activism in Ivories

Composer and pianist David Feurzeig is not your average academic musician: The University of Vermont music prof is on a quest to “Play Every Town” in Vermont. (Think 251 Club, but with piano.) As live music languished during the pandemic, Feurzeig had time to reflect on the lack of sustainability within existing touring models — both here and abroad. When COVID-19-era regulations finally lifted, the artist vowed to forsake flying altogether and subsequently narrowed his performance radius to our brave little state. Feurzeig, recently profiled in the Wall Street Journal, is now on concert 67 of 252 — we see you, Essex Junction — landing him in the charming town of Huntington.

‘PLAY EVERY TOWN #67’

Sunday, October 13, 4-6 p.m., at the Sleepy Hollow Inn in Huntington. Free; donations accepted. Info, 434-3819, playeverytown.com.

craftspeople and specialty food producers, as well as vendors, music and activities for kids. Main Street Park, Rutland, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 775-0356.

CHAMPLAIN ISLANDS FARMERS

MARKET HARVEST FEST: Festive folks browse fun and funky local products while enjoying live music, games and a needlefelting workshop for all ages. South Hero St. Rose of Lima Church, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, champlainislandsfarmersmkt@ gmail.com.

CHOCOLATE FEST & SILENT

AUCTION: Sweet tooths try decadent confectionery delights while perusing items donated by local businesses and citizens. Proceeds benefit Companions in Wholeness. Grace Congregational Church, Rutland, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 773-2460.

CRAFT FAIR & FLEA MARKET:

Bargain hunters browse artisan jewelry, knitted items, screen prints, quilts, candles, jams and antiques. Twin Valley Senior Center, East Montpelier, 9 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3322.

FALL FOR ST. JOHNSBURY: Families flock to this seasonal showcase of the region’s best autumnal offerings, including foliage train rides, artisan and farmers markets, live music, and a gallery stroll. Downtown St. Johnsbury, 9 a.m.-7 p.m. $10-20 train tickets; free for kids 2 and under. Info, 7488575. See calendar spotlight.

HARVEST CELEBRATION: Fall fans delight in scenic wagon rides, pumpkin bowling, lawn games and a traditional barn dance, complete with caller. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $12-19; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 457-2355.

RAIL CITY TATTOO FESTIVAL: Ink artists and vendors from around the world assemble to demonstrate their talents and share their expertise. St. Albans City Hall, noon-8 p.m. $10-15; cash only. Info, 503-560-2186.

STOWE FOLIAGE ARTS FESTIVAL: See FRI.11.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘LES CONTES D’HOFFMANN’: Jacques Offenbach’s fantastical work kicks off the Metropolitan Opera’s season of “Live in HD” performances, starring French tenor Benjamin Bernheim in the titular role. Catamount Arts Center,

St. Johnsbury, 1 p.m. $16-25. Info, 748-2600.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

RITUAL MOUNTAIN BIKE FILM TOUR: Cycling enthusiasts herald the end of summer riding with screenings and vendor meet and greets. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $20-25. Info, 540-3018.

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

David Feurzeig

3D’: See WED.9.

‘TINY GIANTS

food & drink

BURLINGTON FARMERS MARKET: Dozens of stands overflow with seasonal produce, flowers, artisanal wares and prepared foods. 345 Pine St., Burlington, 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 560-5904.

CAPITAL CITY FARMERS MARKET: Meats and cheeses join farm-fresh produce, baked goods, locally made arts and crafts, and live music. 133 State St., Montpelier, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 272-6249.

LEAF PEEP & APERITIF

ADVENTURE DINNER: Peak foliage meets peak food at a four-course roving culinary experience highlighting local farms and covering two miles of forest and pasture. Merck Forest and Farmland Center,

Rupert, noon-4 p.m. $175 plus tax. Info, 248-224-7539.

SHELBURNE FARMERS MARKET: Locavores delight in vendors’ fresh fruits, veggies and prepared foods. Shelburne Village Fairgrounds, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, shelburnefarmersmarketvt@ gmail.com.

ST. JOHNSBURY FARMERS MARKET: Growers and crafters gather weekly at booths centered on local eats. Pearl St. & Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, cfmamanager@gmail. com.

games

BINGO: Daubers in hand, players strive for five in a row — and cash prizes. Proceeds support the restoration efforts of St. Peter’s Historic Preservation Committee. St.

Peter’s Catholic Church, Vergennes, 6-9 p.m. $5-10. Info, 877-2367.

CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities face off and learn new strategies. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Dungeon master Evan Hoffman leads new and veteran players on an epic quest in a fifth-edition campaign. Zoom option available. Waterbury Public Library, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.

LEARN TO PLAY MAH-JONGG: Expert tile trader Pauline Nolte leads players through the Chinese and American versions of the ancient game. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.

language

FRENCH CONVERSATION FOR ALL:

Native French speaker Romain Feuillette guides an informal discussion group for all ages and abilities. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

music

THE CHAMPLAIN PHILHARMONIC:

The renowned community orchestra welcomes special guest Cricket Blue to the stage for a magical evening of works by John Williams and Dmitri Shostakovich. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 7:30 p.m. $5-15. Info, 492-3675.

DEER TICK: The acclaimed indie rock band known for its raw, heartfelt performances takes the stage for an unplugged night of

hits and fan favorites. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $40-100. Info, 760-4634.

DIRTY CELLO: Listeners delight in an evening of blues, rock and Americana with the high-energy San Fransisco band. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 7-9 p.m. $5-20. Info, 533-2000.

LANE SERIES: ISATA KANNEHMASON: The lauded English pianist performs a dynamic program of works by Joseph Haydn, Clara Schumann, Frédéric Chopin and Carl Nielsen. University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 8-10 p.m. $45. Info, 656-4455.

LEROY PRESTON & FRIENDS: Veterans of the Unknown Blues Band join the singer-songwriter in a new collection of tunes.

Vergennes Opera House, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $25-30. Info, 877-6737. THE MAGNETICA CONCERT: Audiences experience the healing power of a sound, light and music generator built in Uruguay. The Magnetica Performance Space, Burlington, 6:30-7:30 p.m. $40. Info, events@themagnetica.com.

PUMPKINTOWN: ‘SONGS, STORIES & MAGIC LANTERN PROJECTIONS FROM AN IMAGINARY NEW ENGLAND VILLAGE’: Acclaimed American folk artists Tim Eriksen and Peter Irvine offer listeners a fresh take on regional music history, enhanced by paintings and lighting. Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, 7 p.m. $20-25. Info, 257-0124, ext. 101.

Job of the Week

SONGWRITER SESSIONS: NICK GRANELLE, JASON LEE & JOE

ADLER: The three talented musicians each go solo and share songs in an intimate setting. Shelburne Vineyard, 6-8:30 p.m. Free; reservations recommended. Info, 985-8222.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE E-BIKE TOUR: See WED.9.

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: See WED.9. PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

seminars

COMEDY WORKSHOP: Local standup Denise McCarty helps aspiring comics and writers hone the necessary skills for comedic success. Ages 18 and up. Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m.12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.

supportive writing and sharing circle for poets of all ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

WRITE NOW!: Lit lovers of all experience levels hone their craft in a supportive and critique-free environment. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 223-3338.

SUN.13 community

HUMAN CONNECTION CIRCLE: Neighbors share stories from their lives and forge deep bonds. Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, humanconnectioncircle@ gmail.com.

SCAVENGER HUNT IN STOWE: See WED.9.

crafts

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘CROOKLYN’: Spike Lee’s semi-autobiographical portrait of family life in 1970s Brooklyn is backed by a noteworthy soundtrack of R&B hits. The Screening Room @ VTIFF, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 3 p.m. $5-10. Info, 660-2600.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

food & drink

HEIRLOOM APPLE DAY: The barn opens its doors for tastings, tours, music, activities and a keynote presentation by renowned pomologist John Bunker. Scott Farm Orchard, Dummerston, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 490-2865.

HOW TO HORROR: Horror filmmakers discuss techniques to build tension and create detailed worlds on screen. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 295-6688.

sports

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.9, 1-3 p.m. etc.

Sherburne Fire District #1

Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator

STOWE FARMERS MARKET: An appetizing assortment of fresh veggies, meats, milk, berries, herbs, beverages and crafts tempts shoppers. Stowe Farmers Market, 10:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, stowefarmersmarket@gmail. com.

The Sherburne Fire District #1 located in Killington VT is seeking applicants for their wastewater plant. Interested applicants must have a Grade II VT State operator certificate and have a valid VT State drivers license. A High School diploma or equivalent is required as well. The candidate should be able to perform day to day lab testing and have good record-keeping and strong organizational skills. They will be required to work a

SMUGGLERS NOTCH SKI & SNOWBOARD CLUB ANNUAL SKI

The Scoop on Sherburne Fire District #1

John Gates, Chief Operator

What are the challenges of this job?

Like any wastewater job, there’s one main challenge, and that’s maintaining the highest quality of efﬂuent that you possibly can from your facility. is requires constant monitoring and testing of the entire process from beginning to end. is requires diligent maintenance of all the equipment and associated pumps, tanks and piping. You must be ready to tackle emergencies that could potentially disrupt the quality of efﬂuent discharged — a power outage, equipment failure or even a tropical storm. It’s extremely rewarding to know that you are responsible for helping, in a small way, to protect the rivers and streams of Vermont.

What is unique about working for the SFD #1?

We are a small facility, with just three employees. is means that on any given day you might be in the lab performing tests, outside doing landscape work or maybe tearing apart a pump that needs to be serviced. ere are times you might be called into work in the middle of the night to answer an alarm and be able to solve the issue on your own. You rarely have two days in a row that are the same. It’s never boring, and it’s full of unique opportunities to push your knowledge and abilities.

Apply for this great local job and many more: jobs.sevendaysvt.com

SALE: Winter sports enthusiasts score amazing deals on quality gear for the whole family. Proceeds benefit Smugglers’ Notch Ski and Snowboard Club. Tarrant Student Recreational Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, rsheredy@live.com.

theater

‘GRAPE CULTURE’: Performers Toni Nagy and Sarah Buckner guide audiences into a raw exploration of trauma through comedy, dance, film, storytelling and clowning. Firefolk Arts, Waitsfield, 7-9 p.m. $20. Info, firefolkarts@ gmail.com.

‘IMAGINE: A NEW PLAY & PERFORMANCE FEST’: See FRI.11.

‘THE LAST OF THE LIVING

LEGENDS’: Eric R. Hill’s story of a shape-shifting cryptid ushers in spooky season. QuarryWorks Theater, Adamant, 2-3:30 & 6-7:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 229-6978.

‘THE MOUSETRAP’: See FRI.11.

‘MURDER AT EIGHT’: See FRI.11, 2-4 & 7-9 p.m.

‘SISTERS’: See WED.9, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘THE TEMPEST’: See THU.10.

‘THE THANKSGIVING PLAY’: See THU.10.

‘TRANSLATIONS’: See WED.9.

‘THE WOMAN IN BLACK’: See THU.10.

‘YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN’: See THU.10.

words

FRIENDS OF THE RUTLAND FREE LIBRARY BOOK SALE: See FRI.11. THE POETRY EXPERIENCE: Local wordsmith Rajnii Eddins hosts a

INTERNATIONAL VOICES: MUSIC & POETRY FROM AROUND THE WORLD: Audiences delight in an afternoon of compositions highlighting cultural diversity. Manchester Community Library, Manchester Center, 2-4 p.m. Free. Info, 362-2607.

QUEEN CITY GHOSTWALK

LAKEVIEW CEMETERY TOUR: Author and historian Thea Lewis shares spine-tingling stories replete with local history. Ages 10 and up. Lakeview Cemetery, Burlington, 6-7 p.m. $25; preregister. Info, 324-5467.

fairs & festivals

ART IN THE PARK FALL FOLIAGE FESTIVAL: See SAT.12, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

HARVEST CELEBRATION: See SAT.12.

MIDDLEBURY CAR SHOW & FALL FESTIVAL: Here’s something to honk about: 75 classic cars and trucks gleaming on Main Street. Auto enthusiasts also enjoy food trucks, vendors, live music and kids’ activities. Triangle Park, Middlebury, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 388-7951.

MISSISQUOI WILDLIFE FAIR: Nature enthusiasts learn more about the refuge and explore its stunning trails and waterways. Missisquoi National Wildlife Refuge, Swanton, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, info@ friendsofmissisquoi.org.

PITTSFORD SHEEP FESTIVAL: Fans of fleece and felt enjoy craft vendors, shearing and herding demonstrations, and tasty local offerings. Pittsford Recreation Area, 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, 342-3176.

RAIL CITY TATTOO FESTIVAL: See SAT.12.

STOWE FOLIAGE ARTS FESTIVAL: See FRI.11.

WINOOSKI FARMERS MARKET: Families shop for produce, honey, meats, coffee and prepared foods from an outdoor gathering of seasonal vendors. Winooski Falls Way, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 655-6410.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.10, 1-4:30 p.m.

health & fitness

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: A YEAR TO LIVE (FULLY): Participants practice keeping joy, generosity and gratitude at the forefront of their minds. Jenna’s House, Johnson, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, mollyzapp@live.com.

NEW LEAF SANGHA

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: Newcomers and experienced meditators alike stretch their skills in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Hot Yoga Burlington, 6:30-8:15 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

RIPTON RIDGE RUN: Community members walk or run courses with varying difficulty levels to benefit the school. Ripton Elementary School, 12:30-3 p.m. $25-40; preregister. Info, riptonridgerun@ gmail.com.

lgbtq

CRAFT CLUB: Creative queer folks work on their knitting, crocheting and sewing projects. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 622-0692.

music

THE CHAMPLAIN

PHILHARMONIC: See SAT.12. Grace Congregational Church, Rutland, 4 p.m.

CLAIRE BLACK: ‘FORESTS & FAIRY TALES’: The pianist creates a musical space for imagination and reflection with works by Robert Schumann, Leoš Janáček and Sergei Bortkiewicz. Charlotte Congregational Church, 4-5:30 p.m. $20 suggested donation. Info, claireblackconcerts@gmail. com.

‘PLAY EVERY TOWN #67’: Prolific pianist David Feurzeig continues a four-year, statewide series of shows in protest of high-pollution worldwide concert tours. Donations benefit ACORN Vermont. Sleepy Hollow Inn, Huntington, 4-6 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 434-3819. See calendar spotlight.

SUNDAY SESSIONS: A variety of musicians share their melodies on the patio at Tavern on the Tee. Ralph Myhre Golf Course, Middlebury, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, 443-5125.

WESTFORD MUSIC CONCERT SERIES: TWANGTOWN

PARAMOURS: The talented husband-and-wife duo engage listeners with a lively catalog of Americana, folk and blues anthems. Westford Common Hall, 4-5 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 734-8177.

outdoors

THE BIG SIT: Birders join in the community science project by identifying as many feathered friends as possible between sunrise and sunset. Birds of Vermont Museum, Huntington, 6 a.m.-6 p.m. $6-9 museum admission; free for members. Info, 434-2167.

COMMUNITY PHOTO WALK: Photography lovers embark on a group stroll to capture fall’s fleeting beauty. Waterfront Park, Burlington, 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, lefthandedlens@gmail.com.

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

theater

‘IMAGINE: A NEW PLAY & PERFORMANCE FEST’: See FRI.11, 2 p.m.

‘THE LAST OF THE LIVING

LEGENDS’: See SAT.12, 2-3:30 p.m.

‘THE MOUSETRAP’: See FRI.11, 2 p.m.

‘SISTERS’: See WED.9, 5 p.m.

‘THE TEMPEST’: See THU.10, 2-4 p.m.

‘THE THANKSGIVING PLAY’: See THU.10, 2:30 p.m.

‘TRANSLATIONS’: See WED.9, 2 p.m.

‘THE WOMAN IN BLACK’: See THU.10, 3 p.m.

‘YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN’: See THU.10, 2 p.m.

words

ETHAN TAPPER: The Bolton author discusses his latest book, How to Love a Forest: The Bittersweet Work of Tending a Changing World, which outlines the importance of forestry and stewardship in Vermont. Highland Center for the Arts, Greensboro, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, galaxybookgals@gmail.com.

MON.14

community

SCAVENGER HUNT IN STOWE: See WED.9.

crafts

COLLAGE COLLECTIVE: Creatives of all experience levels cut, paste and make works of wonder. Virtual options available. Expressive Arts Burlington, 6:30-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 343-8172.

FUSE BEADS CLUB: Aspiring artisans bring ideas or borrow patterns to make beaded creations. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

games

MONDAY NIGHT GAMES:

Discounted wine by the glass fuels an evening of friendly competition featuring new and classic board games, card games, and cribbage. Shelburne Vineyard, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, 985-8222.

language

ENGLISH CONVERSATION CIRCLE: Locals learning English as a second language gather in the Digital Lab to build vocabulary and make friends. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

LANGUAGE LUNCH: GERMAN: Willkommen! Speakers of all experience levels brush up on conversational skills over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

outdoors

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

talks

MARION KAPLAN: The eminent historian sheds light on the struggles of German Jews as they attempted to escape Nazi persecution. Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building, University of Vermont, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, alan.steinweis@ uvm.edu.

words

JULIA MASKIVKER: The Rollins College professor of political science discusses her book, The Duty to Vote — exploring the ethics of participation and the morality of cooperative action. Dion Family Student Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 654-2588.

TUE.15

community

AUTO BODY REPAIR INSURANCE

ISSUES: The Vermont Department of Financial Regulation hosts an open discussion for local consumers to share their car-related experiences and concerns. Virtual options available. 89 Main Street, Montpelier, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, thomas.taylor@vermont.gov.

CURRENT EVENTS

DISCUSSION GROUP: Brownell Library holds a virtual roundtable for neighbors to pause and reflect on the news cycle. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

dance

SWING DANCE PRACTICE

SESSION: All ages and experience levels shake a leg in this friendly, casual environment designed for learning. Bring clean shoes. Champlain Club, Burlington, 7:309 p.m. Free. Info, 864-8382.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘CARRIE’: Sissy Spacek stars in this 1976 cult classic about a humiliated teenager’s telekinetic revenge at prom. Film House, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 540-3018.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

POLITICS & FILM SERIES: ‘BOB ROBERTS’: This 1992 political satire stars Tim Robbins as the millionaire conservative who uses ’60s-style folk songs to launch an insurgent campaign for U.S. Senate. A discussion follows. Next

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

ANTIQUARIAN BOOK AUCTION THE ROBERT A. MELLO COLLECTION OF VERMONTIANA AND AMERICANA

Saturday, October 12, 2024, at 10:30 a.m. Memorial Lounge, Waterman Building, UVM campus 85 South Prospect Street, Burlington, Vt.

Preview Friday, October 11, 6-8 p.m. and 8-10 a.m. morning of sale

A remarkable 475-lot collection of rare Vermont and North American books, pamphlets, maps, manuscripts, and ephemera. If you collect Vermont or American history, or have ever thought of doing so, this is an auction you don’t want to miss. Full electronic catalog with photographs available at www.parkinsonbooks.com

William L. Parkinson Books • P.O. Box 40, Hinesburg, Vt. 05461 802-482-3113, william@parkinsonbooks.com• parkinsonbooks.com

Stage Arts Project, Putney, 7 p.m. $10. Info, 387-0102.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9. food & drink

ONE FARMERS MARKET: Community members peruse an array of fresh, healthy, affordable local produce and other products. Dewey Park, Burlington, 3-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, oldnorthendfarmersmarket@ gmail.com.

LOU BEVACQUI: The emotional resilience coach enlightens listeners about learning to fail without the fear that often accompanies trying new things. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary. com.

theater

etc.

CHAMP MASTERS

TOASTMASTER CLUB: Those looking to strengthen their speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual options available. Dealer.com, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, champmasterstm@gmail.com.

WINE & STORY: Oenophiles join up for a night of drinks and storytelling. Shelburne Vineyard, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $5. Info, 985-8222.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.10.

‘HADESTOWN’: SOLD OUT. The acclaimed Broadway musical from Vermont’s own singer-songwriter Anaïs Mitchell pulls audiences through a hell-raising journey to the underworld and back. Flynn Main Stage, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $36-106. Info, 863-5966.

words

BURLINGTON

LITERATURE GROUP:

INFO SESSION FOR PROSPECTIVE COSA & REPARATIVE PANEL VOLUNTEERS: Interested folks learn more about the restorative program tailored for those seeking positive change after incarceration. Greater Barre Community Justice Center, 4:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 272-7478.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MEDITATION: All levels and ages engage in the ancient Buddhist practice of clearing the mind to achieve a state of calm. First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, 5:15-6 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 862-5630.

language

ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNER

MOVIE MATINEE: A short flick and group discussion offer English learners a chance to practice and connect. ADA accessible. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

LANGUAGE LUNCH: ITALIAN: Speakers hone their skills in the Romance language over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

MANDARIN CONVERSATION

CIRCLE: Volunteers from Vermont Chinese School help students learn or improve their fluency. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PAUSE-CAFÉ FRENCH

CONVERSATION: Francophones and learners of all levels meet pour parler la belle langue Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 343-5493.

outdoors

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

seminars

FINDING HOUSING

WORKSHOP: Prospective renters learn how to build an apartment-search tool kit, presented by the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. 5-6 p.m. Free. Info, 660-3456.

talks

DARIO ROBLETO: The multidisciplinary artist sheds light on his 2024 film, Ancient Beacons Long for Notice, currently on view at the college. Robison Concert Hall, Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, 4:30-6 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

DAVID FOSTER WALLACE: New England Readers & Writers leads a seven-week dissection of The Pale King. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@ nereadersandwriters.com.

WINE & STORY: Lovers of libations and tellers of tales gather for an evening of good company. Shelburne Vineyard, 6:45-9:30 p.m. $5. Info, rhamrell@together. net.

WED.16 agriculture

GARDENING NATIVE PLANTS

WORKSHOP: Community members learn how to identify, collect and sow the seeds of local plants. Marsh-BillingsRockefeller National Historical Park, Woodstock, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 457-3368.

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: See WED.9.

climate crisis

SIMPLE ASTONISHMENT: A COMMUNITY CONVERSATION ON A CHANGING CLIMATE: A panel illuminates listeners about the role of arts and humanities in shaping our connection to the crisis, followed by a guided observation of photographer Caleb Kenna’s works. 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 388-2117.

community

FACING CHANGE: LIFE’S TRANSITIONS AND TRANSFORMATIONS: A small group gathers and shares resources to support one another in times of upheaval. 4-5:15 p.m. $5-25 suggested donation. Info, 825-8141, ritesofpassagevt@ gmail.com.

crafts

CRAFT & ROM-COM NIGHT AT THE CINEMA: Creative hands knit, crochet, cross-stitch, journal and color while watching a surprise screening. Savoy Theater, Montpelier, 5:45-7:30 p.m. $15. Info, staff@savoytheater.com.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See WED.9.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9.

‘DOROTHEA LANGE: GRAB A CHUNK OF LIGHTNING’: This 2014 documentary offers a powerful yet intimate portrait of the photographer’s passion, vision and drive to test the conscience of a nation. Virtual options available. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3166.

‘FENCES’: Denzel Washington stars in this acclaimed 2016 period drama about a working-class African American father trying to raise his family in 1950s Pittsburgh. A Q&A follows. Dana Auditorium, Sunderland Language Center, Middlebury College, 7-10 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See WED.9.

‘OCEANS: OUR BLUE PLANET 3D’: See WED.9.

‘TINY GIANTS 3D’: See WED.9. food & drink

WHAT’S THAT WINE WEDNESDAYS: See WED.9. games

CHESS CLUB: See WED.9.

PUZZLE SWAP: Participants bring completed puzzles in a ziplock bag with an image of the puzzle and swap for a new one. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.9. language

ELL CLASSES: ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS AND INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS: See WED.9. SPANISH CONVERSATION: Fluent and beginner speakers brush up on their vocabulario with a discussion led by a Spanish teacher. Presented by Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. 5-6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org.

music

AUSTRALIAN CHAMBER

ORCHESTRA: The world-class ensemble performs Antonio Vivaldi’s masterpiece The Four Seasons through the lens of the Ottoman Empire. Spruce Peak

Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $60-80. Info, 760-4634.

BLUES JAM: Musicians singin’ the blues take over the Tavern on the Tee patio for a monthly series featuring local and regional acts. Anyone with an instrument is welcome to join the jam. Ralph Myhre Golf Course, Middlebury, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 443-5125.

OCTOBER JAZZ JAM: Enthusiasts, players and singers of the genre gather for live tunes, collaboration and tasty treats. BYO drinks, snacks and dessert. The Phoenix, Waterbury, 6-9 p.m. $5 suggested donation. Info, 578-5028.

RUNNIN’ WILD JAZZ BAND: The swingin’ ensemble of Vermont musicians plays roaring twenties tunes and a few traditional New Orleans-style selections. Stone Valley Arts, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 884-4100.

outdoors

CABOT CHEESE E-BIKE TOUR: See WED.9.

E-BIKE & BREW TOUR: See WED.9.

PEDAL TO PEEP FOLIAGE TOUR: See WED.9.

FAMI LY FU N

SUN.13

burlington

DAD GUILD: Fathers (and parents of all genders) and their kids ages 5 and under drop in for playtime and connection. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SENSORY-FRIENDLY SUNDAY: Folks of all ages with sensory processing differences have the museum to themselves, with adjusted lights and sounds and trusty sensory backpacks. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 9-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, kvonderlinn@echovermont.org.

barre/montpelier

GENDER CREATIVE KIDS: Trans and gender-nonconforming kiddos under 13 and their families build community and make new friends at this joyful monthly gathering. Locations vary; contact organizer for info. Various locations statewide, 2-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 865-9677.

MON.14

burlington

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Bookworms ages 2 through 5 enjoy a fun-filled reading time. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

québec

‘SHE AND THE OTHER(S)’: Performer Chi Long uses stories — real or imagined — theater and dance to question Québec’s identity in the face of major migration issues. La Chapelle, Montréal, 7:30 p.m. $25-45 sliding scale. Info, billetterie@lachapelle.org.

seminars

ALL-IN-ONE MOBILE AUDIO & VIDEO PRODUCTION: Media enthusiasts of all experience levels learn how to create and utilize on-the-go kits for recording. The Media Factory, Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 651-9692.

MENTAL HEALTH URGENT CARE CLINIC

INTRODUCTORY WEBINAR: The Howard Center hosts an informative Zoom presentation about the new Burlington facility and its offerings. 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 488-6912.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE TENNIS CLUB: See WED.9.

chittenden county

POKÉMON CLUB: Players trade cards and enjoy activities centered on their favorite strategic game. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: Little tykes have a blast with songs, stories, rhymes and dancing. Ages 5 and under. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

upper valley

STORY TIME WITH BETH: A bookseller and librarian extraordinaire reads two picture books on a different theme each week. Norwich Bookstore, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

northeast kingdom

NATIVE AMERICAN MUSIC & STORIES: Families mark Indigenous Peoples Day with songs by Justin Thunderbear from the Deer Clan of the Koasek Abenaki Tribes and stories read by library staff. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:3011:30 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

STORY TIME: See THU.10, 2-2:30 p.m.

TUE.15

burlington

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with Linda. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

talks

ERICA HEILMAN: The podcaster discusses the making of her show “Rumble Strip” while encouraging listeners to discover how we are often more alike than different. Virtual options available. Norwich Public Library, 6:30-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 649-1184.

DANIEL STEINBAUER & GABRIELLA STEVENS: Two master composters answer questions and share their strategies for managing common concerns such as odor and pests. Richmond Free Library, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 434-3036.

theater

‘HADESTOWN’: See TUE.15, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘SISTERS’: See WED.9.

words

JULIET GRAMES: The best-selling author delights listeners with a reading and discussion about her latest novel, The Lost Boy of Santa Chionia. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 7 p.m. $3; preregister. Info, 448-3350. ➆

chittenden county

CRAFTYTOWN: Kiddos express their inner artist using different mediums such as paint, print, collage and sculpture. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

OUTDOOR STORY TIME: Youngsters enjoy a sunny session of reading, rhyming and singing with Dorothy Alling Memorial Library. Birth through age 5. Williston Town Green, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

TODDLER TIME: Wiggly wee ones and their caregivers love this lively, interactive storybook experience featuring songs, rhymes and finger plays. Ages 1 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

STORY TIME: See THU.10.

WED.16

burlington

TODDLER TIME: See WED.9.

chittenden county

BABY TIME: See WED.9. GAME ON!: See WED.9.

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: See WED.9.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TEEN HANGOUT: Middle and high schoolers make friends at a no-pressure meetup. Waterbury Public Library, 3-6 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036. K

VERMONT’S CHARM

MAIN STREET, STOWE, VT • 802.253.3033 ferrojewelers.com • stowe@ferrojewelers.com

6h-ferro090623.indd 1

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.

aromatherapy

PERFUME & WINE PARTY WITH BLOOM LAB: Discover the art of perfumery at this perfume-making event while creating your unique perfume that is blended with intention to reﬂect your personality and style. For anyone interested in perfumery or simply enjoying good company while trying something new! You’ll leave with a 1.7-ounce bottle of custom eau de parfum.

Sun., Oct. 13, noon-2 p.m. Cost: $95. Location: Maquam Winery, 125 Duffy Rd., Milton. Info: 3553336, sevendaystickets.com.

coaching

6-WEEK DECLUTTERING

WORKSHOPS: Join a virtual decluttering series with a decluttering coach and certiﬁed professional organizer. Feel overwhelmed by clutter? Struggle to know where

to start decluttering and get organized? Start here. Workshops begin on Oct. 15. Work privately at your pace, declutter effectively and conﬁdently, feel camaraderie and support, and make space for what matters. Every Tue. from Oct. 15-Nov. 19, 9-11 a.m.; or every other Sat. from Oct. 26-Nov. 23, 10 a.m.1:30 p.m. Cost: $159 for Tue. or Sat. series. Location: Zoom. Info: Declutterati Club, Tracey Young, 404-7575, hello@sparklingandstill. com, sparklingandstill.com.

culinary

COMFORTING SIDES AND SEASONAL SALADS: Join cookbook author and teacher Molly Stevens for a hands-on workshop where we’ll transform a cornucopia of fall produce into colorful and creative sides and salads. Take your holiday cooking to the next level. Learn

the techniques behind roasted root vegetable medleys, grainbased salads, cozy gratins and more. Sat., Oct. 19, 4-6:30 p.m.

Cost: $75. Location: Richmond Community Kitchen, 13 Jolina Ct. Info: 434-3445.

KNIFE SKILLS WITH REVEL WOODWORKING AND VERMONT

SHARP: Chef Stephanie Gurrieri leads a special knife skills class. Amy Escott of Revel Woodworking will discuss proper wood board care and why your knives prefer cutting on wood over plastic. en, Ben Schacher of Vermont Sharp will discuss proper knife care, how to properly sharpen knives, and preferred knife materials and brands. Sat., Oct. 12, 1-3 p.m. Cost: $100.

Location:

SidePony Boutique, 90 Mechanicsville Rd., Hinesburg. Info: 732-6738755, sevendaystickets.com.

12. You can select your ﬂavor. u., Oct. 24, 6-7:15 p.m. Cost: $85. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, 1 Elm St., Waterbury Village. Info: 203-400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

martial arts

VINTAGE PIPING CAKE

DECORATING CLASS: We will talk through how to get smooth edges on your cakes and then how to pipe intricate designs featuring different piping tips. You’ll go home with some great new techniques, as well as a six-inch cake that serves

AIKIDO: THE WATERCOURSE WAY: Cultivate core power, aerobic ﬁtness and resiliency. e dynamic, circular movements emphasize throws, joint locks and the development of internal energy. Not your average “mojo dojo casa house.” Inclusive training and a safe space for all. Scholarships and intensive program are available for serious students. Visitors are always welcome! Membership rates incl. unlimited classes 6 days/week. Contact us for info about membership rates for adults, youths & families.

Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: Benjamin Pincus, 951-8900, bpincus@burlingtonaikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

music

DJEMBE WEDNESDAYS!:

Learn to drum with Stuart Paton! Beginner and advanced beginner classes available. Sessions begin Oct. 9 and Nov. 13. Drums provided. Every Wed.: beginners, 5:30 p.m.; accelerated, 7 p.m. Cost: $92/4 weeks; 90-min. sessions; $72 for Kids & Parents classes. Location: Burlington Taiko (next to Nomad Café), 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3-G, Burlington. Info: Stuart Paton, 999-4255,taikoaikokai@ gmail.com.

TAIKO TUESDAYS!: Adult classes and Kids & Parents (age 6 and up) classes available. Learn to drum with Burlington Taiko! Sessions begin Oct. 8 and Nov. 12. Drums provided. Every Tue: Kids & Parents, 4 p.m.; beginners, 5:30 p.m.; accelerated, 7 p.m. Cost: $92/4 weeks; 90-min. classes; $72 for Kids & Parents classes. Location: Burlington Taiko (next to Nomad Café), 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3-G, Burlington. Info: Stuart Paton, 999-4255, taikoaikokai@ gmail.com

shamanism

APPRENTICESHIP IN SHAMANISM: Rare opportunity to apprentice locally in a shamanic tradition. Five weekends over a year; the ﬁrst one is Oct. 18. Location: St. Albans. Info: 369-4331.

spirituality

FINDING AUTHENTIC

HAPPINESS: Even when things are going our way, we may not feel happy. When things take a turn for the worse, it is even more difficult to maintain a cheerful state of mind. How do we find real peace of mind and genuine happiness? Join Vajrayana Buddhist master Anyen Rinpoche and Allison Choying Zangmo for a lively introduction to the Buddhist approach to finding mental and emotional peace and well-being. Wed., Oct. 23, 7-8:30 p.m. Cost: $20. Location: All Souls Interfaith Gathering, 291 Bostwick Farm Rd., Shelburne. Info: Orgyen Khandroling, Kendra Smith, 391-9132, kendrasmith71@gmail.com, orgyenkhandroling.org.

sports

THE ONE-NIGHT STAND: BIKE-CARE BASICS: is OneNight Stand will cause neither regret nor shame; instead, it will help you stay safer, keep your bike running longer, and give you conﬁdence in either getting what you need at the bike shop or ﬁguring out how to deal with it on your own. Wed., Oct. 9, 6-7:30 p.m. Cost: $50. Location: Old Spokes Home Community Workshop, 664 Riverside Dr., Burlington. Info: 863-4475, sevendaystickets.com.

Humane Society

of Chittenden County

housing » APARTMENTS, CONDOS & HOMES

on the road » CARS, TRUCKS, MOTORCYCLES

pro services » CHILDCARE, HEALTH/ WELLNESS, PAINTING

buy this stuff »

APPLIANCES, KID STUFF, ELECTRONICS, FURNITURE music »

INSTRUCTION, CASTING, INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE

jobs »

NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

Gigi

AGE/SEX: 7-year-old spayed female

ARRIVAL DATE: August 23, 2024

SUMMARY: Gigi is a serene senior on a quest for a loving home where she can truly shine. is sweet, calm and demure girl radiates charm and warmth, making her the perfect companion for anyone longing for a gentle presence to ﬁll their days with affection and tranquility. Gigi has gracefully navigated some challenges in life, including chronic allergic skin disease and hyperthyroidism (both are managed with her special prescription diet and daily medication). If you’re searching for a sweet, loving friend who will ﬁll your life with joy, look no further — Gigi is ready to curl up in your heart. Open your home to this beautiful soul, and you’ll discover the magic of true friendship.

DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Gigi would like to be the only pet in her new home. She enjoys the company of respectful children.

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?

Cats can have allergies, just like people! And just like people, the solution is often to keep them from eating things that can cause allergic reactions, which often show up as itchy, irritated skin. at’s why limited-ingredient diets and prescription foods are best to keep cats with allergies happy and healthy.

Sudoku

Show and tell. View and post up to 6 photos per ad online.

Complete the following puzzle by using the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

Open 24/7/365. Post & browse ads at your convenience. Extra! Extra! There’s no limit to ad length online.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

NEW ON FRIDAYS:

Put your knowledge of Vermont news to the test.

CALCOKU BY

JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. The numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A one-box cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

crossword

SUDOKU BY JOSH

REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HH

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers one to nine. The same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

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

ANSWERS ON P. 76 »

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

Legal Notices

WARNING & NOTICE

SPECIAL CITY MEETING

The legal voters of the City of Burlington, Vermont are hereby warned and notified to come and vote at a Special City Meeting on Tuesday, the 5th day of November, 2024 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in their respective wards, at the voting places hereinafter named and designated as polling places:

Ward One/East District: Mater Christi School, 50 Mansfield Ave.

Ward Two/Central District: O.N.E. Community Center, 20 Allen St.

Ward Three/Central District: Sustainability Academy, 123 North St.

Ward Four/North District: Elks Lodge, 925 North Ave.

Ward Five/South District: Burlington Electric Department, 585 Pine St.

Ward Six/South District: Edmunds Middle School, 275 Main St.

Ward Seven/North District: Robert Miller Community & Rec. Center, 130 Gosse Ct.

Ward Eight/East District: Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St.

The polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. for the purpose of voting upon two special articles being placed on the ballot by request of the City Council by resolutions duly adopted and approved, with all said special articles being as follows:

1. ISSUANCE OF REVENUE BONDS FOR BURLINGTON ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT NET ZERO ENERGY AND GRID RELIABILITY PROJECTS

“Shall the City be authorized to issue revenue bonds or notes in one or more series on behalf of the Electric Light Department, in an amount not to exceed $20,000,000 in the aggregate, to be issued pursuant to the City Charter, as may be determined by the City Council, and payable from the net revenues of the electric system, for the purpose of paying for (i) capital additions and improvements to the City’s electric system, and energy transformation and energy efficiency projects, in furtherance of the City’s Net Zero Energy goals, including capital improvements

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE

for the distribution system, grid demand management and battery storage opportunities, generation plant upgrades, IT system/technology system upgrades, acquisition of municipal electric vehicles and support of EV charging infrastructure (the “Project”), and (ii) funding a debt service reserve funds and paying costs of issuance?”

2. CHARTER CHANGE RE: POLICE OVERSIGHT

“Shall the Charter of the City of Burlington, Acts of 1949, No. 298 as amended, be further amended to amend Article 62, Police Department; Article 63, Chief of Police and Captain; and Article 65, Removal or Suspension, thereto to read as follows:

ARTICLE 62. POLICE DEPARTMENT

183 Board of police commissioners; composition; terms.

The board of police commissioners shall consist of seven (7) legal voters and should represent the diverse nature of said city ’s constituents, including those from historically marginalized communities , to be appointed by the city council with mayor presiding to serve for three (3) years and until their successors are appointed and qualified.

184 Same-powers and duties.

(a) The city council shall make rules and regulations for the government of the entire police force department and shall fix the qualifications of applicants for positions and service on said force department and , to the extent permitted by applicable law, the chief of police shall furnish the city council with any information they may require concerning the finances of the police department. The chief of police shall be responsible for all expenditures made by the police department and no expenditures shall be made by the department except in conformity with the standards promulgated by the city council.

(b) The board of police commissioners shall have such authority and responsibility relating to the management, auditing, or monitoring of the police department, its services and facilities, as may be delegated from time to time by resolution , ordinances, and orders of the city council. Said board shall notify the mayor and the chief administrative officer, and city council , in writing,

of any and all changes, modifications or additions to the rules and regulations of the department.

(c) Without limitation to the foregoing, the board of police commissioners and the chief of police may propose rules and regulations for the government of the entire police department in a manner not inconsistent with those established by the city council. Adoption of such proposed rules and regulations requires joint approval by the board of police commissioners and the chief of police. In the event joint approval is not provided by the board of police commissioners and the chief of police, either party may bring forward to the city council the proposed rule or regulation for the city council’s consideration.

(d) The board of police commissioners shall have the authority to receive and review all civilian and internal allegations of misconduct by members of the police department. The mayor’s proposed budget and the city council shall annually appropriate an amount necessary for the adequate support and facilitation of such review. To the greatest extent permitted by law, the chief of police shall provide the board of police commissioners timely updates of any review, investigation, or disposition of alleged misconduct. The board of police commissioners shall have the ability to request additional information from the chief of police and access to those documents or other evidence relied upon by the chief of police in reviewing allegations of misconduct as the city council shall designate by ordinance. For complaints of alleged misconduct that constitute an offense subject to an investigation of the Vermont Criminal Justice Training Council pursuant to 20 V.S.A 2401 et seq. or for which the chief of police intends to impose discipline constituting loss of pay, suspension, or termination, the complaint may not be disposed until the board of police commissioners is notified of the proposed disposition.

After receiving notice from the chief of police of the recommended or actual disposition relating to the review of alleged misconduct, the board of police commissioners shall have the authority to : (i) recommend an alternative disposition to the chief of police within a time established by ordinance; or

(ii) independently investigate any allegation of

misconduct by members of the police department upon a 2/3 majority vote. Such investigation or review shall be conducted by an independent investigator hired by the board of police commissioners, and approved by the city attorney’s office, and completed within a time established by ordinance. Upon the conclusion of such an investigation, the board of police commissioners may make a recommendation per subsection (i). The board of police commissioners shall not have the authority to investigate or impose discipline upon the chief of police. Matters regarding the alleged misconduct of the chief of police shall be addressed in conformity with section 190(b) of this Charter and other relevant Vermont statutes.

(e) Upon receiving a recommendation by the board of police commissioners in subsection (d), the chief of police may accept the recommendation subject to the notice and hearing provisions in Article 62, section 190(a) or reject the recommendation. In the event the chief of police rejects the recommendation, the chief of police shall immediately notify the board of police commissioners. Upon receiving notice of the rejection, the board of police commissions may, upon a 2/3 majority vote, request that an independent panel decide the disposition of the matter within a time established by ordinance, subject to the notice and hearing provisions set forth in in Article 62, section 190(a). The disposition of the independent panel shall be final, subject to any applicable right of appeal or grievance process. This independent panel shall consist of three (3) to five (5) persons appointed per ordinance

ARTICLE 63. CHIEF OF POLICE AND CAPTAIN

185 Officers of police force department designated.

(a) The direction and control of the entire police force department except as herein otherwise provided, shall be vested in a police officer who shall be called the chief of police, and such other ranking police officers as the city council shall authorize, subject to the ordinances, resolutions, and orders of the city council; and, provided that the mayor shall retain the powers and duties of chief executive officer pursuant to §116. The order of rank and succession within the police department shall be as designated by the city council by regulation.

(b) Except as herein otherwise provided, such officers shall have the powers and duties granted to police officers by Vermont law and assigned to them by regulations adopted under section 184 of this Charter.

ARTICLE 65. REMOVAL OR SUSPENSION

190 Chief of police may remove member for cause; hearing.

(a) Whenever it shall appear to the chief of police that any member of said force police department has become incompetent, inefficient or incapable from any cause, or is or has been negligent or derelict in his or her their official duty, or is guilty of any misconduct in his or her their private or official life, or whenever any well-grounded complaints or charges to such effect are made in writing to the chief of police by a responsible person against such member, the chief of police may investigate and, after appropriate notice and hearing, dismiss such member from the force police department , order a reduction in rank, or suspend the member without pay for a specified time period in excess of 14 days. In connection with any possible dismissal, demotion, or suspension for more than 14 days, the chief of police ’s notice to the member shall be given at least 48 hours prior to any hearing and shall include a description of the charges being considered. In connection therewith, the chief of police shall have the power to subpoena documents and witnesses and to administer the oath to such witnesses. Such a subpoena will be subject to enforcement or modification in conformity with the procedures set forth in 3 V.S.A. §§ 809a and 809b . The board of police commissioners, or in the case it has already offered an opinion on discipline pursuant to §184(d)(i), or in the case that the voting number of commissioners falls below four (4) due to declared actual or apparent conflict(s) of interest, an independent panel comprised as in §184(e) shall hear any appeal filed in a timely

manner with respect to such actions of the police chief. The time of filing an appeal and the nature of the appellate process shall be as determined by such board of regulation. Following its consideration of any such appeal, the board may affirm, modify, or vacate the decision made by the police chief.

(b) Whenever it shall appear to the mayor that the chief has become incompetent, inefficient, or incapable from any cause, or has been negligent or derelict in his or her their official duty, or is guilty of any misconduct in his or her the chief’s private or official life, or whenever any well-grounded complaints or charges to such effect are made in writing to the mayor by a responsible person, the mayor may suspend the chief of police from duty pending a hearing thereon by the city council. The city council shall forth with notify the chief of police of the charges preferred by them, or of the complaints or charges presented by such responsible person in writing, and shall thereupon proceed to consider and investigate the same. It shall appoint a time and place for the hearing of such complaints and charges so made, shall give the chief of police reasonable notice of the same, not less than 48 hours, and the city council shall have the power to subpoena documents and witnesses and to administer the oath to such witnesses. Such a subpoena will be subject to enforcement or modification in conformity with the procedures set forth in 3 V.S.A. §§ 809a and 809b

(c) If, upon hearing, the city council shall find such complaints or charges to be well founded, it may dismiss the chief of police from the force police department , demote him or her such chief in rank, or suspend him or her such chief without pay for a period not to exceed 60 days. The procedures outlined in this section shall control in the event of any conflict with section 129 of this Charter as pertains to the removal of the chief of police (d) The chief of police may, without notice or hearing for any infraction, violation, or disobedience of any of the rules and regulations of the police department that may seem to the chief of police sufficient, suspend from duty without pay any member of the police force department for a period not to exceed 14 days.”

* Material underlined added

** Material struck out deleted

Emma Mulvaney-Stanak, Mayor

Dated this day of, 2024

NOTICE TO VOTERS FOR NOVEMBER 5TH, 2024 ELECTION BURLINGTON, VT

BEFORE ELECTION DAY:

CHECKLIST POSTED at Clerk’s Office by Sunday, October 6th, 2024. If your name is not on the checklist, then you must register to vote. You may also check your voter registration status at https://mvp.vermont.gov. SAMPLE BALLOTS will be posted by Saturday, October 26th, 2024.

HOW TO REGISTER TO VOTE: There is no deadline to register to vote. You will be able to register to vote on the day of the election. You can register prior by visiting the City Clerk’s office or going online to olvr.vermont.gov.

EARLY or ABSENTEE BALLOTS: All registered Burlington voters will be automatically mailed absentee ballots for this election. The latest you can request ballots to be mailed for the November 5, 2024 Election is by the close of the City Clerk’s office at 4:30 p.m. on Friday, November 1, 2024. Ballots can be requested in-person at the City Clerk’s office until 1:00 p.m. on Monday, November 4, 2024.

WAYS TO VOTE YOUR EARLY BALLOT:

• Mail or deliver the ballot mailed to you back to the City Clerk’s Office before Election Day, drop off at one of the City’s five Drop Boxes, or return it to your polling place before 7:00 p.m. on Election Day.

• Please contact the City Clerk’s Office if you have not received your ballot in the mail by October 8th, 2024.

• If you are sick or disabled before Election Day, ask

the City Clerk to have two Justices of the Peace bring a ballot to you at your home. (Ballots can be delivered on any of the eight days preceding the day of the election or on the day of the election.)

ON ELECTION DAY:

If your name was dropped from the checklist in error, or has not been added even though you submitted a timely application for addition to the checklist, you can fill out a new registration form.

• If the Clerk or Board for Registration of Voters does not add your name, you can appeal the decision to a Superior Court Judge, who will settle the matter on Election Day. Call the Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-439-VOTE (439-8683) for more information.

If you are a first time voter who submitted your application to the checklist individually by mail and did not submit the required document, you must provide a current and valid photo identification, OR a bank statement, utility bill, or government document that contains your name and current address.

If you have physical disabilities, are visually impaired or can’t read, you may have assistance from any person of your choice. If any voters you know have disabilities, let them know they can have assistance from any person of their choice. You may also use the accessible voting system to mark your ballot. If you want to use the accessible voting system tell the entrance checklist official. An election official will take you to the accessible ballot marking device, enter a security code, and then leave you to mark and print your ballot privately. More details about our accessible ballot marking device are available at https://sos. vermont.gov/elections/voters/accessible-voting/

If you know voters who cannot get from the car into the polling place let them know that ballot(s) may be brought to their car by two election officials.

If you have any questions or need assistance while voting, ask your City Clerk or any election official for help.

NO PERSON SHALL:

• Vote more than once per election, either in the same town or in different towns.

• Mislead the Board for Registration of Voters about your own or another person’s true residency or other eligibility to vote.

• Hinder or impede a voter going into or from the polling place.

• Socialize in a manner that could disturb other voters in the polling place.

• Offer, bribe, threaten or exercise undue influence to dictate or control the vote of another person.

FOR HELP OR INFORMATION: Call the Secretary of State’s Office at 1-800-439-VOTE (439-8683). (Accessible by TDD)

If you believe that any of your voting rights have been violated, you may file an Administrative Complaint with the Secretary of State’s Office, 128 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05633.

If you believe you have witnessed efforts to commit any kind of fraud or corruption in the voting process, you may report this to your local United States Attorney’s Office.

If you have witnessed actual or attempted acts of discrimination or intimidation in the voting process, you may report this to the Civil Rights Division of the United States Department of Justice at (800) 253-3931.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR VOTERS using Vote Tabulator Ballots

CHECK-IN AND RECEIVE BALLOTS:

• Go to the entrance checklist table.

• Give name and, if asked, street address to the election official in a loud voice.

• Wait until your name is repeated and checked off by the official.

Notice is hereby given that a meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 23, 2024, at 6:30–8:00 pm in South Burlington at the Chamberlin School and Thursday, October 24, 2024, at 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm in Winooski at the Winooski High School.

This meeting will provide an overview of the dra Noise Exposure Map report that has been prepared on behalf of Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport. The meeting will be workshop style with various stations for individuals to review the information and ask questions. There will be no formal presentation. Comment sheets will be available for the public to leave their comments.

The dra report can be found on the Airport’s noise program website: btvsound.com. Physical copies of the dra report are also available for review at the Patrick Leahy Burlington International Airport administrative o ces located at 1200 Airport Rd, South Burlington VT, Suite 1. Public comments can be submitted at the hearing or via email to BTVSound@jonespayne.com. The public comment will close Friday, November 15th at 5 pm. Additional comments and questions regarding the noise program can be submitted at any time. CITY OF

Public Utility Commission Notice Of Public Hearing

RE: TARIFF FILING OF CITY OF BURLINGTON ELECTRIC DEPARTMENT REQUESTING A 5.5% RATE INCREASE EFFECTIVE WITH SERVICE RENDERED ON AND AFTER AUGUST 1, 2024

PUC CASE NO. 24-1848-TF

The Public Utility Commission will hold a public hearing to receive input concerning the tariff filing of the City of Burlington Electric Department requesting an overall rate increase of 5.5% effective with service rendered on or after August 1, 2024.

The virtual public hearing will be held on Thursday, October 24, 2024, commencing at 7:00 P.M., utilizing GoToMeeting video conference with a telephone call-in option. The Public Hearing will commence at 7:00 P.M., or immediately following a presentation at 6:30 P.M. hosted by the Vermont Department of Public Service where the City of Burlington Electric Department will describe the rate increase and be available to answer questions.

Participants and members of the public may access the public hearing online at https://meet.goto.com/783355557, or call in by telephone using the following information: phone number: +1 (571) 317-3116; access code: 783-355-557. Participants may wish to download the GoToMeeting software application in advance of the hearing at https:// meet.goto.com/install. Guidance on how to join the meeting and system requirements may be found at https://www.gotomeeting.com/meeting/ online-meeting-support.

Legal Notices

• An election official will give you a ballot.

• Enter within the guardrail and go to a vacant voting booth.

MARK YOUR BALLOT: For each office listed on the ballot, you will see instructions to “Vote for not more than one, or Vote for not more than two, etc.”

• To vote for a candidate, fill in the oval to the right of the name of the candidate you want to vote for.

• WRITE-IN candidate(s). To vote for someone whose name is not printed on the ballot, use the blank “write-in” lines on the ballot and either write in the name or paste on sticker, then fill in the oval.

CAST YOUR VOTE by depositing your voted ballot into the vote tabulating machine.

LEAVE the voting area immediately by passing outside the guardrail.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 24-PR-06070

In re ESTATE of Elizabeth Wales

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Elizabeth Wales, late of Burlington, VT.

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: October 1, 2024

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Sally M. Wales

Executor/Administrator: Sally M. Wales, c/o Sheehey Furlong & Behm, PC, PO Box 66, Burlington, VT 05402-0066 phone: 802-865-6351 email: aduffy@sheeheyvt.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 10/09/2024

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO. 24-PR-01950 175 Main Street Burlington, VT 05401 (802) 651-1518 www.vermontjudiciary.org

NOTICE OF HEARING AND ORDER FOR PUBLICATION

Estate of: Michael Wentworth

TO PATRICIA MOYER: Motion for License to Sell or Convey Real Estate, has been filed in the Probate Division of the Superior Court: September 16, 2024.

hearing on the petition/motion will be held at 10:00 a.m. on November 8, 2024. at the abovenamed court.

If no one appears at the hearing to object, the relief requested may be granted. If you wish to receive notice of future events in this proceeding, you must notify the Court by filing Notice of Appearance form that can be found on the Vermont Judiciary website.

If you do not file an objection, with the court, by close of business on November 1, 2024, you will lose the right to be heard on this motion. In that event, the court may grant the motion, without the need for hearing.

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 142.

It is hereby ORDERED that the notice of hearing as set forth in this Order be published in either Burlington Free Press or Seven Days, both of these publications are newspaper of general circulation in the Chittenden Probate District and/or Grand Isle County, Vermont. This notice/order shall be published, verbatim, as an advertisement, not later than 21 days prior to the hearing date. Estate counsel shall file “tear sheet” with the court proving that publication has occurred, not later than 7 days prior to the hearing date.

Electronically signed on September 23, 2024 pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d)

Gregory Glennon Probate Judge

Any individual with disability requiring assistance accessing the services, programs, and/or activities at the Courthouse should contact the Clerk’s office at the above address for further assistance. PE12 Order for Hearing by Publication 24-PR01950 Estate of: Michael Wentworth

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 24-PR-01950

In re ESTATE of Michael Wentworth

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Michael Wentworth, late of South Burlington, Vermont.

Dated: October 1, 2024

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Fred Wentworth

Executor/Administrator: Fred Wentworth, 17 W. Abaco Way, Hamstead, NC 27540 phone: 919-218-1498 email: wentworthfred@yahoo.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 10/9/2024

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT CIVIL DIVISIVON

DOCKET NO.: 22-CV-00510

Mongeon Bay Properties, LLC Plaintiff, v. Town of Colchester, Defendant.

PETITION FOR HEARING TO DETERMINE NECESSITY

NOW COMES the Town of Colchester (“Town”), by and through its counsel, Monaghan Safar Ducham PLLC, and pursuant to Title 24, Chapter 97 and Chapter 101, hereby submits the following petition (“Petition”) on behalf of the Town Board of Sewage System Commissioners and the Town Board of Sewage Disposal Commissioners for a hearing to determine the necessity of taking certain land at 885 East Lakeshore Drive. See 24 V.S.A. §§ 3508, 3604. In support of this Petition, the Town, through its Boards, proposes taking land for the purpose of constructing, maintaining, operating, and repairing a stormwater treatment facility to replace an existing 24” stormwater outflow located at 885 East Lakeshore Drive. The outfall is one of the largest on East Lakeshore Drive and discharges 3.7 million gallons of untreated stormwater into Malletts Bay annually. The proposed stormwater treatment facility will provide three levels of treatment prior to stormwater discharge into Malletts Bay. The Town cannot construct

or operate the stormwater treatment facility without taking the entire parcel and removing the existing building at 885 East Lakeshore Drive. The land to be taken, purchased, or acquired is particularly described in the October 26, 2021 survey, “Stormwater Improvements 885 East Lakeshore Drive — Proposed Taking Limits,” by Donald L. Hamlin Consulting Engineers, Inc. The survey is on file in the Town Clerk’s Office, and is annexed and incorporated by reference into this petition as if set forth fully herein.

WHEREFORE, the Town respectfully requests that this Honorable Court fix a time and place when it will hear all parties concerned and determine whether such taking is necessary.

Dated this 14th day of November, 2022.

MONAGHAN SAFAR DUCHAM PLLC

Brian P. Monaghan, Esq. Kristen E. Shamis, Esq.

Monaghan Safar Ducham PLLC 156 Battery Street Burlington, VT 05401 bmonaghan@msdvt.com (802) 660-4735

Attorneys for the Town of Colchester

VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

Chittenden Unit 175 Main Street, PO Box 187 Burlington, VT 05402 802-863-3467 www.vermontjudiciary.org

CIVIL DIVISION

Case No. 22-CV-00510

Date: May 17, 2024

NOTICE OF HEARING

Mongeon Bay Properties, LLC v. Town of Colchester

This is the notify to appear at the Court named above in connection with the above-named case on:

DATE: October 21, 2024 TIME: 8:30 AM

DURATION: 8 Hours

DATE: October 22, 2024 TIME: 8:30 AM

DURATION: 8 Hours

DATE: October 23, 2024 TIME: 8:30 AM DURATION: 8 Hours

HEARING RE: Bench Trial

IMPORTANT NOTE FROM THE CLERK: Please exchange your lists of pre-marked exhibits prior to the trial/hearing. Please include an Exhibit List, providing a title for each exhibit. Thank you.

YOU MUST ATTEND THIS HEARING IN PERSON AT THE COURTHOUSE UNLESS YOU RECEIVE ADVANCE PERMISSION FROM THE COURT TO ATTEND REMOTELY (BY PHONE OR VIDEO).

Electronically signed on Friday, May 17, 2024 @10:27 AM, pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9 (d)

Evelyn Nimmo (She/Her) Judicial Assistant

Any individual with a disability requiring assistance accessing the services, programs, and/ or activities at the Courthouse should contact the Clerk’s office at the above address for further assistance.

TOWN OF WESTFORD REQUEST FOR BIDS (RFB) PLOWING & SANDING, 2024-2025 SEASON

The Town of Westford is accepting bids for plowing and sanding of certain gravel town roads and properties for the 2024-2025 winter season. Bids will be accepted for both sides of town, or just one.

• East: Bill Cook Rd, Seymour Rd, Cowie Rd

• West: Common Rd & 2 parking areas, Rubaud Rd, Town Office & Library Parking areas

Work shall commence with the first snowfall of 2 inches or more, and end on April 15, 2025 or the last snowfall of 2 inches or more, whichever occurs first.

Bidders must carry and maintain Workers Comp, General Liability and Commercial Auto Liability insurances at their own expense.

BID SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS:

Bids shall be made on the bid form available online at or at the Westford Town Office or by request. Bids addressed to the Town of Westford shall be submitted using one of the following methods:

1. Electronically - townadmin@westfordvt.us (please identify the bid by putting Plowing Bid in the subject line); or

2. USPS - Town of Westford, 1713 VT Route 128, Westford, VT 05494; or

3. Drop box at the Westford Town Office (located to the left of the front door)

Bids will be received by the Westford Town Administrator or at the Westford Town Office until 3:00 p.m. on October 23, 2024. The Selectboard will review bids received at their October 24th meeting.

Full bid specifications are available upon request, at the Town Office, or online at: https:// westfordvt.us/wp- content/uploads/2024/09/ RFB-for-Plowing-Sanding-2024-2025.pd

Contact Holly Delisle, Town Administrator at (802)-878-4587 or at townadmin@westfordvt.us with questions.

ACT 250 NOTICE

MINOR APPLICATION

4C0983-19

10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6111

Application 4C0983-19 from Rivers Edge Building Development, LLC 41 Gauthier Drive, Essex Junction, VT 05452 and Highlands Development Company, LLC, 63 Kriste Lane, Jericho, VT 05465 was received on September 16, 2024 and deemed complete on September 30, 2024. The permit specifically authorizes the subdivision of an existing 3.65 acre parcel into seven (7) duplex units, totaling 14 residential units off of two proposed private roadways. All units will have “footprint lots” with the area outside of the footprints being common land owned and maintained by the Homeowners Association, resulting in the creation of 14 new lots. The project is located at 1170 and 1180 Dorset Street in South Burlington, Vermont. The application may be viewed on the Natural Resources Board’s website (http://nrb. vermont.gov) by clicking “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0983-19.”

No hearing will be held and a permit will be issued unless, on or before October 21, 2024, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c) (1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://nrb.vermont.gov/documents/ party-statuspetition-form, and email it to the District 4 Office at: NRB.Act250Essex@vermont. gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

For more information contact Kaitlin Hayes at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this October 2, 2024. By: /s/ Kaitlin Hayes Kaitlin Hayes

District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 (802) 622-4084 kaitlin.hayes@vermont.gov

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT

PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT

DOCKET NO.: 24-PR-04560

In re ESTATE of Christine Hebert

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Christine Hebert, late of Burlington.

Dated: October 1, 2024

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Karen Fay

Executor/Administrator: Karen Fay, 348 Route 117, Jericho, VT 05465 phone: 802-316-1390 email: karenannfay@gmail.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 10/9/2024

Name of Probate Court: State of VermontChittenden Probate Division Address of Probate Court: 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05401

OPENINGS

BURLINGTON CITY COMMISSIONS/BOARDS

Fence Viewer Term Expires 6/30/25 Two Openings Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board Term Expires 6/30/25 One Opening Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board Term Expires 6/30/27 One Opening

Applications may be submitted to the Clerk/ Treasurer’s Office, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Attn: Lori NO later than Wednesday, November 6, 2024, 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 Traverse will plan for appointments to take place at the November 12, 2024 City Council Meeting/City Council With Mayor Presiding Meeting.

NORTHSTAR SELF STORAGE WILL BE HAVING A PUBLIC AND ONLINE SALE/AUCTION FOR THE FOLLOWING STORAGE UNITS ON OCTOBER 24, 2024 AT 9:00 AM

Northstar Self Storage will be having a public and online sale/auction on October 24, 2024 at 9am EST at 205 Route 4A West, Castleton, VT 05735 (C26), 130 Taconic Business Park, Manchester Center, VT 05255 (M203), 681 Rockingham Road, Rockingham, VT 05151 (R58, R78, R11/R24), 1124 Charlestown Road, Springfield, VT 05156 (Units S22, S58, S70, S108, S112), 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

C26 Bryan Boyington Household Goods

M203 Corey Hazelton Household Goods

R58 Amber McDaniel Household Goods

R78 James Tallent Household Goods

S22 Robert Walker Household Goods

S58 Kayla Malcolm Household Goods

S70 David Davis Household Goods

S108 Bobbie Bennet Household Goods

S112 Robert Walker Household Goods

R11/R24 Susan Barlett Household Goods

COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS ANNUAL MEETING

The Community Health Centers (CHC) will hold its Annual Meeting on Thursday, October 24, 2024, from 5:30-7pm at 617 Riverside Avenue in Burlington. The evening will include remarks from CHC leadership regarding the past year’s accomplishments, as well as a special panel discussion with members of CHC’s staff. Learn why our “ordinary is extraordinary” from the people doing the work! RSVP is appreciated to Maggie Stevens at mstevens@chcb.org or (802) 264-8184.

ACT 250 NOTICE

MINOR APPLICATION 4C0723-7B

10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6111

Application 4C0723-7B from Town of Milton, 43 Bombardier Road, Milton, VT 05468 was received on October 1, 2024 and deemed complete on October 2, 2024. The project is generally described as the repair and stabilization of existing stormwater gullies located at the outlets of existing storm pipes and the installation of subsurface infiltration chambers within the roadway to treat and reduce the volume of stormwater runoff entering into the repaired gullies. The project is located off of Sammanikki Circle and Chrisemily

Support Groups

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR MOTHERS OF COLOR

Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Wed., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@ pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS

Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Fri., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at

Lane in Milton, Vermont. The application may be viewed on the Natural Resources Board’s website (http://nrb.vermont.gov) by clicking “Act 250 Database” and entering the project number “4C0723-7B.”

No hearing will be held and a permit will be issued unless, on or before October 28, 2024, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c) (1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://nrb.vermont.gov/documents/ party-statuspetition-form, and email it to the District 4 Office at: Act250.Essex@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 October 7, 2024.

By: Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-261-1944 stephanie.monaghan@vermont.gov

TOWN OF WESTFORD DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING

Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117 and the Westford Land Use & Development Regulations, the Westford Development Review Board will hold public hearings at the Westford Public Library (1717 Route 128) & via ZOOM on Monday, May 13th, 2024 beginning at 7:00 PM to review the following applications:

Site Plan/Conditional Use and Subdivision Amendment Public Hearing – Strobridge Property (approx. 82.46 acres); Applicant: Daniel and Louella Strobridge. Located off Pettingill Road in the Rural 10, Water Resource Overlay, and Flood Hazard Overlay Zoning Districts. This is a proposal to receive after-the-fact conditional use approval of a campground with 4 or more camp sites, and to re-merge two lots that were previously subdivided.

Final Plat Public Hearing for 9 Lot, 8 Unit

Subdivision & Planned Unit Development –Swansong Take Two, LLC Property (approx. 82.8 acres); Applicant: Lee Hendler. Located on Route 128 in the Rural 5, Rural 10, Water Resource Overlay, and Flood Hazard Overlay Zoning Districts. This is a proposal to subdivide the subject parcel into 8 single-unit dwelling lots and a 62.4-acre open space lot.

Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/94862913615?pwd=Dgtl62e8y DbomoFzAZu77hnktVyaZI.1

Meeting ID: 948 6291 3615 - Passcode: 2uXDkS Or Dial +1 929 205 6099

Meeting ID: 948 6291 3615 - Passcode: 157656

For more information call the Town Offices at 878-4587 Monday–Thursday 8:30am–4:30pm & Friday 8:30a.m.-1:00 p.m.

Matt Wamsganz, Chairman Dated October 7, 2024

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 01-2425, Located at 28 Adams Drive Williston, VT, 05495 will be sold on or about the 24th of September 2024 to satisfy the debt of Nicholas Duprey. 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.

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 01-03479, Located at 28 Adams Drive , Williston, VT, 05495 will be sold on or about the 24th of September 2024 to satisfy the debt of Brandie Latimer. 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.

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 01-04220, Located at 28 Adams Drive Williston, VT, 05495 will be sold on or about the 24th of September 2024 to satisfy the debt of Bruce Wilson, 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.

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 03-00533, Located at 182 Winter Sport Lane, Williston, VT, 05495 will be sold on or about the 24th of September 2024 to satisfy the debt of Dana Cota. 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.

hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS W/ LGBTQ+ CHILDREN

Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Mon., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

AL-ANON

For families & friends of alcoholics. Phone meetings, electronic meetings (Zoom) & an Al-Anon blog are avail. online at the Al-Anon website. For meeting info, go to vermontalanonalateen.org or call 866-972-5266.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Do you have a drinking problem? AA meeting sites are now open, & online meetings are also avail. Call our hotline at 802-864-1212 or check for in-person or online meetings at burlingtonaa.org.

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION SUPPORT GROUPS

Support groups meet to provide assistance & info on Alzheimer’s disease & related dementias. They emphasize shared experiences, emotional support & coping techniques in care for a person living w/ Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Meetings are free & open to the public. Families, caregivers & friends may attend. Please call in advance to confirm the date & time. The Williston Caregiver Support Group meets in person on the 2nd Tue. of every mo., 5-6:30 p.m., at the Dorothy Alling Memorial Library in Williston; this meeting also has a virtual option at the same time; contact support

group facilitators Molly at dugan@ cathedralsquare.org or Mindy at moondog@ burlingtontelecom.net. The Middlebury Support Group for Individuals w/ Early Stage Dementia meets the 4th Tue. of each mo., 3 p.m., at the Residence at Otter Creek, 350 Lodge Rd., Middlebury; contact Daniel Hamilton, dhamilton@ residenceottercreek.com or 802-989-0097. The Shelburne Support Group for Individuals w/ Early Stage Dementia meets the 1st Mon. of every mo., 2-3 p.m., at the Residence at Shelburne Bay, 185 Pine Haven Shores, Shelburne; contact support group facilitator Lydia Raymond, lraymond@ residenceshelburnebay.com. The Telephone Support Group meets the 2nd Tue. of each mo., 4-5:30 p.m. Prereg. is req. (to receive dial-in codes for toll-free call). Please dial the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24-7 Helpline, 800-272-3900, for more info. For questions or additional support group listings, call 800-272-3900.

Trailblazers Program Manager

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

Join VWW’s dynamic team to collaboratively plan and implement VWW’s traditional Trailblazers trades training program, while taking a lead role in the development of a new semiconductor manufacturing “quick start” training. If you are inspired by our mission of promoting economic justice by advancing gender equity & supporting women and youth along their career journeys, visit bit.ly/3NaPYKp

Executive Director

Stowe Trails Partnership (STP) is seeking a dynamic and passionate leader to guide our organization as Executive Director. This full-time role will oversee the operations of our multi-use public trail network, working closely with the Board, sta , and volunteers to advance STP’s mission. The ideal candidate is a collaborative and organized professional with a strong background in nonproﬁt leadership and fundraising.

Scan QR code to learn more about the role & apply.

Vermont Housing & Conser vation Board

Chief Financial Officer

Join our innovative and award-winning team!

The CFO is responsible for the finances of VHCB, including planning and analysis, financial systems and risk management, and fiscal operations and reporting. The CFO serves as a member of the VHCB Management Team, leads the work of the finance department, and works collaboratively with administrative and program staff.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer

Candidates from diverse backgrounds are strongly encouraged to apply. We offer a comprehensive benefit package and an inclusive, supportive work environment.

For full job descriptions, salary information, and application instructions please visit vhcb.org/about-us/jobs

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FINANCIAL SPECIALIST II

VERMONT STATE COURTS

The Vermont Judiciary seeks to fill a permanent position in Montpelier. This position works at a professional level involving financial management, fund accounting, and internal auditing and reconciliation activities within the Vermont Judiciary. The principal function is the processing of payments and management of vendor accounts. High School Degree and 2 years of accounting experience or college work required. Starting pay at $21.32. Position includes 12 days of vacation & sick leave per year, 13 holidays and excellent health and retirement benefits.

E.O.E. For a more detailed description and how to apply see vermontjudiciary.exacthire.com/job/130189

Inspector, University Police Leadership Gift Officer OR Senior Gift Officer Visit jobs.plattsburgh.edu & select “View Current Openings” SUNY Plattsburgh is an AA/EEO/ADA/VEVRAA committed to excellence through diversity and supporting an inclusive environment for all.

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Are you passionate about helping people find and maintain safe and stable housing?

Join the statewide Housing Advocacy Programs team!

• Housing Education Specialist

• Housing Stabilization & Retention Services Coordinator

• Family Housing Voucher Benefit Specialist

• Manufactured Home Repair Technical Assistance Specialist

Excellent benefits!

Voted one of the “Best Places to Work in Vermont” Learn more and submit your application at www.cvoeo.org/careers

Bus Driver

A bus driver is needed to drive for Eden Central School beginning ASAP. Requirements include a class B driver’s license with school bus and passenger endorsement.

It is a part-time position driving 2 hours in the morning and 2 hours in the afternoon. The school district is willing to cover the cost of all applicable licensure training for an applicant they consider to be a suitable candidate. This position may be paired with another part-time position at Eden Central School. Interested applicants may apply through SchoolSpring or by visiting lnsd.org for an application.

HUMAN RESOURCES/ BENEFITS POSITION

South Burlington School District is seeking a dedicated Human Resources professional with demonstrated knowledge of employee health and welfare benefit administration. Key responsibilities include FMLA/VPFLA, ADA, WC, health and welfare plan oversight including open enrollment and employee leave plans. Collaborates with the Human Resources team and the Business Office for special projects and administrative duties.

The ideal candidate will have a college degree, preferably in Human Resources or a business-related field. Relevant experience in benefits administration and proficiency in HR-related software. Effective interpersonal and communication skills are essential; highly organized, self-directed, and the ability to maintain confidentiality are essential. Certification as a Human Resources Professional from SHRM, HRCI, or AASPA is preferred. Qualified and interested candidates are encouraged to submit a cover letter and resume.

To apply: SchoolSpring.com, reference Job ID #: 4809526, or sbschools.net/ page/employment-opportunities. If you have questions, contact Elissa Galvez, HR Employment Specialist at (802) 652-7247 or egalvez@sbschools.net

Copley Hospital is hiring!

Operating Room Nurse Manager

Do you want to work in a leadership role, supporting a vibrant Community Hospital?

If you're a detail-oriented Registered Nurse, experienced in Perioperative Services, we want to hear from you!

Reach out to Kaitlyn Shannon: kshannon@chsi.org or apply online at copleyvt.org/careers

CARE OUTREACH REPRESENTATIVE

U.S. Senator Peter Welch

MU LTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN!

Sherburne Fire District #1

The SFD#1 offers a extensive benefits package including a 457 retirement plan with SFD#1 contribution as well as social security equivalent compensation. We also offer health, dental and other insurances paid for by the SFD#1. Paid vacation, sick and holiday time is also included. Pay will be $50,000 +depending on experience.

The office of U.S. Sen. Peter Welch is seeking a health care outreach representative to work in either its Burlington or Montpelier location. We are looking for an energetic, organized, dedicated individual who can build and maintain relationships with community leaders in the health field sector. Requirements include excellent written and oral communication skills, computer experience, ability to work with others, and desire to help people in need. Previous advocacy work, legal or paralegal training, and interest and knowledge about government health care programs is preferred. This is a full-time position, 40 hours per week. The office is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, national origin, disability, military status, age, marital status, or parental status.

Email cover letter and resume by October 28, 2024 to hiring@welch.senate.gov

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Applications can be emailed to Betzi Goodman at bgoodman@ lnsd.org, or sent to the school at P.O. Box 29, Eden, VT 05652. We are hiring!

Please send resumes to John Gates at sherburnewastewater@ yahoo.com or David Lewis at ddmgj@comcast.net 4t-SherburneFireDistrict100924.indd

Are you a detail-oriented accountant who thrives in a team environment and is passionate about supporting a mission-driven organization? We’d like to meet you!

OCTOBER 9-16, 2024

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Volunteer Coordinator & GED Examiner

Seeking a Part-time (30 hours/week) Volunteer Coordinator and GED Examiner at Barre Learning Center.

The right candidate should be:

· Enthusiastic about working with and supporting volunteers.

· Organized, efficient, adaptable, professional, self-motivated, and a team player.

· An excellent written and verbal communicator.

· Proficient in Microsoft Office.

The right candidate will:

· Provide leadership throughout CVAE’s service area for all aspects of our volunteer program including support, oversight and management of volunteers.

· Serve as the Primary GED examiner and provide GED exams at CVAE testing locations in Central Vermont.

· Have experience recruiting and managing volunteers.

Starting salary: $36,000. CVAE pays 75% of individual health/ dental insurance and 100% of short-term disability insurance, 403(b) retirement plan, 180 hours annual vacation.

Submit cover letter and resume to: info@cvae.net Position Open Until Filled. cvae.net

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Director of Generation Operations, $122,335.62 - $189,728.45

Join Our Team

Red Clover Treatment Center Middlesex, VT

Red Clover Treatment Center is a trauma-informed program in Middlesex, Vermont providing a supportive living and academic environment for youths and families struggling with significant mental and behavioral health issues. We are hiring for multiple positions including Youth Counselors, Awake Overnight Counselors, Assistant Program Director & more.

To see and apply for all positions, please visit Indeed.com and search for "Red Clover Treatment Facility" in Vermont. Join the Red Clover Youth Treatment team and make a difference in young people's lives.

Sentinel Group is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Electrician 1st Class A – Production, $55,286.40 - $90,625.60

Electrician 1st Class A – Technicians, $55,286.40 - $90,625.60

Electrician 1st Class A Lead Worker – Production, $61,276.80 - $100,443.20

Engineering Production Technician I, $55,286.40 - $90,625.60

Engineering Production Technician II, $61,276.80 - $100,464.00

Engineering Technician – Power, $61,276.80 - $100,464.00

Meter Technician, $61,276.80 - $100,464.00

Meter Technician A, $55,286.40 - $90,625.60

Shift Supervisor, $73,091.20 - $119,808.00

Working Crew Leader I – Engineering Technician, $76,128.00 - $126,880.00

The City of Burlington is an equal-opportunity employer, and we encourage applicants who like to think innovatively toward climate goals and who can contribute to our growing diversity.

For more details regarding each of the positions and to apply, please use QR code:

Executive Director

Do you love local history? Are you ready to make a difference working with a communityfocused nonprofit? The Saint Albans Museum seeks a full-time Executive Director to manage all day-to-day operations and ensure all programs, activities, and special events are carried out in accordance with our mission, strategic plan and core values. Visit stamuseum.org/jobs to learn more.

PROPERTY MANAGER

To apply, email a cover letter and resume to hiring@stamuseum.org Application review will start on Monday, October 21 and applications will be accepted on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Saint Albans Museum is an E.O.E.

Winooski Housing Authority is looking for an experienced property manager to fill a new Property Services Manager position. This position will be part of the leadership team that will manage operations and planning under the Executive Director.

WINOOSKI HOUSING AUTHORITY

The Property Services department will have three positions – a manager, a full-time property manager, and another assistant (designed by the new Manager). The Manager provides top notch services to our tenants, ensures fair housing compliance, assists in the training and development of staff, and works as a team with our subsidy and maintenance manager to improve services.

The Property Services Manger will have a portfolio of senior apartments.

Hours are flexible. Compensation is $65,000 to $70,000 annually. Competitive benefit package with health, vision, and dental insurance with low copays and high contribution to deductible, as well as retirement and short- and long-term disability.

We require at least two years of property management experience with training in fair housing and inspections, as well as excellent writing and math skills.

Please send resume and cover letter to deac@winooskihousing.org

Winooski Housing Authority is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Athletic Administrator

The Department of Athletics at Saint Michael's College invites applications for our Athletic Administrator. Saint Michael’s is an NCAA Division II institution sponsoring 21 varsity sports and is a proud member of the Northeast-10 Conference. This is a full-time (12 month) position with benefits. The successful applicant will manage all aspects of running the internal operations for our varsity athletic programs. For a complete job description, benefits information, and to apply, please scan QR code:

You’re in good hands with...

“Seven Days sales rep Michelle Brown is amazing! She’s extremely responsive, and I always feel so taken care of.”

CAROLYN ZELLER Intervale Center, Burlington

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

PART TIME ATTENDANT

Burlington, Vermont

Must be good with customer service and computers. Some light physical work required from time to time. Every other weekend: 9am-4pm on Saturdays, 9am-2pm on Sundays. Attendant might be asked to work additional shifts to cover vacation time. About 24 hrs/month total. We will train the right person for the job. E-mail resume & short cover letter to flynnaveselfstorage@gmail.com

No phone calls.

Maintenance Technician

Real Property Management

Sterling, a trusted leader for managing rental properties, is growing and we are looking for Maintenance Techs. This person must have general maintenance and repair experience, basic maintenance tools, valid driver’s license and ability to provide quality work. Competitive pay and benefits.

Find us at: rpmsterling.com

Send resumes to: rebeccalemire@rpmsterling.com

2025 Legislative Internship

Would you like to learn about Vermont’s legislative process and track policies related to climate change, affordable housing, transportation, environmental justice, clean water, forests and wildlife? Vermont Natural Resources Council is seeking a paid Legislative Intern to assist VNRC and our partners, Vermont Conservation Voters and the Vermont Planners Association, in advancing legislation through the Vermont State House, January-May 2025. Visit vnrc.org for job description & to apply.

HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE WORKER

The Town of Jericho is accepting applications for a Highway Maintenance Worker Level II. This is a full-time position that requires a CDL (min Class “B”) and the ability to routinely work outside of regular working hours. The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in highway maintenance, snow plowing, construction procedures, and methods at the municipal level. Equipment operation experience is a plus.

The starting hourly wage is dependent on qualifications. The Town of Jericho offers excellent benefits, including health and dental insurance and a retirement plan.

An application and job description can be downloaded from www.jerichovt.org. They are also available at the Jericho Town Hall, at 67 VT Rt. 15, Jericho, M-TH 8:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. Completed applications can be submitted to Linda Blasch in person, via email at lblasch@jerichovt.gov or mail to PO Box 39, Jericho, VT 05465.

The position is open until filled.

Dean of Students

Join our team at Sterling College and make a meaningful impact on student life in alignment with our commitment to ecological thinking and action. The Dean of Students position supports an engaged, welcoming, and vibrant student community. The Dean provides leadership for all student life programming, and oversees Health and Wellness; Residential Life; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging programming; Athletics; Restorative and Accountability procedures; and student leadership programs. The Dean leads community care initiatives and culture-building, co-coordinates new student orientation & supports student activities & student groups. Position starts January 6, 2025.

Salary: range of $75,000-$85,000 based on experience.

Residential Life/Wellness Coordinator

The Residential Life/Wellness Coordinator’s primary role includes Residence Hall coordination and oversight, Community Advisor training and supervision, advising Student Activities and student groups as well as organizing, advertising and implementing Wellness programs and student activities to meet the needs of Sterling College students and employees. The Coordinator provides administrative, emergency, and programmatic support to the Dean of Students and they will work alongside the Sterling College Nurse and mental health counselors to be a part of a complete Wellness team.

Salary range of $38,000-$46,000 based on experience

How to Apply: Interested candidates should send a cover letter, resume & contact information for 3 references to: employment@sterlingcollege.edu Positions open until filled; application review will begin immediately. Learn more & apply: sterlingcollege.edu/employment. Sterling College is an E.O.E.

Public works Engineer I

$66,000 - $72,000 w/ Excellent Beneﬁts

Seeking a FT, highly organized self-starter, with exceptional attention-to-detail. Applies basic principles, practices, and civil engineering standards to support maintenance, repair & construction of Town infrastructure. BS in Civil Engineering, or a closely-related ﬁeld. 2 yrs. related exp. pref. MS O ce, GIS, AutoCAD.

If you’re looking for a positive and rewarding, team-oriented environment that o ers work/life balance, we want to hear from you!

To view a complete job description, and submit materials required for consideration; resume, cover letter and application, please visit: colchestervt.gov/321/Human-Resources Open until ﬁlled. EOE.

Conservation Planner

Interested in joining a team where your natural resource interests and experiences can help advance Vermont’s conservation & climate resiliency efforts on its farms and forests?

The Vermont Association of Conservation Districts seeks a qualified candidate to fill a full-time Conservation Planner (CP) position in Middlebury, Vermont. This position supports the work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in providing conservation planning assistance to farmers enrolled in Farm Bill and other associated programs. The position will be located in the Middlebury NRCS Field Office and cover Addison, Chittenden and Washington counties. Planner responsibilities include providing technical assistance to farmers in the development, planning and implementation of conservation practices for lands enrolled in USDA programs administered by NRCS, to meet Vermont’s Required Agricultural Practices (RAPs) or other initiatives relating to natural resource stewardship and climate smart agriculture and land management. Knowledge of soils, agricultural conservation or diversified agricultural practices, digital map development, and water quality issues are desired. Excellent verbal, interpersonal, computer, and communication skills as well as completion of a 4-year course of study leading to a bachelor’s degree with a focus in natural resources, agriculture, soils, or agronomy is required. Position requires fieldwork and travel within the region. Starting salary is $ 21.53/ hour and includes health benefits, a employer contribution 401 K plan as well as generous sick, holiday and vacation leave.

Visit vacd.org for detailed job description. Send resume, cover letter, and contact information for three references by October 16th to: Amanda Harris at amanda.harris@vacd.org or to VACD, PO Box 889, Montpelier, VT 05601. We are an E.O.E.

Communications Content Manager

Vermont State University (VTSU) is seeking a dynamic and creative Communications Content Manager to join our Marketing and Communications department. This role is pivotal in enhancing our brand presence through compelling video content, strategic social media management, impactful storytelling, and creative graphic design. VTSU Marketing & Communications department serves 5 campus locations across Vermont: Castleton, Johnson, Lyndon, Randolph, and Williston, as well as virtual learning programs. This position will require regular travel to all 5 campus locations.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Communications, Marketing, Graphic Design, Public Relations, or a related ﬁeld.

• 2+ years of proven experience in communications, public relations, video production, creative storytelling, social media management, marketing, and/or graphic design.

Full job description: vermontstate.edu/about/careers Contact humanresources@vermontstate.edu for any questions.

Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC) is hiring

Student Outreach Counselors

Are you dedicated to supporting young people in achieving their dreams? Do you want to work for an organization that values your work-life balance and well-being? How about summers off? Consider joining the VSAC team! You’ll join a team of highly committed, collaborative, and supportive colleagues who are dedicated to student success.

We are currently recruiting for the following positions:

GEAR UP Outreach Counselor

Richford Middle and High School: This position works with middle through first year after high school students and their families to provide education, career, and financial aid information and counseling in support of postsecondary education goals. This position will also support students through the transition process from high school into and through their first year of postsecondary education.

Pre-Education and Training Services (Pre-ETS) Outreach Counselor

In Southern/South-Central Vermont to develop and facilitate post-high school planning workshops for students with disabilities. The goal of this program is to provide postsecondary education and training focused learning activities that relate to career exploration, postsecondary education, employability skills, and financial aid and literacy.

Visit VSAC.org/Careers

to apply

Multiple Positions Open

At Essex and Barre stores

Technician: heavy equipment, diesel engine, diagnostics, and hydraulic experience preferred.

Road Technician: Diagnose and fix construction equipment at job sites. Experience with Aerial Lifts preferred. Vehicle provided.

Driver: CDL B required. Delivery of Construction Equipment. Heavy equipment experience preferred. Apply: careers.sunbeltrentals.com

Home Health Aide

Working with a 37year-old male with traumatic brain injury.

Details:

9 hours, Tuesday and Thursday. $25/hour, paid training. Need updated vaccinations & background check required. Provide resume and references. If interested, contact: wigetsch@yahoo.com.

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Truck Body Paint Technician & Paint/Prep Workers (Hinesburg)

HIRING IMMEDIATELY! Manufacturer of custom truck bodies is looking for a Paint Technician & prep worker to add to our team. Looking for career minded individuals to grow with the company.

Compensation: Excellent starting wages

Employment type: full-time

Duties include:

•PREP WORKER: prepping truck bodies for painting; Sandblasting in our contained booth and sanding is part of the prep work. Experience preferred but will train the right candidate.

•PAINT TECHNICIAN: 2nd Lead Painter, for flawless finish & touch ups. Paint booth equipped shop. Auto body paint technician experience a big plus.

Hours: Monday - Friday 7:00am-3:30pm. 40hrs. Some O/T may be required.

Company Benefits Include:

•Health Insurance w/company contribution

•401k w/company match to 5%

•Paid Vacation. Paid Holidays

•Paid Life Insurance/ AD&D, STD, LTD

•Paid Sick Leave

Childcare Teacher

Exciting opportunities at VIP’s Roots Child Development Center: Join our growing team in a newly-renovated space!

Are you a passionate and dedicated teacher looking for an incredible opportunity to make a di erence? Are you a natural leader with a knack for motivating and inspiring others? Roots is expanding and we need exceptional individuals like you to join our team!

For 34 years the Roots Child Development Center has been nurturing infants, toddlers, and preschoolers in Colchester, VT. It is our mission to provide each child with a high quality, educational, play-based program that will foster their individual creativity and curiosity. As we continue to grow, we are excited to announce that we will be opening a newly-renovated space this fall, designed to provide an inspiring learning environment for both children and educators. This is your chance to be a part of something special and contribute to the future success of VIP’s children.

Lead Teachers at Roots Child Development Center have the opportunity to shape young minds, work with a team of talented educators, and make a lasting impact on the lives of our children. Join us in creating a nurturing and engaging learning experience where every child can thrive!

PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop age-appropriate lessons and activities that promote and support the building of social skills, practical capabilities and self-esteem

• Collaborate with teachers to supervise, guide and encourage children’s learning and development

• Organize nap and snack hours and supervise children to ensure their safety at all times

• Communicate with parents regularly on their child’s day to day progress

• Maintain a clean and tidy classroom consistent with health and safety standards

REQUIREMENTS:

• High School Diploma or GED

• 1-2 years of relevant childcare experience working with groups of children from preschool and younger

• Demonstrated interest and ability to work with young children

• Knowledge of appropriate practices in early childhood development

• Demonstrated success in working as a member of a team

• E ective and strong communication skills, written and verbal

• Willingness to work ﬂexible hours in order to meet the needs of the program

• Ability to lift 25-30 lbs

• Ability to squat, kneel, sit on the ﬂoor, as well as speak with children and families to ensure the health and safety of each child

MEETS AT LEAST ONE (1) OF THE FOLLOWING QUALIFICATIONS:

• 21 college credits in early childhood education or related ﬁeld OR

• Associate’s Degree from an accredited college in early childhood education or related ﬁeld OR

• Completed certification in one of the following: Registered Child Care Apprenticeship Program, Child Care Certificate from the Community College of Vermont, or Vermont Early Childhood Career Ladder Level 3 Certificate At VIP, we believe the teachers are the heart of education. That’s why we o er competitive compensation, excellent benefits, professional development opportunities, and a supportive community that values your expertise and dedication. Apply now to join us on this incredible journey as we continue to shape a bright future for VIP’s children and teachers.

BENEFITS YOU’LL ENJOY:

• BlueCross BlueShield health insurance

• 3 weeks of paid time o , 6 paid holidays and 4 paid ﬂoating holidays

• Paid Parental Leave

• ESOP (Employee Stock Ownership Plan)

• 401k and Proﬁt Sharing

• Health Savings and Flexible Spending Accounts

• Life and Disability Insurance

• Various onsite amenities including ﬁtness centers, dedicated health clinic and cafe

Apply here: public.vtinfo.com/careers or reach out to careers@vtinfo.com

Are

you

looking for

job in the cannabis industry?

Make it out to the Cannabis Job Fair at the Intervale Center in Burlington on Saturday, October 12, to meet local farms and businesses that are hiring!

Intervale Center • Burlington, VT Saturday, October 12 • 11 AM-3 PM Food • Drinks • Free to attend • 21+

Learn more at vermontgrowers.org

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.

ADMINISTRATIVE SERVICES COORDINATOR II – MONTPELIER

The Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) seeks an Administrative Services Coordinator to assist with the administration of housing improvement programs. Tasks include data entry, developing and improving processes for the administration of programs, and serving as a liaison between various teams overseeing programs. Qualified applicants will have strong written and verbal communication skills, attention to detail, experience in Microsoft suite programs, and the ability to successfully meet tight deadlines, and manage multiple projects. DHCD follows a hybrid work schedule. For more information, contact Shaun Gilpin at Shaun.Gilpin@vermont.gov. Location: Montpelier. Department: Commerce & Community Development. Status: Full Time, Limited Service. Job ID #51153. Application Deadline, October 13, 2024.

ADMINISTRATIVE CLERK

Town of Stowe Clerk’s Office

Finance & Taxation Officer

JOIN OUR TEAM - The City of South Burlington is seeking a dedicated and detail-oriented Finance and Taxation Officer to join our dynamic team. If you’re passionate about public service and have a talent for finance and numbers, this is the perfect opportunity for you to make a meaningful impact in our vibrant community!

WHAT YOU WILL DO: You will play a crucial role in ensuring compliance with taxation regulations, assisting with managing the City’s financial operations, and contributing to our community’s economic health. Your responsibilities will include overseeing tax assessments, property valuation, collections, and compliance activities and collaborating with the Finance Director to manage the City’s financial operations including developing budgets and forecasts.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS: Bachelor’s degree in business administration, finance, accounting or a related field, plus 5 years’ relevant work experience in property assessment, or tax collection, accounts payable/receivables, and reporting, required; equivalency considered. Municipal government accounting experience preferred.

SALARY RANGE: $85,000-$90,000 annually

APPLY NOW: Review of on-line applications will begin November 4, 2024. To apply, learn more about the position and see a complete job description please visit governmentjobs. com/careers/southburlington.

The Town of Stowe is seeking an Administrative Clerk who is dedicated, friendly, customer service oriented with keen attention to detail. This position provides clerical and general administrative support to the Town Clerk’s Office and serves as the first point of contact for visitors and those seeking assistance. The individual selected will have excellent computer skills, be self-motivated with the ability to work independently, and will have demonstrated sound judgement and a high degree of professionalism.

Responsibilities of the Administrative Clerk include, but not limited to, providing exceptional customer service, assisting with elections and voter registration, serving as US Passport Agent, assisting in maintaining and researching land records, notarizing documents, issuing dog and hunting & fishing licenses, and processing deposits. Occasional after-hours and evening work will be required.

High school diploma and two years of experience in an office setting with light bookkeeping preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience. Must pass training and become certified as US Passport Agent. The pay range is $21.37 to $25.36, depending upon qualifications.

The Town of Stowe currently offers an excellent benefit package including BCBS health plans with low employee premium share, dental insurance, generous paid leave, VMERS pension plan, life insurance and more. Come grow with Stowe!

Job description and employment application can be obtained at: townofstowevt.org. Submit letter of interest, resume, and employment application to: Town of Stowe, c/o HR Director, PO Box 730, Stowe, VT 05672 or by email to recruit@stowevt.gov. Position is open until filled and interested candidates are encouraged to apply as soon as possible. The Town of Stowe is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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

The State of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer

The Vermont Cannabis Job Fair is presented by Vermont Growers Association.

Service Coordinator

Join our team of professionals providing case management for individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. In this position you will work with individuals to create and realize goals while supporting them in maintaining a safe and healthy lifestyle.

Compensation package is $49k annually plus a generous on-call stipend, mileage compensation, and $1500 sign on bonus. Position includes comprehensive and affordable health insurance, 20 paid days off plus 12 paid holidays, retirement match, dental plan and so much more. In addition, CCS has been voted as one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont for six years in a row!

Why not have a job you love? Continue your career in human services in a compassionate & fun environment. Join us today and make a career making a difference.

Send resume to Karen Ciechanowicz at staff@ccs-vt.org.

ccs-vt.org

E.O.E.

Looking for career minded individuals to grow along with the company.

HANDYMAN/JANITOR (HINESBURG)

Compensation: Competitive starting wage • Employment Type: Full-time

Immediate Hire! Looking for handyman to perform general small repairs and janitorial cleaning work in shop and office.

Cleaning and Maintenance: Sweeping factory floors as necessary. Sweeping, mopping break rooms, bathrooms, showroom and office floors. Cleaning windows, gathering and emptying trash. Light landscaping work in the summer. Snow removal, salting doorways in the winter. Other duties as assigned by supervisors.

Applicant qualifications: Clean work history, Drivers license, Physical Stamina, Able to lift up to 50lbs, Knowledge of Chemicals and Solvents, Time Management, Attention to Detail, Ability to Work Independently, Supply Management, Knowledge of Electrical Work and Carpentry a plus. Will train the right person!

Monday - Friday 7:00am - 3:30pm 40 hrs. per week.

Company Benefits Include: Health Insurance w/company contribution • 401k w/company match

Paid

Audiologist

Can you hear me?

Hearing and communication is vital to connection with family and friends, work and community - and YOU have the ability to shape the lives of those in need. Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) seeks a full-time Audiologist for our ENT & Audiology practice. Work with a team of committed professionals in a mixed specialty practice offering ENT, Audiology, Allergy, Speech-Language Pathology, and Palliative Care to perform diagnostic testing for all ages. Collaborate with ENT providers and Hearing Instrument Specialist, as well as manage hearing aid services, including assessments, fittings, and repairs. Located in Vermont’s beautiful Northeast Kingdom, NVRH offers competitive wages, student loan repayment, generous paid time off, and a comprehensive benefits package. Join us in providing exceptional patient-centered care that really makes a difference!

Apply now at www.nvrh.org/careers. 4t-NVRH052924.indd

Burlington Housing Authority (BHA)

Are you interested in a job that helps your community and makes a difference in people’s lives every day? Consider joining Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) in Burlington, VT to continue BHA’s success in promoting innovative solutions that address housing instability challenges facing our diverse population of low-income families and individuals.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

Building Operations Technician:

Performs general maintenance work in BHA owned and managed properties. This includes building exteriors, common areas, apartments, building systems, fixtures, and grounds. Our Building Operations Techs are required to participate in the on-call rotation, which covers night and weekend emergencies.

Housing Retention Services – Site

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!

& Administrative Coordinator

Position responsibilities: Work closely with the District Manager to research, identify, and apply for various types of grants; assist with the administration of and reporting of any grants awarded; track and report project and program progress; participate in regular (monthly) Board meetings via Zoom to discuss project updates; conduct update of ONRCD website and several materials/brochures; prep and send monthly newsletter. Priorities may shift as grants and projects wrap up.

Job type: Part-time temporary employee with the potential to move to a permanent part-time position, for the right candidate and depending on future funding.

Duration: Position open until filled; start-date after interview; estimated end-date December 2025.

Compensation: Based on qualifications and experience, not to exceed $30,000 (avg. 20 hrs/week).

To Apply: Please submit cover letter and resume (as a single PDF) with subject “APPLICATION” to onrcd1@gmail.com

4T-ONRCD-100924.indd 1

Based: Responsible for supporting those who have mental health and substance use challenges and/or who have moved from homelessness to Bobbin Mill, Wharf Lane, and other BHA properties. The position works closely with property management and other site-based staff to identify challenges and respond with appropriate direct service and coordination of community services, with a goal of eviction prevention and facilitating a healthy tenancy.

Offender Re-entry Housing Specialist: Provides support to men and women under the VT Department of Corrections supervision from prison back to Chittenden County. The ORHS focuses on high-risk men and women who are being released from jail and graduating transitional housing programs and in need of permanent housing. The ORHS provides intensive retention and eviction prevention services and works collaboratively with the Burlington Probation and Parole Office. Additionally, the ORHS works with various case workers, Re-Entry staff and the Administrative Staff from the VT Department of Corrections and the broad network of COSA staff as necessary throughout Chittenden County.

*BHA serves a diverse population of tenants and partners with a variety of community agencies. To most effectively

Find more about these career opportunities: burlingtonhousing.org

Our robust benefit package includes premium 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.

We provide a generous time off policy including 12 days of paid time off and 12 days of sick time in the first year. In addition to the paid time off, BHA recognizes 13 (paid) holidays and 2 (paid) floating cultural holidays.

Interested in this opportunity? Send cover letter/resume to: humanresources@ burlingtonhousing.org

Human Resources

Burlington Housing Authority 65 Main Street, Suite 101 Burlington, VT 05401 BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Ottauquechee Natural Resources Conservation District Grant

fun stuff

JEN SORENSEN

HARRY BLISS

RACHEL LINDSAY

JOHN KLOSSNER

LIBRA

(SEP. 23-OCT. 22)

In 2010, Edurne Pasaban became the first woman to climb the world’s tallest 14 mountains, reaching the top of Shishapangma in China. In 2018, Taylor Demonbreun arrived in Toronto, Canada, completing a quest in which she visited every sovereign nation on the planet in 18 months. In 1924, explorer Alexandra David-Néel pulled off the seemingly impossible feat of visiting Lhasa, Tibet, when that place was still forbidden to foreigners. Be inspired by these heroes as you ruminate about what frontier adventures you will dare to enjoy during the next six months. Design a plan to get all the educational and experimental fun you need.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): In the coming weeks, you may be tempted to spar and argue more than usual. You could get sucked into the fantasy that it would make sense to wrangle, feud and bicker. But I hope you sublimate those tendencies. The same hot energy that might lead to excessive skirmishing could just as well become a driving force to create robust harmony and resilient unity. If you simply dig further into your psyche’s resourceful depths, you will discover the inspiration to bargain, mediate and negotiate with élan. Here’s a bold prediction: Healing compromises hammered out now could last a long time.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): Question No. 1: “What subjects do you talk about to enchant and uplift a person who’s important to you?”

Answer No. 1: “You talk about the feelings and yearnings of the person you hope to enchant and uplift.” Question No. 2: “How do you express your love with maximum intelligence?” Answer No. 2: “Before you ask your allies to alter themselves to enhance your relationship, you ask yourself how you might alter yourself to enhance your relationship.” Question No. 3: “What skill are you destined to master, even though it’s challenging for you to learn?” Answer No. 3: “Understanding the difference between supple passion and manic obsession.”

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): In 1819, Gemini entrepreneur François-Louis Cailler became the first chocolatier to manufacture chocolate bars. His innovation didn’t save any lives, cure any disease or fix any injustice. But it was a wonderful addition to humanity’s supply of delights. It enhanced our collective joy and pleasure. In the coming months, dear Gemini, I invite you to seek a comparable addition to your own personal world. What novel blessing might you generate or discover? What splendid resource can you add to your repertoire?

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Ayurnamat is a word used by the Inuit people. It refers to when you long for the relaxed tranquility that comes from not worrying about what can’t be changed. You wish you could accept or even welcome the truth about provocative situations with equanimity. Now here’s some very good news, Cancerian. In the coming weeks, you will not just yearn for this state of calm but will also have a heightened ability to achieve it. Congratulations! It’s a liberating, saintlike accomplishment.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Healing will be more available to you than usual. You’re extra likely to attract the help and insight you need to revive and restore your mind, soul and body. To get started, identify two wounds or discomforts you would love to alleviate. Then consider the following actions: 1) Ruminate about what helpers and professionals might be best able to assist you. Make appointments with them. 2) Perform a ritual in which you seek blessings from your liveliest spirit guides

and sympathetic ancestors. 3) Make a list of three actions you will take to make yourself feel better. 4) Treat this process not a somber struggle but as a celebration of your mounting vitality.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): The Beatles were the best-selling band of all time and among the most influential, too. Their fame and fortune were well earned. Many of the 186 songs they composed and recorded were beautiful, interesting and entertaining. Yet none of the four members of the band could read music. Their brilliance was intuitive and instinctual. Is there a comparable situation in your life, Virgo? A task or skill that you do well despite not being formally trained? If so, the coming months will be a good time to get better grounded. I invite you to fill in the gaps in your education.

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Alnwick Garden is an unusual network of formal gardens in northeast England. Among its many entertaining features is the Poison Garden, which hosts 100 species of toxic and harmful plants such as hemlock, strychnine and deadly nightshade. It’s the most popular feature by far. Visitors enjoy finding out and investigating what’s not good for them. In accordance with astrological omens, Scorpio, I invite you to use this as an inspirational metaphor as you take inventory of influences that are not good for you. Every now and then, it’s healthy to acknowledge what you don’t need and shouldn’t engage with.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Sagittarian Tom Rath is an inspirational author who at age 49 has managed to stay alive even though he has wrangled with a rare disease since he was 16. He writes, “This is what I believe we should all aim for: to make contributions to others’ lives that will grow infinitely in our absence. A great commonality we all share is that we only have today to invest in what could outlive us.” That’s always good advice for everyone, but it’s especially rich counsel for you Sagittarians in the coming months. I believe you will have a special capacity to dispense your best gifts to those who need and want them.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn writer Susan Sontag was a public intellectual. She was an academic with a scholarly focus and an entertaining commentator on the gritty hubbub of popular culture. One of my favorite quotes by her is this one: “I like to feel dumb. That’s how I know there’s more in the world than me.” In other words, she made sure her curiosity and open-mindedness flourished by always assuming she had much more to learn. I especially recommend this perspective to you in the coming weeks.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): The Salem witch trials took place in Massachusetts from 1692 to 1693. They were ignorant, superstitious prosecutions of people accused of practicing witchcraft. The modern holiday known as Freethought Day happens every October 12, the anniversary of the last witch trial. The purpose of this jubilee is to encourage us to treasure objective facts, to love using logic and reason, and to honor the value of critical thinking. It’s only observed in America now, but I propose we make it a global festival. You Aquarians are my choice to host this year’s revelries in celebration of Freethought Day. You are at the peak of your ability to generate clear, astute, liberating thoughts. Show us what it looks like to be a lucid, unbiased observer of reality.

PISCES

(Feb. 19-Mar. 20): A YouTube presenter named Andy George decided to make a chicken sandwich. But he didn’t buy the ingredients in a store. He wanted to make the sandwich from scratch. Over the next six months, he grew wheat, ground it into flour and used it to bake bread. He milked a cow to make cheese and butter. He got sea salt from ocean water and grew a garden of lettuce, cucumber, tomato and dill for toppings. Finally, he went to a farm, bought a chicken and did all that was necessary to turn the live bird into meat for the sandwich. In describing his process, I’m not suggesting you do something similar. Rather, I’m encouraging you to be thorough as you solidify your foundations in the coming months. Gather resources you will need for long-term projects. Be a connoisseur of the raw materials that will assure future success in whatever way you define success.

Eleven paddlers met in Wolcott on a Saturday for a trash-picking adventure on the Lamoille River. ey traversed almost ﬁve miles and amassed seven canoes of rubbish. e outing was organized by the Northern Forest Canoe Trail and the Lamoille River Paddlers’ Trail, and Seven Days’ Eva Sollberger hitched a ride.

OLD-SCHOOL, CHIVALROUS, LAID-BACK

I consider myself to be an honest, caring and respectful guy. I’m at the age where I do not let the little things get to me. I enjoy the life I am living and would enjoy having someone to share it with. My dog is a big part of my life, so another dog lover or owner would be great. rk65 58, seeking: W, l

ALWAYS READY FOR ENJOYABLE MOMENTS

WOMEN seeking...

BOOKS, MOVIES, MUSIC AND FOOD

I love books, reading, writing, language and grammar. In the summer, I take long bike rides and walks and hikes. In the winter, I read, watch TV shows and movies, and cook. If you love to read or write, talk about films and TV, explore new restaurants, take road trips, and cook (especially plants!), I’d love to hear from you. multiplicity 54, seeking: M, W, l

KIND WOMAN LOOKING FOR SAME

Hi, I moved to Vermont from New York last year to live near my daughter. I haven’t really met too many people. I’m kind of a homebody, especially in the winter. I’d like to spend it snuggling with someone special. Alone2Long, 61, seeking: W, Cp, l

SEEKING THE LONE RANGER

Active, happiest outdoors. A caretaker!

Not interested in the latest fashion statements. Seeks to find the goodness in everyone. Loves working in the soil, crosscountry skiing and snowshoeing to get outdoors. Countrygal, 67, seeking: M, l

THE MERRY WIDOW

I’m a curious and fun-loving woman with a craving for deep connection through laughter and shared values, not to mention great food, lively conversation, wordplay and a mean game of pickleball. Nature is my church. I’m competent at all the usual Vermont outdoor activities. If humor and wit are your North Star, let’s talk (and laugh). Naturesoul, 66, seeking: M, l

WANT TO RESPOND?

You read Seven Days, these people read Seven Days — you already have at least one thing in common!

All the action is online. Create an account or login to browse hundreds of singles with profiles including photos, habits, desires, views and more. It’s free to place your own profile online.

l See photos of this person online.

W = Women M = Men

TW = Trans women

TM = Trans men

Q = Genderqueer people

NBP = Nonbinary people

NC = Gender nonconformists

Cp = Couples

Gp = Groups

IT’S CUFFING SEASON!

What are the rules of cuffing season? Be mindful of your desire for a relationship. Be clear about what you’re seeking in the long and short term. Define your relationship. Don’t make plans too far in advance. Prepare for the holidays. Set healthy emotional and physical boundaries. Don’t ghost the relationship. Roadtripingdestinations 66, seeking: M, l

BEST HUGS EVER

I’m looking for someone to start off as friends with the possibility for more if the attraction is there. I’m a very warm and naturally affectionate person — I love nothing more than a good cuddle. It’s important to me to be able to talk and share interests with someone and be myself around them. Bookwyrm 50 seeking: M, l

ECHO

Companionship for an outdoor enthusiast. Hiking, bicycling, Nordic skiing and snowshoeing are my go-to activities; however, I have an adventurous spirit, open to other outdoor activities. echo65 59, seeking: M, l

FUN WOMAN SEEKING PLAYMATE

Sixty and new to Vermont, looking for other fun women for hiking, kayaking, exploring; or music, films and dinner. I live globally, but also a rooted, down-to-earth former organic farmer. Teacher, learner, avid environmentalist. In need of new buddies for fun and adventure, and if the vibes are right perhaps a lover. Friends first. Majinamwezi 61 seeking: W, l

PLAYFUL, THOUGHTFUL, OBSERVANT, HYBRID

I love cleverness and discussing ideas. I appreciate humility, wisdom and smilers. I avoid the conventional and am enlivened by those with a childlike love of learning and discovery. I love cooking, eating out, movies, biking, small-venue music, lectures, art, travel, walking my dog, Ping-Pong. I love children, animals, trees, vanishing points, windows. I value authenticity and ethical decisions. Periwinkle, 61, seeking: M, l

HAPPY PUPPY

Happy puppy who wants to lick your face and put my head in your (Wow, off-topic). I am that loyal, generous, fun-loving personality. Looking to stop and smell the flowers or take a walk by the lake. If it’s cold outside, let’s play Yahtzee or just snuggle in bed and talk about how life got us where we are. cuddlescat 51, seeking: M, l

WEEKDAYS RHODE ISLAND, WEEKENDS VERMONT

I live in Rhode Island and find myself in Vermont on weekends. I lived in Colorado for 19 years, and I love being in the woods. My dog is my shadow and follows me everywhere. We’re outdoors during the day and cooking or reading with tea or a hard cider at night. Commitment to community is important to me. tracyinnewengland 59, seeking: M, l

A FORM OF PSEUDO-ANONYMOUS CONNECTION

All humans are chaos gremlins — it’s about finding the ones who meld with you. lelapin, 37, seeking: M, l

LAID-BACK, EASYGOING GRANDMA

I still have lots of life to give one special man. I enjoy my family and my grandkids. Hoping to find someone to spend some time together, to go to Maine or country towns to shop, or a country fair. The sky is the limit. I don’t need a caretaker — need a warm, loving man looking for the same. Mariond 66, seeking: M, l

PHOTOGRAPHER/MUSICIAN, DOGS, OUTDOORS, CHILL

I am an amateur photographer looking for a guy (26-45) who is also interested in photography. Looking for someone who could go on location with me, hike trails, climb mountains and explore the better points of the state while looking for the perfect shot. And later, cracking a beer to celebrate. I am a musician, animal lover, slim, attractive blonde. Houston123m, 37, seeking: M, l

CURIOUS, ADVENTUROUS, SILLY AND OUTDOORSY!

I love being outside and exploring in nature, especially for off-the-beatenpath swimming holes. (In winter, too!)

I’m a very curious and engaging person and definitely crave that in a partner. Being silly at times, dancing and singing are cool with me. At the same time, self-awareness is key! You get the idea, right? seejrun 58, seeking: M, l

GENUINE

Let’s try to do this together. Open to sharing your interests and mine. I’m outdoorsy and indoorsy, from cooking and revamping projects to fishing at the shoreline. Love all types of music but rap and heavy metal. I’m sensitive and caring but keep boundaries, to help, not hurdle. All nature- and animal-friendly. Now I’m babbling. So an eye to eye, squat, cup of java. Katz111 75, seeking: M, l

DOG LOVER AND ART LOVER

I am a creative soul with a love for dogs and everything crafty. I am a huge car buff. I like going to listen to live music and am game for different adventures. I love to travel and plan to do more once I retire.

RescueMom0124 61, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

EASYGOING COUNTRY BOY

I’m laid-back, easygoing. I like people to be comfortable and enjoyable without feeling pressure, besides having fun. Country445578, 46, seeking: W

SWM, 55, SEEKING FWB RELATIONSHIP

Seeking the right younger or older female for fun and pleasure. Let’s have fun and explore each other. If things go well, I’m open to a LTR. Take a chance? FWBFun802 58, seeking: W

THIRSTY

Want to grab a drink, not at a bar? Go for a walk? flyseyes31, 47, seeking: W

I find it difficult to answer the question about ethnicity or ancestry in such generalized terms. To limit this to such generalized categories feels like I’m being asked to choose between my Indigenous ancestors of this continent where I am located and those of my European or African ancestors. I’m Métis. Very mixed and diverse over the past 450 years. OnTheRoad1stCousin 62, seeking: W, l

SOFT SOUL STONE BODY

Seeking new friendships with shared intent to flirt. Any intimacy only following chemistry for me, thanks. You: Kind, strong, grown woman — age and body type unimportant because we really are all beautiful. Me: Kind, emotionally and financially secure, athletic AF cis man of fabulous contradictions, educated redneck feminist, weed-smoking competitive athlete, serious and silly in turn. Hardbodysoftsoul 47, seeking: W, l

WORKER BEE AND ADVENTURER

Easygoing and hardworking individual. I enjoy the simple things in life: visiting a new restaurant, brewery, spontaneous trips and staying active. Looking for someone who enjoys the same to hit it off with. APL, 37, seeking: W

LOOKING FOR OLDER LOVER

Recently out of a relationship and looking for fun. I am a your-pleasure-is-myenjoyment kind of person, searching for a more mature lover who wants a younger partner. Come with me on a journey to explore each other to the fullest. If you’re interested in a younger man to explore your desires, I would love to meet. foliagewalker, 34, seeking: W, l

OLD-FASHIONED

My wife passed away and I came to Vermont to start over and to be closer to my family. Nostromo24, 69, seeking: W, l

SOLIPSISTIC PARANOIAC SEEKS DREAM GODDESS

I am the only one who exists. The world is the Goddess holding the Holy Grail. There is always and forever only one thing to do: DRINK! 5GMercury 32 seeking: W

MUSIC AND LIFE

Open mind, free thinker and openhearted. I’m ready for it all. Music and trees are all I really need besides food and water. Musician looking for an ear or a heart. Both would be preferred. Musicnlife 34, seeking: M

AWESOME OLDER MAN

Original flower child, wise young senior, polyglot, generalist, seeks brainiac “younger” man for intimate friendship. I love languages, cultural diversity, real music. Professional customer relations, retired teacher, masseur (my hands are as good as my words). Thoroughly devoted to nature, fresh local food, natural wine and the charms of kindness. TheWyrd 71, seeking: M, l

STRONG LIKE HORSE

Not much. Simple, hardworking guy. Looking for fun. No one-time thing. Can last for hours. Looking for the same. Tizock 35, seeking: W, l

LAID-BACK

Very laid-back, go-with-the-flow sort of person. Just recently retired and ready for more adventures. I enjoy a campfire in the backyard or a trip to Boston for a concert. My musical tastes tend toward classic rock and blues. I’m looking for someone to share what lies ahead. Whatever it is it will definitely involve beaches. bobinvt56, 68 seeking: W, l

SOCIAL, NATURE LOVER, HONEST, KIND

I love a good sense of humor and tell it like it is. A compassionate person, I’m open-minded. I enjoy a good party, and I’m as loyal as the day is long. Sercher, 66, seeking: W, l

NATURE-LOVING, DIVERSE GUY

Sociable, highly diverse guy in desperate need of someone to check for deer ticks! Looking for an attractive, educated woman who enjoys honest and intimate communication and can teach and learn equally. Someone who loves being outside, enjoys a variety of athletics, could happily travel anywhere and maybe thrive on a carefree day in the library. jss1 65, seeking: W, l

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

COMMUNITY-MINDED AND INDEFENSIBLY JOYFUL

I love writing, dancing, making music and meaningful action. My favorite conversations are about people’s passions. I like hiking, biking and paddling, but I spend a lot of time happily indoors being social or creative or productive. I’m interested in people of all genders and am seeking a connection that generates joy every day for us both. Sylph 55 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

BODACIOUS B.A.B.

Tall, smart trans woman looking for someones. Living in downtown Burlington. Love good food, film and fun. I’m an out, proud and loud anomaly fighting the algorithm — and a sweet lover. sashamarx 54 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, l

GENDER NONCONFORMISTS

seeking...

BEWARE! CHILDLESS CAT LADY AHEAD ADHDled, ailurophilic, alliterative, autodidactic acolyte of the resident demigoddesses seeks similar for socialization. Long-term, platonic friendship with humanoids is my goal. Stuff I like: gawking at the night sky; sunsets over Lake Champlain; gardening; films/TV shows about post-apocalyptic, dystopian societies; Scrabble; art; music; peoplewatching on Church Street; volunteering; etc. Not looking for a sugar parent, but I am a pauper. Alas. Ailurophile, 64, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Gp, l

AFFECTIONATE, CURIOUS, MELLOW TRAIL TABBY

Playful cat looking for friend(s) to purr with. This kitty likes outdoorsy stuff like hiking, camping, kayaking. Cuddling in front of a fire, dates and chilling out are faves in winter. This bicat is great with black, white, calico, torties and compatible with M/W/TW/TM/GM/ NC and curious, playful CP’s. Tall, thin kitties purrferred but good cattitude helps make this one meow. HikerKat, 58 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, NC, Cp, l

COUPLES seeking...

LOOKING FOR FUN PEEPS

Fun, open-minded couple seeking playmates. Shoot us a note if interested so we can share details and desires. Jackrabbits, 60, seeking: W, Cp

STEEPLE MARKET

We stood next to each other in the meat section. You commented that you liked my J.Crew sweater. I wish I would have caught your name. I’m new to the area — if you are single, please reach out! When: Friday, October 4, 2024. Where: Steeple Market, Fairfax. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916137

POETRY WOMAN

Mia: Last time, we drove to campus. Since then I’ve moved neighborhoods, but I haven’t stopped thinking about you. If you’re still up for it, I’d like to buy you that drink. Per Louise Glück: “You want to see my hands?/ As empty now as at the ﬁrst note./ Or was the point always/ to continue without a sign?” When: Wednesday, May 1, 2024. Where: South Willard Street. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916136

SMILE

I saw you downtown doing that Elaine dance and almost fell in love. I was the lost-looking guy with a crazy eight jacket on. I will be downtown again soon. If you want to catch up and dance again, message me here. When: ursday, October 3, 2024. Where: Rí Rá Irish Pub. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916135

GRAND?

Are you keeping hope alive or reveling in sadistic pleasure over the perfect timing of a brief moment? I’m not strong enough right now and you know this. is is not a concession or meeting where you’re at. is is torture, and killing my humanity isn’t helping anymore. When: Wednesday, October 2, 2024. Where: Same place, different time. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916134

UVM CHEM PROF

Lady, you can’t imagine your young lez following. When: Friday, September 20, 2024. Where: Class. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916127

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

CUTE DOG, CUTER HUMAN

anks for the nice hello on the bike path late morning on Sunday. Your dalmatian-esque dog was carrying a stick and looking quite pleased. Your greeting brightened my day. It’s the little things, after all. When: Sunday, September 29, 2024. Where: Burlington bike path. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916133

BJORN, CONTINUED

I called you once when I saw a rainbow and insisted that you go outside, because I knew you’d see one too — and you did. I wanted to stop by to see how you were doing, but I only remembered that you lived by a castle. We thanked God for each other. I liked when you stood close to me. When: Sunday, May 1, 2022. Where: At a house by a castle back in 2022? Can’t remember the exact date. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916132

BJORN

B, I miss the goofy faces you’d make through my peephole. You called me a badass. Insecurity got the best of me when I said we shouldn’t be friends any more, and I’m so very sorry. I miss hearing about Schrödinger’s cat, and how you need more poutine in your life. I miss being part of your world. — Bro When: Tuesday, May 3, 2022. Where: Casavant Overlook In 2022 (don’t recall the exact date). You: Man. Me: Woman. #916131

BLACK T-SHIRT AT THREE PENNY

Saw you staring at me while I was chatting at the bar. You came up and said, “So you’re an Argentina fan.” I said, “You just have to have faith. Everything will work out.” ere’s nothing simple or straightforward about this, actually. Even though I still don’t know exactly what I want, I do love you. ank you for being patient. When: Sunday, July 14, 2024. Where: ree Penny Taproom. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916130

JOGGING DOWNHILL AND WATERFRONT

We crossed paths twice very quickly, near sunset. You (jogging) had vibrant blue pants ﬁt for jogging and a vibrant white T-shirt, also ﬁt, and clear, seethrough square glasses frames that I like. You waved hello to me, which was kinda hard to do. I wanted to say hi back, too — I was just slow. When: Saturday, September 28, 2024. Where: Burlington Battery hill and waterfront. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916129

TRADER JOE’S CHECKOUT

I offered to let you go ahead of me because you were only buying two lemons and some butter. I thought you were cute and I dig your shopping list! Wish I had asked for your number but maybe you’ll see this and we could grab coffee sometime. When: Saturday, September 28, 2024. Where: Trader Joe’s. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916128

ORANGE METEOR

Zooming past so fast on the bike/ rough Winooski with one or two tyke/ So hot did you burn/ Doth made these loins churn/ So how do I send you a “Like”? When: Friday, September 20, 2024. Where: Winooski rotary. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916126

TO OUR HOSTESS AT SNEAKERS

You were our hostess and helped us to a table outside in the bright sun. We swapped sitting spots on the table multiple times because of the light — sorry! We both thought you were very cute. ank you for brightening up our day, along with the sun. When: Saturday, September 21, 2024. Where: Sneakers Bistro in Williston. You: Couple. Me: Man. #916125

WATERWORKS BAR CHAT

We met at the bar and struck up a conversation ranging from tattoos to your journey through motherhood. anks for a wonderful chat. It brightened up my evening! When: Friday, September 20, 2024. Where: Waterworks in Winooski. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916124

MY GRE-GLORIOUS BEST FRIEND

Of all the shiny, bald-headed men in Vermont, you are the shiniest and the baldest. ank you for being the very best you that anyone might ever hope you might be. My dog and I think you are wonderful. When: Saturday, September 14, 2024. Where: Waterbury Mobil. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916121

De ection Inspect

De Rev end,

My best friend says he’s going to write in a candidate for president in the upcoming election. I ﬁrmly believe he would be wasting his vote, and this election is too important to do such a thing. Whenever I try to convince him of that, we get into a big argument. I don’t want to ruin our friendship over this, but I really want to change his mind. What can I do?

THERE ARE A COUPLE OF OPTIONS

Either there are many women with similar stories, or there are women everywhere attempting to mimic energy not theirs for a feeling of “love.” is bitterness needs to subside: e ones who know, know what I’ve been asking for — even the one who is too chickenshit to open the door. When: Friday, September 20, 2024. Where: In the wind. You: Group. Me: Woman. #916123

YOU DON’T DESERVE ME!

For 20 years, I gave you my heart and you stomped all over it. I gave you my love and you abused it. I gave you my trust and you broke it. I gave you my support in everything you do and you took the picture for granted. I gave you pure honesty and you gave me lies. KSM, goodbye. When: Friday, September 20, 2024. Where: Everywhere. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916122

SHARON OF COLCHESTER

Sharon, almost a year ago we hiked above Bristol with our common friend, Nancy. You were amazing in hiking power, intimate conversation and tender affections. Let’s walk together again. — Eric the golden retriever When: Monday, October 16, 2023. Where: In Bristol. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916120

MANY MOONS

Sometimes I called you Moons and it’s been many of them since we’ve seen each other. But you’re so elusive — so hidden! I have no idea who you’re with or how you live. I don’t want to rustle your nest. I swam a circle around the dock, and I’m ready to grow kale and write stories on a hill with you. When: Monday, September 16, 2019. Where: Hills and hollers of Vermont. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916119

SAFETY FIRST, THEN TEAMWORK

My Koomie, my Harry, my Jeff, my Daffy. Before I met you, the sun was like a yellow grape. Our ratings have been low, but let’s renew for another two seasons. Who knows? Maybe we could make it past our 50th, like Bert and Ernie. Just two cool dudes getting married. Happy anniversary, sweet prince. HONK! When: Sunday, September 25, 2022. Where: A sideways tugboat? You: Man. Me: Woman. #916117

STARR FARM BEAUTY

Words aren’t enough: your slender body with awesome curves. Bi male looking to join beach couples! Bottoms up. When: Friday, September 13, 2024. Where: Starr Farm beach. You: Couple. Me: Man. #916118

A PATTERN?

You stopped, came back for a second look, a small banter and backed away really fast. It hurts. Please stop playing with me — we both know I don’t deserve it. ere’s only so much pain a human can take and maintain their humanity. And my humanity is the only thing you seem interested in. I’m not going to lose it. When: Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Where: So close and yet so far. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916116

LOVE AND FRIENDSHIP

Love is very precious, whether it’s in a friendship or a relationship: You are receiving the most precious gift, someone’s heart in your hands. It is your job to handle it delicately. Be kind, compassionate, loyal and work hard to take care of it. is love and heart will stay forever. Neglect it and you will miss out on all the beautiful memories. When: Wednesday, September 11, 2024. Where: Everywhere. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916115

WAITING AT LAKE & COLLEGE

You were waiting on the corner near Skinny Pancake, wearing black. I came down College, in jeans and a green shirt, carrying a small box. When you turned, I thought, Whoa! So pretty! and we smiled at each other. I was thinking about turning around to talk to you when I ran into friends by the trafﬁc circle. When: Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Where: Lake and College. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916114

A VORTEX, A VORPAL

You: Drawn into the vortex of my shirt, so much so that it seemed to become “vorpal” (which, though penned for Jabberwocky, now holds the meanings “3. Decisively important, fateful; 4. Decreed by fate”). Me: Standing by the merch table at ArtsRiot, suggested that you come back and say hi again, but the Art Hop ate you. More, please? When: Friday, September 6, 2024. Where: ArtsRiot. You: Man. Me: Man. #916113

In 2016, I was really excited about Bernie Sanders running for president. When it turned out he wasn’t going to be the Democratic candidate, I was beyond bummed. I had voted for him for every ofﬁce he’d run for since I was 18, and I wasn’t about to stop. So, even though he didn’t endorse the writein candidacy, I went ahead and wrote him in anyway. (Sorry, Bernie.) at election certainly didn’t turn out the way I’d hoped, but I still didn’t feel like I had thrown away my vote. I’d gone with my gut. Was that the smart thing to do?

All this to say, if your friend truly believes in his candidate, telling him that

he’s wasting his vote is most likely a waste of your breath. If he feels like you’re belittling his political views, you may even be adding fuel to his write-in ﬂame. If you really want to try to change his mind, keep the focus on the candidates and discuss the reasons you think the person you support would be a better choice.

I don’t know, but it felt right to me at the time.

I hope that your friendship is strong enough to withstand some healthy political debate, but you may have to agree to disagree to keep the buddy boat aﬂoat. Perhaps a better use of your time and energy would be to work on canvassing all the undecided voters out there.

Good luck and God bless, The Rev

Mid-60s, SWM, 6 ft., 175 lbs. Looking for a forever romance but just meeting with new friends can work, too! Extremely romantic and passionate! I stay active as I run, hike, bike; play golf, tennis and pickleball; and work out at the Edge. Full of spontaneity and love dancing, travel. I will love you snuggling in my arms always as I shower you with love and romance! #L1801

I’m a 54-y/o male seeking a 50- to 60-y/o female. Looking for an honest person. Sex is less important. I enjoy taking walks, soft rock and movies, in or out. Love to go out to eat. No drugs, no smoking. #L1800

T-girl? Transgender? CD? Gay? I’m a dom, so looking for subs, thanks. #L1799

SWM, 69, seeking a SF. I am warm, friendly, clean and respectful, seeking a LTR. Just an ordinary guy looking for same. Phone number, please. #L1798

GM looking for hookups. Age and race not important. #L1796

SWM, 55, seeking Barbie with brains. FWB/NSA relationship and open to a LTR. Seeking any woman, younger or older, for fun play. Please send a picture and contact info. I’m looking for one woman for a special time together. #L1797

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We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above. 2

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required!

Marshmallow enthusiast, wildﬂower gazer, sort-of seamstress, ex-librarian seeks someone who enjoys literature and going outside. I’m a 37-y/o woman; you’re a person in your 30s or early 40s. I’m nerdy but cool. Are you? #L1794

Abstract portrait artist in need of a discreet female model (18-28). #L1795

I’m a male, 65, seeking a female. Respectful, warm, friendly, would like to ﬁnd a female to share some life with. Dining in as well as out. Likes music. Please send phone number. #L1790

I’m a SWM looking for a large Black man to engage in sexual copulation with. I am a humanist and very open to exploring the physical limitations of my ﬂesh suit. HIV+ OK. Males only, please. #L1792

SWF, 55, seeks companionship. Former classical pianist of 13 years, well read, vegetarian, studied in Geneva, Switzerland and Paris. I have a good sense of humor. Music a must: vintage Bowie, folk, Celtic. I’m also a childless cat person! #L1788

I’m a GM, mid-60s, seeking a SM, 70s, passionate. Enjoy many activities: nature walks, camping. Let’s talk, hopefully meet. #L1791

Int net-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

I’m a SWF, 62 y/o, in central Vermont, seeking a SM, 57-67 y/o, for possible LT relationship. Hoping to meet someone who also loves balanced ecosystems, great food and drink, honest conversations, and the good chores of each season. #L1789

A “love letter” would infer that we have met. Love letters started in the 1800s. Love letters ended in 2002 with the success of email. Let’s turn back the clock. I’m a 63-y/o male. Physically ﬁt, healthy lifestyle, enjoy everything the outdoors has to offer. Cheers to us. #1786

I’m a 70-y/o man seeking a woman 45-70. I have money and would like to spend pleasurable time with you. I am clean, caring and considerate. I am ﬁt for my age. Phone number. #1787

I’m a 63-y/o male. Married with no sex life. Bi-curious. Must be clean, safe and discreet. Send me your number, and I’ll call and we can talk ﬁrst. #L1783

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)

Woman, 59. Healthy, respectful, genuine. I’d like to share the last dance with a man in the country. A man who is kind, healthy and stable. A man who cares about how he treats a person and is well liked by others. Phone number, please. #1782

I’m a single white man looking for friends with beneﬁts. Race unimportant. Love to be happy, spend time with the opposite sex and just enjoy each other. Good company always a plus. I love music, sports, being on the water. #1785

Female in early 20s. Must like cats, cheese and crafting (C trifecta). I’m looking for a man (yes, a man, not a boy) with some mass to him. Someone who shares my distrust in big pharma would be an added bonus. #L1781

I’m an 80-y/o woman seeking a man, late 60s and up. I want friendship and companionship. Love the outdoors. Barbecue or grill sometimes in the summer. Wish I could travel to places I have never been. #L1775

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TRS Live: Matt Hagen's Murder Ballads

WED., OCT 9

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FRI., OCT 11

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FRI., OCT 11

TANK RECORDING STUDIO, BURLINGTON

Knife Skills with Revel Woodworking and Vermont Sharp

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OCT 12

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