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Postelection celebrations in Burlington

The median Vermont home sale price is 23 percent more than it was a year ago, according to VTDigger.org. That’s a serious COVID-19 bump.

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People sang, cheered, honked and literally danced in the streets of downtown Burlington on Saturday as word of president-elect Joe Biden’s victory spread. A crowd gathered at the corner of Church and Main streets, where volunteers just months ago painted a huge Black Lives Matter mural on the road. Drivers beeped their horns as they rolled past the cheering crowd. Some waved American flags. A few held up homemade signs: “You’re fired!” was a popular message. Car radios

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blared “Celebration,” “God Bless America” and the hip-hop track “FDT” — Fuck Donald Trump. Outside the Vermont Statehouse in Montpelier, some supporters of President Donald Trump gathered to wave flags and signs. “Donald Trump Matters,” read one man’s T-shirt. Biden and Harris supporters, including Lauren Griswold, turned out there, as well, but to celebrate. “It’s just a huge sigh of relief,” Griswold said. View our slideshow of images at sevendaysvt.com.

COURTESY OF CIARAN O’CONNOR

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COVER IMAGE JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR • COVER DESIGN REV. DIANE SULLIVAN

NEWS & POLITICS 11

FEATURES 31

From the Publisher

Cold Comfort

Welcome to the Winter Preview

‘Torn Apart’

Downhill Battle

Fault lines over Trump, racism and justice divide the town of Johnson

‘A Clean Slate’

The Vermont legislature seeks new leaders after a string of losses

ARTS NEWS 24

Collateral Damage

Less Shade, More Light

Cyberattack interrupts crucial treatment for some patients

Burlington’s new City Hall Park is well designed and welcoming

Supernatural Honesty

Post-It Votes

Mail-in voting in Vermont may be here to stay

Vermont ski areas prepare for an uncertain winter

Gearing Up

Alpine Shop embraces a new kind of winter sport season

Cold Play

As temps fall, swimmers raise their spirits with morning laps in Lake Champlain

Poet and artist Bianca Stone reflects on her grandmother’s legacy and editing The Essential Ruth Stone

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Talking Cure

Paula Routly

FILE: MARC NADEL

Brian Story could have been talking about any Vermont town when he described the politics of Johnson to Seven Days reporter Chelsea Edgar: “There are a lot of progressives here, but there are also a lot of conservative folks, a lot of farmers who have been here for generations. It’s a diverse place, but there was a pretty strong sense of unity, until 2020,” said the town administrator. “I’d say that things have gotten a lot more heated.” In her story for this week’s paper, Edgar takes the temperature of the artsy college burg where opponents of President Donald Trump have protested every week since he won election in 2016. Their activism has become a local movement with an agenda not everybody in Johnson embraces. “Selectboard meetings, once permit-and-gravel affairs, have become forums on the town’s duty to condemn racism,” Edgar writes in her piece headlined “Torn Apart.” That’s how Richard Whittemore, a local plumber, describes Johnson today. He characterizes himself as “a good old American that has worked seven days a week all his life” — currently with plans to move to South Carolina. No one was surprised that the Democratic candidate for U.S. president won Vermont by a landslide. Hundreds of people danced in the streets of Burlington when the national media outlets called the race for Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on Saturday. A few dozen supporters of President Donald Trump expressed their displeasure in a peaceful protest on the steps of the Statehouse in Montpelier. But the vote totals tell a more complicated story. A higher percentage of Vermonters voted for Republican Gov. Phil Scott than for Biden — 68.8 percent versus 66.4. A greater percentage checked the box for Trump than for gubernatorial candidate David Zuckerman — 30.8 percent versus 27.5. In the town of Johnson, votes cast followed a similar pattern: Scott, 1,066; Biden, 994; Trump, 528; Zuckerman, 451. There’s room for myriad political views and choices in our brave little state of Vermont — and in this newspaper. We’ve heard at regional newspaper conferences that many media outlets across New England struggle to attract conservative voices to their opinion pages. Seven Days gets feedback from writers of all political persuasions, from environmentalist Bill McKibben to former Reagan policy adviser John McClaughry. I take that as a compliment. Whatever politics readers project onto the paper, our goal is to report what’s happening in a way that is inclusive, rigorous and fair. All reactions are welcome. If they’re signed, cogent and 250 words or less, we’ll publish them in the paper and on our website. For 25 years, it’s been my job to assemble and verify the letters to the editor at Seven Days. I love the weekly task because it forces me to pick up the phone and call people — some of whom, judging from their written comments, are very unhappy with us. I get nervous sometimes, but the anxiety quickly dissipates when I hear a voice on the other end of the line. Sometimes Interested in becoming a Super Reader? I’m in the middle of leaving a message when the person Look for the “Give Now” buttons at the top of picks up and apologizes for initially screening my call. sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your From complete strangers, I get story ideas, drop-spot address and contact info to: reports and the occasional “Keep up the good work.” Even the angriest readers appreciate the effort, which includes SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS P.O. BOX 1164 editing help to sharpen their points. BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164 Our Sunday-night talks restore my faith in humanity — and, once in a while, yield a new Super Reader. For more information on making a financial During this divisive time, I highly recommend starting contribution to Seven Days, please contact and working through those difficult conversations. Corey Grenier: VOICEMAIL: 802-865-1020, EXT. 36 EMAIL: SUPERREADERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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news

MORE INSIDE

PATIENTS HURTING AFTER CYBERATTACK PAGE 15

HEALTH

ARE VT ELECTIONS GOING POSTAL? PAGE 18

BTV MAYORAL CANDIDATES JOIN FIELD PAGE 18

Vermont Tightens Travel Rules Amid Surge in COVID-19 Cases B Y C O LI N F L A NDE RS colin@sevendaysvt.com

Be-Longing for Justice protesters out in Johnson on a recent Tuesday

‘Torn Apart’

Fault lines over Trump, racism and justice divide the town of Johnson S TO RY & PHOT OS BY CHELSEA E DGAR • chelsea@sevendaysvt.com

very Tuesday afternoon since Donald Trump was elected president in 2016, a group of protesters has kept vigil on the sidewalk in front of the Johnson village green. On October 20, the second-to-last Tuesday before Election Day, they stood on Main Street for the 204th consecutive week, holding handmade signs that read “Save Our Democracy: Vote Blue!!” and “Mobilize Don’t Normalize.” That afternoon, Jasmine Yuris, the coordinator of the Johnson Community Wood-Fired Oven, which holds weekly free pizza nights in the summer, was there with her 5-year-old daughter, Mable, and 3-year-old son, Winnie. Mable, dressed in snow pants and a sweater adorned with farm animals, held a sign that read, in chaotic kid penmanship: “I love this town, I love everyone!” Around 5 p.m., a passing Green Mountain Electric Supply truck honked benevolently. Jackie Stanton, one of the protest organizers, chuckled as it drove by. “He’s beeped at us every Tuesday for four years, and we have no clue who he is,” she said. 12

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Stanton, a parent educator at the Lamoille Family Center, and her husband, Cal, a shop teacher at the Laraway School, have lived in Johnson for more than three decades. In the wake of Trump’s 2016 victory, Jackie said, they felt unmoored: “We didn’t know what to do, but we knew we just needed to get out there and act, even if that meant acting imperfectly.” She and Cal decided to stand on the village green on the Tuesday following Election Day, holding signs denouncing fascism and bigotry. Several of their friends joined them. Their demonstrations stretched into the winter; on some frigid nights, the Stantons were the only ones on the sidewalk. “Early on, when there were fewer of us out here, we were a little more on edge,” said Cal. Pickup trucks would blow diesel exhaust at them; sometimes, people would lean out of their car windows and shout “Fuck refugees!” or “Fuck you, fucking bitches!” “This kind of stuff was being yelled at grandmothers,” Jackie said. Those incidents discouraged some

people from coming out, but a dedicated cadre of five or so locals, including the Stantons, kept showing up. Their grassroots movement gradually coalesced into a group, Be-Longing for Justice. Its core membership hovers around 40; on a typical Tuesday, somewhere between three and three dozen of them stand on the sidewalk for an hour, rain, shine or snow. By Jackie’s estimate, some 500 people have stood with them at one time or another. For the 200th demonstration, in late September, Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman made an appearance, his third since the protests began. The occasion was fêted with a picnic at Legion Field, featuring galettes from the Johnson Community Wood-Fired Oven. Be-Longing for Justice has become a vocal presence in Johnson politics, steering the public dialogue toward social justice issues that, before the Trump era, rarely surfaced in town meetings. Now,

POLITICS

‘TORN APART’

» P.16

Gov. Phil Scott’s administration said on Tuesday that Vermont will reinstate mandatory quarantine requirements for all out-of-state arrivals, ramp up compliance checks on businesses and offer more widespread testing in attempts to slow the spread of the coronavirus. The announcements coincide with an alarming surge of new infections in Vermont and around the country. They also mark the first time that Scott has been forced to tighten his proverbial spigot since he started loosening restrictions in the spring. Vermont reported 46 new cases on Tuesday, raising its seven-day average to 32 — the highest it has been since mid-April. Current forecasts indicate that the seven-day average could potentially double over the next six weeks, which would result in a far higher figure than what Vermont saw at the peak of the pandemic’s first wave. “With the success we’ve had over the last few months, I know it’s disappointing to hear about new restrictions,” Scott said during his regular press briefing on Tuesday. “But by acting early and doubling down on the work that made us so successful in the first place, I know we can get this under control, hold on to the gains we’ve made, and continue to be in a better position to get through this faster and stronger than any other state.” For months, Vermont has used a color-coded travel map to determine whether out-of-state arrivals must quarantine. Now, anyone arriving from out-of-state must quarantine at home or in Vermont for 14 days; they can shorten the period by testing negative for the virus a week into their quarantine. Vermonters who leave the state must also quarantine when they return home. Officials are urging residents to stay home for the holidays, avoid unnecessary travel, and keep all private gatherings to 10 people or fewer. They also encourage anyone who recently attended an event with people outside of their “usual social circle” to consider getting tested immediately. “We just need to think carefully about the decisions we make,” Scott said. “Think about our wants versus our needs. If it’s just a want? Let’s hold off on that for a while. Because what we need to do is keep our kids in school for in-person learning and keep our businesses open and our workers working.”

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STATEHOUSE

ays after his resounding reelection win last week, Gov. Phil Scott reflected on the fate of three other state leaders who took office alongside him in January 2017: Lt. Gov. David Zuckerman, Senate President Pro Tempore Tim Ashe (D/P-Chittenden) and House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero), all of whom lost their own races this year. “Today, I’m the only person standing out of that group,” the Republican governor said at a press conference in Montpelier, exhibiting just a touch of schadenfreude. “So it’s going to be, you know, a clean slate.” Scott’s overwhelming defeat of Zuckerman, his Progressive and Democratic challenger, will almost certainly strengthen his hand as he enters a fifth legislative session in January. The 67 to 27 percent margin was the widest since Howard Dean’s 1996 reelection, and Scott won more votes than any gubernatorial candidate in Vermont history. His Republican allies, meanwhile, picked up a seat in the Senate and three in the House, depriving Democrats and Progressives of the supermajority necessary to override his vetoes. Rep. Pattie McCoy (R-Poultney) described the outcome as “a stunning rebuke of the status quo” — perhaps a bit of an overstatement, given that Democrats and Progressives will still control 99 of 150 seats in the House and 23 of 30 in the Senate. But the turnover in Statehouse leadership will undoubtedly bolster Scott’s position relative to the legislature’s. He’ll

11/4/20 11:56 AM

Sen. Becca Balint

enter the session with a seasoned team of advisers and cabinet officials who have been tried by fire during the coronavirus pandemic. “They’re already off and running,” said Sen. Bobby Starr (D-Essex/Orleans), who has served in the legislature for more than four decades. “They’ve already got their crew and their team — and we’re still talking about who’s going to be the leadership.” The clean slate does present an opportunity for the House and Senate to reset relations with the Scott administration — and with each other. At times over the past four years, Ashe and Johnson seemed to battle with one another as much as with the Republican governor. “Having been away for four years, it’s the one thing that feels distinctly different: the deterioration of the relationship between the House and Senate,” said senator-elect Kesha Ram, a Burlington Democrat who left the House in 2016 and was elected to the Senate last week. “It just feels like there’s less trust and more animosity.” The likelihood that the pandemic will prevent legislators from convening in the Statehouse for at least the early months of the legislative session makes a reset all the more important, according to Sen. Ruth Hardy (D-Addison). “We can’t just meet in the hallways and figure it out,” she said. “We really need leaders who communicate and work well together.” ‘A CLEAN SLATE’

» P.14 3v-lakechampchoc111120 1

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

11/9/20 8:47 AM

news

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Rep. Charlie Kimbell

FILE: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

Rep. Jill Krowinski COURTESY OF VERMONT GENERAL ASSEMBLY

The good news for legislators is that the front-runners for the top leadership posts have a history of working together. They’re also mostly women. Over the past week, Seven Days reached all 23 of the Senate’s Democrats and Progressives, and every one of them said they would support Sen. Becca Balint’s (D-Windham) bid to serve as president pro tem. That would make her the first woman to lead the 30-member body and the first openly gay lawmaker to lead either chamber. The picture in the House is far less clear. Johnson’s unexpected loss in last week’s election quickly triggered a leadership contest between the chamber’s current and former majority leaders, Rep. Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington) and Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas (D-Bradford), as well as Rep. Charlie Kimbell (D-Woodstock), a moderate Democrat. Meanwhile, Democrat Molly Gray is set to succeed Zuckerman as lieutenant governor. Though the position is largely ceremonial, its occupant is charged with presiding over the Senate — no small task during an era of legislating via Zoom, particularly for someone who has never served in the Senate. The legislature faces other challenges in the nearly two months before the session begins. Johnson’s chief of staff, Katherine Levasseur, and Ashe’s, Peter Sterling, departed the Statehouse in October, leaving no experienced employees to guide their respective offices through the transition. And though Democrats in the House and Senate are expected to nominate their new leaders in the coming weeks, the next speaker and pro tem won’t be formally elected until the legislature convenes in January. They, in turn, will not be able to assign lawmakers to committees and appoint chairs until they take office. “It’s going to be very difficult, let me tell you,” said Sen. Dick Mazza (D-Grand Isle). There will, however, be some continuity next session. Every Senate committee chair and all but one House chair won reelection last week. Only Rep. Kitty Toll (D-Danville), who has run the House Appropriations Committee for four years, chose to retire. And Balint, at least, has had time to prepare for her new role. As soon as Ashe announced in January that he would leave the Senate to seek the Democratic nomination for lieutenant governor — a race he would lose to Gray — Balint expressed interest in the job. Nobody has challenged her. “She’s the ultimate people person, and

FILE: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

‘A Clean Slate’ « P.13

Rep. Sarah Copeland Hanzas

that’s always of great value in a small group like the Senate,” said Sen. Phil Baruth (D/PChittenden), a former majority leader who considered running for pro tem. Even Sen. Joe Benning (R-Caledonia), the Senate minority leader, said he would be willing to vote for Balint. “I know she’s somebody I can work with,” he said. “She cares a lot about her constituency and the people who are in the building, even if they’re not in the same party as she is in.” Balint, a 52-year-old educator from Brattleboro, certainly won’t resemble her 75 predecessors, most of whom were straight white male Protestants. “I come from an interesting background,” she said. “Obviously, I’m a woman. I’m gay. I was an Army brat. I had family killed in the Holocaust. I feel like I cross class lines and gender lines, and I’m willing to listen to anyone about anything — and I think that’s because I never felt like an insider.”

Hardy points to another attribute that also quite awkward, given the uncertainty makes Balint stand out from the crowd of around Johnson’s fate. She has requested a men and retirees who make up much of recount, but it is not scheduled to take place the Senate. “I’m especially thrilled to have until November 20 — roughly two weeks a mom as pro tem,” she said. “That means a before her colleagues are set to vote on her lot to me as one of the few senators who is successor. currently raising kids and has school-age Her deputy, Krowinski, attempted to children.” forestall the race in the days after Johnson’s While Balint’s election is all but certain, defeat. But last Friday, when Copeland several senators are jockeying to succeed Hanzas announced in a written statement her as majority leader. Sen. Chris Pearson that she was “likely to step forward to run for (P/D-Chittenden), Sen. Alison Clarkson Speaker,” Krowinski followed suit. (D-Windsor) and Sen. Brian Campion According to Krowinski, her colleagues (D-Bennington) have all been calling are looking for an experienced leader. colleagues in recent days to solicit their “I think because governing during the support. pandemic is very challenging, what I’m While most senators said they were hearing is, people want stability and undecided, Pearson appears to have an consistency,” she said, noting that she early edge, with five colleagues express- served on the leadership teams of both ing support for him: Baruth, Starr, Sen. Johnson and former speaker Shap Smith Anthony Pollina (P/D-Washington), Sen. — and, early in her career, as former Ann Cummings (D-Washington) and Sen. speaker Gaye Symington’s assistant. “So I Mark MacDonald (D-Orange). Sen. Dick kinda know the job,” she said. Sears (D-Bennington) is backing Campion, Copeland Hanzas, who did not respond his district-mate, while no senators have to interview requests, also has a great deal publicly declared support for Clarkson. of experience. First elected in 2004, she One difference among the candidates is served as Smith’s third majority leader that Clarkson and Campion are and currently chairs the House Democrats, while Pearson has Committee on Government always identified himself first Operations. She challenged and foremost as a Progressive. Johnson for the speakership in “I think it’s very important to 2016. have a Democrat as the majorKimbell, a second-term ity leader,” Clarkson said. “This member from Woodstock, G O V. P HI L S C O T T argues that it’s time for a is the majority party.” Pearson’s supporters argue change. He has criticized the that his party label shouldn’t make a differ- House leadership for being overly partience in a caucus that includes both Demo- san and failing to speak to all of the state. crats and Progressives. “I just don’t see any “Some of the legislation that was passed in great distinction,” Baruth said. “It feels a the past four years didn’t go over that well little silly to me or flimsy given that, in the in rural Vermont,” he said. Senate, Progressives don’t have their own Like McCoy, Benning was heartened by caucus.” the results of last week’s election, particuOne position that appears unlikely larly given that Republicans typically fare to change hands is the so-called “third poorly in Vermont when presidential elecmember” of the Committee on Commit- tions drive up turnout. “We were anticitees. That senator, who is chosen by pating a blue-wave tsunami,” the Senate colleagues, joins the pro tem and lieu- minority leader said. “At the beginning tenant governor in making all commit- of the election, we were wondering how tee membership and chairmanship many more seats we could lose and still assignments. be relevant.” Mazza, who was first elected to the The takeaway, he said, “is that we have House in 1972 and the Senate in 1984, has seen the pendulum stop swinging to the held the third member job for so long that left.” he can’t remember when he took it, though Most Democrats and Progressives he estimates it was in “the early ’90s.” Most appear to view the results differently, members appear inclined to reappoint him noting that few incumbent legislators lost to the post, in part because the other two their races. “I think this was a status quo members of the committee, Balint and election, frankly, and Vermonters went Gray, will be new to it. with the people that they know and trust “Given the number of pieces that are and that they’ve been working through in flux right now, I actually would really this pandemic with,” Krowinski said. m appreciate having him as third member,” Balint said. Disclosure: Tim Ashe is the domestic partner The House leadership contest is of Seven Days publisher and coeditor Paula particularly unsettled, in part because Routly. Find our conflict-of-interest policy few were expecting it to take place. It’s at sevendaysvt.com/disclosure.

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Collateral Damage

UVM Health Network cyberattack interrupts crucial treatment for some patients BY COLIN FL AN DERS • colin@sevendaysvt.com

at Mooney had been warned against reading the automated email containing her husband’s latest scan results before his oncologist looked them over. But how could she not? It had been a year since her husband was diagnosed with bone cancer — and after a major surgery, a lifetime dose of chemotherapy and one clean scan, they hoped he was in the clear. So when a message from the University of Vermont Medical Center arrived on October 26, she opened it. There was little room for misinterpretation: “highly concerning for recurrence.” “It was like a punch to the gut,” she told Seven Days last week. Mooney was told that a second set of scans on October 30 would help confirm whether the cancer had returned. But two days before that appointment, a cyberattack struck the UVM Medical Center’s server, crippling many of its computer systems, including the one needed to perform her husband’s scans. Mooney said the couple repeatedly called the hospital to figure out next steps but were met with “radio silence.” “Last time, [his cancer] grew up to three inches in a matter of months,” Mooney said last week. “If it’s growing right now, we don’t know.” The Orleans County couple are among an untold number of families whose care plans have been upended since October 28 as the UVM Health Network races to counter the cyberattack. Though the hackers targeted the UVM Medical Center in Burlington, the damage rippled through most of the five other network hospitals in Vermont and northeastern New York. As of Tuesday, some offices were still depending on pencil and paper to carry out many tasks. Many appointments have been postponed indefinitely while a key electronic medical records system remains off-line, effectively locking up vital patient information in a digital prison. For days, hospital administrators said their care providers were coping well with the situation. They stressed that all six hospitals were open for most procedures

HEALTH

— such as operations, baby deliveries and emergency treatment — and said patient care remained largely unaffected. “We have been caring for people without issue,” Dr. Stephen Leffler, president and chief operating officer of the UVM Medical Center, said on Vermont Public Radio last week. But some patients have told Seven Days that the shutdown has affected their lives in personal and upsetting ways. Some recalled the frustration of arriving for a long-awaited test only to learn it was postponed. Others detailed agonizing waits to resume cancer treatments or receive test results. All understood that the attack was out of the medical staff’s hands. But they felt the network had downplayed the disruptions and failed to communicate adequately with patients. “They just left people completely stranded,” Mooney said. Although it has been two weeks since the cyberattack, the public knows little about the nature of the malware used — or whether it was part of a coordinated strike on hospitals around the country. Cybersecurity experts have said Russian criminals were perpetrating similar attacks, using ransomware to hold health care data and systems hostage. But UVM Health Network officials have deferred all questions about the nature of the attack to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, which has, in turn, disclosed nothing about the suspected perpetrators or what they are after. Even when the flow of information seemed to loosen, the network quickly tightened the valve. During his VPR interview last week, Leffler said the FBI was calling the attack “ransomware,” the first such confirmation. A hospital spokesperson later said that Leffler “misspoke.” This lack of clarity is common at early stages of cyberattacks, according to Henry Collier, a Norwich University professor who specializes in cybersecurity. “They may not have the full details yet,” he said last week. “It’s entirely possible that over the course of the next several days, as they continue to … dig into what’s going on, that they identify exactly what the attack was.” Collier commended the network for immediately disclosing the problem instead COLLATERAL DAMAGE

» P.20

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news ‘Torn Apart’ « P.12 against the backdrop of a deeply divisive election, a national reckoning with racism and a resurging pandemic, the stakes, even in Johnson, population 3,655, have begun to feel existential. “We refuse to normalize what’s happening right now,” said Cal. That moral urgency, and the Trumpismfueled erosion of a sense of shared reality, has created a sharp feeling of dissonance beyond the political. “Before this year, this was the kind of rural Vermont community that I’ve always known,” said town administrator Brian Story, who moved to Johnson from Bellows Falls in 2016. “There are a lot of progressives here, but there are also a lot of conservative folks, a lot of farmers who have been here for generations. It’s a diverse place, but there was a pretty strong sense of unity, until 2020. I’d say that things have gotten a lot more heated.” Selectboard meetings, once permitand-gravel affairs, have become forums on the town’s duty to condemn racism. Kyle Nuse, a selectboard member since 2015, said that, when she started, social justice issues were almost never on the agenda. “Be-Longing for Justice has been instrumental in bringing these topics in front of the board, and that’s been pushing up against preconceived notions of what a selectboard is supposed to do,” she said. “There are certain members who think our only job is to talk about roads and municipal infrastructure. This group is basically saying, ‘Hey, you’re a governing board — you also need to take care of your people in this way.’” Nuse, 41, regularly stands with the protesters on Tuesday afternoons. She and her husband, Michael Mahnke, run a fine art supply store and gallery in a slate-gray Victorian next to the village green; when the protests began, she offered up their garage as storage for the demonstrators’ signs. Nuse grew up in Johnson with three adopted siblings from China and South Korea — “the only diversity in town,” as she put it. On the school bus each morning, she said, some kids wouldn’t budge to share their seats; others would taunt them with racial slurs. In the classroom, teachers were often condescending. “I saw firsthand the effect of racism on them, and that really shaped me and steered me to where I am today,” she said. In late 2018, members of Be-Longing for Justice drafted an inclusivity statement for the town, which included the sentence: “We reject racism, bigotry, discrimination, violence and hatred in all its forms.” The selectboard voted to adopt the language; in response, 125 Johnson residents signed a petition to remove that line. According to Story, the town administrator, the petitioners objected, 16

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Johnson Selectboard member Kyle Nuse

specifically, to the phrase “We reject.” “They found it too harsh and exclusivesounding for an inclusivity statement,” he said. The following March, on Town Meeting Day, the sentence became the subject of a 90-minute discussion. Nuse said she listened, flabbergasted, as some of the same teachers and school administrators who failed to stand up for her siblings objected to the idea that racism, bigotry and discrimination had to be rejected by a formal declaration. “They were getting up there and saying, ‘There’s no racism in this community! We’re a friendly place!’” Nuse said. “There’s this deep denial and exceptionalism here.” In the end, the town voted to preserve the line. In mid-June, as calls for racial justice resounded across the country, Be-Longing for Justice proposed that the town fly a Black Lives Matter flag in front of the Johnson municipal building, next door to the firehouse. When the fire department got wind of the proposal, chief Arjay West emailed Johnson’s Village Board of Trustees, which has jurisdiction over the building’s grounds. Village manager Meredith Dolan read West’s email to the trustees at the board’s July meeting. West himself did not attend. “Display of any political symbols outside the firehouse must not happen,” West wrote. “That would immediately

result in an unsafe environment for our firefighters by exposing them to criticism, anger, or aggression from citizens with opposite beliefs.” The mere prospect had already sown discord within the department, he added, insinuating that some members would walk if the flag went up. An intensely granular discussion ensued. By some quirk of surveying, Dolan said, the flagpoles in front of the municipal building turned out to be on the fire department’s parcel, which seemed to resolve the question of whether the fire department should get a say in the proposal. After some deliberation, the trustees landed on replacing every third American flag on Main Street with a Black Lives Matter flag. The town’s attorney subsequently advised them that the flags would run afoul of state billboard regulations, so at the next meeting, in August, the trustees voted again to fly the flag at the municipal building. The motion passed by a 3-2 vote. The day after that meeting, Will Jennison, a member of the fire department, made an unannounced visit to the home of Jena Gould-Hopkins, one of the trustees who had voted in favor of the flag motion. GouldHopkins, who declined to be interviewed for this story, described the incident in a letter to the trustees. “This individual told me that staff will leave ‘as soon as that flag goes up,’” she wrote. “He ... told me that

I disrespected the fire department, and that I needed to think about that. He also said there could always be a special meeting called to ‘fix’ this.” She did not name Jennison in the letter. At the next trustee meeting, in September, Gould-Hopkins resigned. Almost in tears, she said that it had been made “abundantly clear to her” that “there are

WE’RE STILL A COMMUNITY.

WE’RE STILL GOING TO SEE EACH OTHER IN THE GROCERY STORE. KYLE NUSE

people in this town who do not believe equity should be applied to everyone, and everyone should have the same privileges.” In October, Jennison, who had previously served as a trustee, was appointed to her seat; in that same meeting, he acknowledged that he had gone to Gould-Hopkins’ house. During another meeting the following week, Rick Aupperlee, an organizer with Be-Longing for Justice, asked if the trustees had read Gould-Hopkins’ letter before appointing Jennison; the trustees acknowledged that they had.

“Will is a man of 250 pounds, and Jena is a petite woman,” Aupperlee said. “It’s a ‘power over’ dynamic when he shows up at her house.” Jennison promptly moved to adjourn. “My intention was never to make her quit,” Jennison told Seven Days. “I’ve known Jena for a couple of decades. She rented from me for a number of years, and her kids and my kids play soccer together. I wanted to advise her, as a former trustee and a friend. I felt that she didn’t have all the facts in place before she voted.” He added that he viewed the debate around the Black Lives Matter flag as a needless proxy battle: “I don’t think we’re trying to resolve an issue that actually exists here,” he said. “It’s a national stage, a political stage. Nobody I know wouldn’t rally behind someone who was being targeted because of race, or gender, or anything like that.” Jackie and Cal have struggled to understand Jennison’s behavior toward Gould-Hopkins. “Will is a beloved member of the town,” said Jackie. “Our kids grew up together, and he’s really dedicated to the fire department. I have a lot of respect for him.” Being in conflict with people she’s known for decades, even when she believes that she’s fighting for something good, has been emotionally exhausting. “I love this town,” Jackie said. “I keep telling myself that, because I need to remind myself that this is an amazing community, and it’s worth fighting for. We can do this together. We can have difficult conversations and come out stronger for it.” Her husband agreed. “People like to talk about Johnson as a family,” said Cal, “but there’s nothing wrong with exposing dysfunction in a family.” On the final Tuesday before Election Day, a crew poured the concrete base for a new flagpole on the village green, paid for with funds from the canceled Johnson Jubilee Christmas pageant. The trustees had deemed this placement more cost-effective and politically agreeable, though it didn’t exactly satisfy the spirit of Be-Longing for Justice’s original request for a bold municipal statement. “The trustees told us one day, ‘Every other flag pole up and down Main Street,’ and all of a sudden, we’re getting this,” said Aupperlee, exasperated. That afternoon, several dozen protesters congregated on the sidewalk, peaceably displaying their banners; Nuse was there, too, holding a cardboard sign that read “Power to the People.” Next door to Nuse’s art supply store, with its Black Lives Matter sign in the front bay window, is the office of a property management company, whose owners, Richard and Nicole Whittemore,

are Trump supporters. A handwritten sign on their porch, new since the previous Tuesday, read “Welcome to Portland.” In the months leading up to the election, the Whittemores organized proTrump rallies on the village green on Mondays. Nuse said these were usually attended by 15 to 20 people — unmasked, she clarified, in contrast with the Be-Longing for Justice demonstrators — who waved Trump-Pence 2020 signs and American flags. Mike Dunham, one of Nuse’s fellow selectboard members, often stood with them. “It was pretty friendly for a while,” Nuse said. “They’d wave at us when they walked by our protest, and we’d wave at them if we passed theirs.” But recently, the vibe changed. The groups no longer exchange pleasantries; at one point, Nuse said, a proTrump demonstrator walked down the row of Be-Longing for Justice protesters, silently filming them on his phone. According to Richard Whittemore, who drives a vintage convertible plastered with Trump and pro-Second Amendment decals, the relations have chilled because college students from nearby Northern Vermont UniversityJohnson keep stealing his lawn signs. His Trump-Pence campaign sign and a pro-law enforcement “thin blue line” flag have disappeared from his front lawn. Recently, an All Lives Matter sign vanished, then reappeared, decorated with rainbows. “I’m no psychologist, ma’am, I’m just a plumber,” — in fact, Whittemore has done plumbing for the Stantons — “and I can’t understand why anyone would do these kinds of things,” he said. “I put up that ‘Welcome to Portland’ sign because things have changed so much around here. It’s gonna get worse after this election. Normal people are going to be killing each other over little shit. I think you need law and order and that if you do something wrong, there should be consequences. “I’m just a good old American that has worked seven days a week all his life. This town is torn apart.” He said he and Nicole plan to move to South Carolina as soon as possible. “This feels so personal for some people,” said Nuse. “People keep saying we’re being divisive, and it’s the systemic racism that’s divisive, not the conversations about it. “They view Be-Longing for Justice as pushing us apart, and they counter with, ‘We need to be nice.’ It’s like they’re more upset about the calling out of the thing than the actual thing,” Nuse continued. “We’re still a community. We’re still going to see each other in the grocery store. But this is really hard.” m

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news TOWN MEETING DAY

Post-It Votes Mail-in voting in Vermont may be here to stay B Y KEVIN MC C AL L UM • kevin@sevendaysvt.com

ELECTIONS

B Y CO U RT N E Y L AM D I N courtney@sevendaysvt.com

The Vermont Progressive Party announced on Monday night that City Councilors Max Tracy (P-Ward 2) and Brian Pine (P-Ward 3) both intend to run for mayor of Burlington. Democratic Mayor Miro Weinberger announced on Tuesday morning that he’s running, too. Councilor Ali Dieng (I-Ward 7) confirmed on Tuesday that he is considering a run, as well. And Patrick White, a South End resident, told Seven Days last week that he intends to run as an independent. Other candidates may yet emerge before the March election. Weinberger, who is finishing up his third three-year term, wrote in an email to supporters that “serving as mayor has been the honor of my life.” “Together, we have accomplished so much over the last nine years,” his statement said, citing such accomplishments as the recently completed refurbishment of City Hall Park. “I will always be deeply grateful for your support and belief in my ability to work with our community to move Burlington forward.” Weinberger emerged victorious in a three-way mayoral race in 2018. But the intervening years have been tumultuous. While he’s earned high marks for stewarding the city through the coronavirus pandemic, Weinberger has been criticized for his handling of allegations of police violence and a scandal that led his former police chief and a deputy chief to resign. Racial justice protesters have also taken aim at the mayor, marching to his house for “die-ins” and urging more action on police violence and other anti-racism measures. “Burlington is ready for new leadership and a new direction from City Hall,” Progressive Party executive director Josh Wronski said in a press release on Monday announcing the candidacies. Both parties will caucus virtually: The Progs on December 1, the Dems on December 6. To date, no other Democratic candidates have emerged. Four city council district seats will also be on the ballot in March. Franklin Paulino (D-North District) is not seeking reelection, prompting two New North End residents to declare their candidacies for his seat. Kerin Durfee will seek the Democratic nomination, while Mark Barlow is running as an independent. Kienan Christianson, who lost the North District race to Paulino in 2018, said he’s “strongly considering” another run. m

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Voting in-person in South Burlington last summer

epublican leaders who earlier questioned Vermont’s pandemicdriven mail-in balloting experiment expressed newfound comfort this week with a system that some say helped them gain ground. The predicted blue wave failed to wash ashore in Vermont on November 3; instead, GOP candidates picked up a seat in the Senate and three in the House, including the Democratic speaker’s. “Republicans don’t have to be afraid that it’s an obvious giveaway to the Democrats, because we benefited from it more than they did this year,” said Paul Dame, the Vermont GOP’s political director. To lessen the need for possibly risky in-person voting, Democratic Secretary of State Jim Condos had a ballot mailed this fall to every active registered voter in Vermont. Preelection, Republicans complained about the change; the party’s softer stance postelection suggests the pandemic experiment could become permanent. Senate Minority Leader Joe Benning (R-Caledonia) is convinced those mailed ballots bolstered his victory. “I got more votes than I have for a long time in this race,” Benning said. During the 2016 presidential election, Benning finished 1,472 votes behind his

longtime seatmate, Sen. Jane Kitchel (D-Caledonia). This year he narrowed the gap to just 228 votes. He also received 2,715 votes more than the other Democrat in the race, Matthew Choate, a former senator whom Benning had considered a serious challenger. Rural residents who might not have voted in person likely embraced the voteby-mail option, he said. Sen. Corey Parent (R-Franklin) agreed, saying he suspected the mail-in ballot option played a role in the apparent 18-vote defeat of House Speaker Mitzi Johnson (D-South Hero), whose district includes rural towns in northwestern Vermont that saw a surge in turnout. “I think mail-in voting helped Republicans in Vermont, because at the end of the day, it gave some of these rural [voters] their ballots on their table and they filled them out,” Parent said. Blue-collar workers and rural residents, two groups that can skew Republican, sometimes don’t bother heading to the polls. “They get home, it’s 6:15 p.m. They’re exhausted,” Dame said. “Maybe they’ve worked a double shift, and they’re just like, ‘Yeah, forget about it.’” The election results surprised many in the state’s GOP.

“The supposition at the beginning of this — even Trump was saying it — was that mail-in ballots were going to benefit the Democrats,” Benning said. “That was a widespread belief in Vermont.” Benning had questioned the system but now supports vote-by-mail. Gov. Phil Scott appears to be coming around, as well. Scott raised multiple objections to universal mail-in balloting before the Democrat-controlled legislature stripped him of a say in the matter and gave Condos sole authority to decide election rules this year. Early in the pandemic, Scott extolled in-person voting as a cherished Vermont tradition and said he hoped the state could return to normal by November. At a press conference last week, he said he needed to “reflect” on the future of mailed ballots and believed the pandemic might require their use for local elections in March. “We’ve had very low voter turnout for Town Meeting, and this may be a way to bolster that,” he said. VTGOP chair Deb Billado is a vocal supporter of outgoing President Donald Trump and had echoed the president’s unsubstantiated claims that mail-in balloting would lead to fraud. She authored a piece in the party’s May newsletter that used the word “fraud”

FILE: JAMES BUCK

Crowded Field Is Emerging in Burlington Mayoral Race

no fewer than eight times. In “Condos’ Mail-in-Voting Scheme: A Recipe for Voter Fraud,” Billado argued that because the state’s races are sometimes very close, “there is no room for any fraud!” She branded mail-in balloting “clearly a power-play by the Vermont Democratic Party to boost their vote counts” and an “unnecessary procedure that has great potential for voter fraud.” Asked this week whether the Republican victories in Vermont had been tainted by voter fraud, she walked back her previous position. “I never had high fears of fraud,” she contended in an email to Seven Days. “The gains we made are most likely attributed to good candidates who worked really hard.” Condos stressed that studies have shown mail-in balloting increases voter participation but does not favor one particular party. “Vote-by-mail should not be a partisan issue,” he said. His job is to help Vermonters vote regardless of affiliation, he said, and by that measure, mail-in voting clearly was a success. This year’s historic 372,366 ballots cast smashed the previous turnout record of 326,822 set in 2008. Condos said he understands that

people have legitimate concerns about the mail-in-balloting process. This includes questions about election security, dropbox locations, defective ballots and the $3 million cost. “Sometimes, when you try something new, there is fear of the unknown,” he said. “People are leery of something that they

I THINK MAIL-IN VOTING

HELPED REPUBLICANS IN VERMONT. S E N. C O R E Y PAR E NT

haven’t done before, [but] sometimes you have to kind of go through the process to prove that it works.” The planning by his small elections team was “spot-on” overall, he said, and with the help of town clerks, Vermont experienced a “successful, smoothrunning Election Day.” Some town clerks are still not convinced that the state should take such a robust role in elections. Dorset Town Clerk Sandra Pinsonault said the Secretary of State’s Office should

have printed up the ballots and envelopes, sent them to clerks, and let clerks mail them to voters instead of centralizing the process. That created a confusing “disconnect” between clerks and voters, some of whom had no interest in mail-in voting. “Ninety percent of people who came in to vote threw their mail-in ballots away,” Pinsonault said, calling that a waste of money. “They like coming to the polls.” Other clerks hailed the system — especially the decision to allow clerks to process ballots beforehand — for helping election night go more smoothly than it might have otherwise. “I just think the numbers speak for themselves,” Stowe Town Clerk Lisa Walker said. “The turnout really proved that this worked.” Once results are certified, state elections officials plan to have a detailed debriefing in December to gather feedback from clerks, Condos said. It’s not up to him whether the state holds future elections by mail and, if so, how to pay for them. Federal coronavirus aid picked up the tab this year, but the state would have to foot the bill in the future, he said. Dame said funding the system in the future “may be a tough sell” in the tight

budget years ahead, but he thinks the switch — with some improvements to ensure it’s done properly — is “the right thing to do,” given the boost to voter turnout. Sen. Jeanette White (D-Windham), chair of the Senate Government Operations Committee, said she and her colleagues must examine the role of vote-by-mail in driving higher turnout, as well as any problems that arose, before extending the system to future elections. “Personally, I think it’s something that we should seriously consider keeping in place,” she said. Paul Burns, executive director of the Vermont Public Interest Research Group, advocated for the switch to mail-in balloting and hopes it’s here to stay. Even after the pandemic, people will likely demand the convenience of mail-in voting, regardless of which party believes it benefited, Burns said. While he enjoys the sense of shared civic duty that comes with voting in person, he doesn’t see how the state can backtrack now. “We had 40,000 more people vote in this election than in any other election in history,” Burns said. “How do you then say, ‘No, turns out we’re going to make it a little bit harder for you next time?’” m

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news of hiding it, as some major institutions have done. Officials say the health group’s information technology team acted swiftly, shutting down computer systems to prevent the malware from spreading. The network must now sift through thousands of devices to determine whether they were infected. A digital team from the Vermont Army National Guard has been deployed to aid those efforts. No one knows when the systems will be fully restored. As recovery efforts unfold, officials have struggled to articulate the full extent of the shutdown. Some of that difficulty stems from the network’s size. The hospital group has grown rapidly over the last decade. It includes dozens of doctors’ offices and outpatient clinics, as well as the six hospitals, and employs a combined 3,000 physicians, nurses and other clinicians. But there also has been a strategic effort to keep some information under wraps, at least while the investigation is ongoing. In his VPR interview last week, Leffler was asked to describe what systems the UVM Medical Center was able to preserve from the attack. “We’re being quiet about that,” he said. “But what I can tell you is that ... we are working our way through this problem.” What’s clear is that the attack and response efforts have affected the affiliates differently, and the worst disruptions have impacted hospitals that run a new medical records system called Epic. The $150 million system has been rolled out in waves across the network and is now used in outpatient settings at four hospitals: Central Vermont Medical Center in Berlin, Porter Medical Center in Middlebury, Champlain Valley Physicians Hospital in Plattsburgh, N.Y., and the UVM Medical Center. IT staffers took Epic off-line as soon the attack hit. Since then, all four hospitals have been unable to access outpatient clinical medical records. The UVM Medical Center, the network’s flagship hospital, also uses Epic for inpatients, deepening the disruption. And because the attack originated on the Burlington hospital’s server, even departments that don’t run off Epic have had issues. Perhaps the patients most affected have been those who receive cancer care at the UVM Medical Center. The attack has greatly limited the hospital’s capacity to administer chemotherapy. Many treatments were canceled in the initial days of the shutdown. More than a week later, the hospital could only provide the crucial therapy to about 15 patients daily, rather than as many as 60 in normal circumstances. Radiation treatments — which run on computer-based systems — were interrupted and did not resume until last Friday. The hospital hopes to quickly expand its capacity to address the backlog 20

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

SEAN METCALF

Collateral Damage « P.15

of those awaiting treatment, but there’s no clear timeline yet. The hospital group finally acknowledged the impact on cancer treatments last Friday, nine days into recovery efforts, saying that it “deeply apologize[d] for any distress this may have caused.” By then, some patients had lacked answers about their care for more than a week. Carol McDowell, a 63-year-old South Burlington resident battling stage IV gastric cancer, had her biweekly chemo appointment canceled on November 2. She spent the next two days trying to reach someone at the hospital who could explain her options. “I could go three weeks [without chemo] and probably be OK,” she said at the time. “But I don’t know, because I can’t ask anybody if this is going to affect my treatment.” McDowell eventually dropped off a handwritten note at the cancer center asking for guidance. A nurse called later that day and said McDowell’s oncologist had affirmed that the delay would not set her treatment back. The answer brought some relief, and McDowell is tentatively optimistic she may get in this week. But there is no guarantee. “It’s just the frustration of no communication,” she said. “You don’t know if it’s going to be a week or a month. You don’t know.” Other patients who were seeking diagnostic tests at the Fanny Allen Campus in Colchester shared similar complaints. Foresta Castañeda, 40, called four different

numbers to check the status of her November 2 test at the UVM Medical Center’s urgent care site. She didn’t reach anyone, but hospital officials had said for days that most appointments were still on, so Castañeda drove the 40 minutes from Monkton. She arrived only to learn that her appointment had been canceled. Staff apologized, explaining that they were unable to find her phone number to let her know. Her test has not been rescheduled. Neither has a stress test that Castañeda’s husband had scheduled for the day of the cyberattack. Sean McCaffrey, 37, received a call an hour before his appointment to inform him that Fanny Allen’s computers were down. He was told he would get a new appointment date in a day or two. When he called five days later, he was told all cardiology tests had been postponed indefinitely. “I’m concerned about my health, and I want to get it checked out, but I don’t have any options right now,” he said. While he empathized with frontline workers, McCaffrey said the hospital should be doing more to inform patients regarding which departments are off-line. “Patients are really getting shafted here,” he said. The hospital says patients who are struggling to reach specific providers or clinics should call a central number: 847-8888. Those with “nonurgent” matters are encouraged to wait until the hospital is back up to full speed, while patients needing cancer

care have been asked to call to confirm their appointments. As for Mooney, she and her husband were advised on November 4 that it would be best to schedule his remaining bone scans at another facility. By then, they had made an appointment at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, where her husband had surgery last year. On Monday, they made the 220-mile drive south. Mooney, unable to join her husband during his four hours of scans, walked down to the city’s waterfront and waited for news. When it finally came, there was cause for relief: Her husband’s doctors determined the cancer had not spread. In fact, they were not convinced that it had even returned and suspected that what appeared to be a malignancy on the initial MRI may actually have been signs of bone recovering from his previous surgery. “I don’t want to get my hopes up too high, because I do not want to get crushed,” Mooney said. “But I’m cautiously optimistic.” The Boston doctors want to compare her husband’s concerning MRI from the UVM Medical Center with a previous one to confirm the theory. The Mooneys will wait a few days to see if the Burlington hospital makes any progress in restoring systems so that the scan can be sent over. If not, Mooney said, they will return to Boston and have another MRI done — whatever it takes to find answers. m

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Making a Holiday Shopping List? CHECK IT TWICE — FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO GIFT LOCAL! I like to keep my money local and keep people employed here in Vermont! Tammy Santamore

As a travel nurse working at UVMMC right up until the holidays, I’m delighted to start my holiday shopping early this year so that I have a haul of great local gifts to bring to my family and friends back home. I’ve found so many unique and incredible local vendors during my past few months in Burlington. I take pride in “shopping small” and knowing that I’m supporting so many amazing local businesses and their families during these trying times!

I can find a unique and thoughtful gift for my loved ones while supporting a local business. Definitely makes you feel good. Brittany Willette

Katie Eisenhauer

Shop smart and shop small —your choices will impact us all. Vermont merchants have faced many challenges this year and need your support — especially this holiday season. Visit shoptheregister.com for all the info on shopkeepers who are selling their products online for local delivery or curbside pickup. Browse by categories ranging from jewelry to electronics, outdoor gear to apparel. Remember, when you buy a gift locally, the recipient isn’t the only one who benefits. The entire community does!

ThE ReGiStEr Is GeNeRoUsLy SuPpOrTeD By: 22

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Check out the Seven Days Holiday Gift Guide for a curated roundup of local gift ideas for your friends and family. [COMING NOVEMBER 18]

WEEK IN REVIEW

FEED back «

I will surely appreciate the new park in my own way. Charlie Messing

P.7

‘NURSES ROCK’

[Re “Resident Racist,” October 21]: Six or so years ago, my mother, who was wheelchair bound, was using Home Instead caregivers — all colors. My stepfather told Home Instead to replace the Black woman caring for mom and not to send any more Black people. The owner of the company told the Roman Catholic racist: “No dice.” If the woman were to leave, Home Instead would no longer care for my mom. At the time, she needed between two and four people a day. My stepfather reluctantly accepted reality. Mom eventually went back to Starr Farm, and I met so many wonderful Black and white traveling nurses — angels they are. Please stop the hate and racism. It’s 2020, and we can do better. Nurses rock. Mark Szymanski

NORTH FERRISBURGH

PARK PROMOTION?

I read “10 Reasons to Love Burlington’s City Hall Park” in the October 28 issue, and it was very interesting — nice attention to detail. It’s interesting to hear the new fountain described as “the polar opposite” of the old fountain, though the piece has many well-crafted points and must have taken quite a while to assemble. Though the city wants us to feel that “this is everyone’s park,” I’m one of the people who thought improving the lighting, keeping more trees and fixing the grass would keep the old design serviceable for years to come. Since I’m older, I empathized with the trees. (Who is to deny us our last 10 years?) But that’s fine — if most people are happy with the park, may they truly “activate” it. The piece, covering two full pages, looked like an article. In the lower corner it reads: “This article was commissioned and paid for by Pomerleau Real Estate.” David Foster Wallace told of a testimonial pamphlet tucked within a cruise liner brochure. In it, a famous author told of his own ecstatic experiences — but he was actually hired by the company to write the essay. An essay is written for an audience, whereas an ad tries to sell something to us. This one is written by people who designed and backed the new design. If it was written by anyone other than the Seven Days staff, it is an ad.

BURLINGTON

Editor’s note: The piece was an advertisement paid for by Pomerleau Real Estate, as indicated by the disclaimer Messing cites. Seven Days staff writers are not involved in the production of paid content. All paid content is clearly labeled as such in the paper, on our website, in email newsletters and on Seven Days’ social media channels.

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[Re “Pipe Down,” October 7]: I have been a lifelong skater. Skating has led me to the most beautiful liminal space in the Champlain Valley. Skating showed me the truth about what it means to live on the fringes of society. It also led me to the sport of luge, in which I became a national champion, a top-five World Cup competitor and an Olympian. I was one of four skaters on the team at that time — which also included Duncan Kennedy, who was vilified by mainstream media in 1988 for being a skater and celebrated as a hero at the same time in Thrasher magazine. Skaters know the geography of space and place at its most fundamental level. We interact with it physically, shaping it as it shapes us. This understanding inevitably leads to a pluralistic worldview that is equal parts self-reliance and democratic idealism. It is expressed in the professions we seek, the art we create, the spaces we build. While our experience may lead us into the mainstream, we retain our fringe ethos for life. The idea that the fringe can find another place, whether they are skaters, the impoverished, or minorities in the Maple and King streets area, points to the classism and elitist attitudes that have poisoned our governments at the national as well as local level. Burlington ought to save its fringe before this place becomes another cookiecutter condo community run by corporate developers instead of the true people that make the culture of space and place. Larry Dolan

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arts news

Less Shade, More Light Controversy aside, Burlington’s new City Hall Park is well designed and welcoming B Y AMY LI LLY • lilly@sevendaysvt.com LUKE AWTRY

ARCHITECTURE

From left: Keith Wagner, Jeff Hodgson and Amy Houghton

hen landscape architect JEFF HODGSON lived in downtown Burlington, he used to walk through City Hall Park after the bars had closed for the night and see the central fountain — a granite horse trough dating back to 1905 — being put to several unintended uses. He knew that the water was only filtered, not chlorinated. “The next morning at the farmers market, there would be kids playing in it. Those kids must have some good immune systems now,” Hodgson recalled wryly while giving Seven Days a tour of the newly renovated park. A partner at WAGNER HODGSON LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTURE , Hodgson led the park’s nearly 10-year redesign with colleagues AMY HOUGHTON and H. KEITH WAGNER. The park reopened to the public on October 16. Standing beside the water feature that replaced the fountain, with jets and colored lights whose sequences can be set 24

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

remotely, Hodgson noted that its recirculating water is not just highly filtered and chlorinated but UV-sanitized. It is also the state’s first fully accessible outdoor fountain. The new park is a highly engineered set of solutions — above-ground and below — to problems like the one the fountain once posed. While the old park was a shady haven on a hot day, it had little else to encourage lingering. The narrow paths, heavy foot traffic and almost complete shade ensured that much of it was dirt by late summer, even as the city spent thousands on turf restoration every year. That dirt formed swaths of mud on downhill sidewalks after every storm. Many of the park’s trees were dying of girdled roots, choked by the compacted soils. And they were all around the mature age of 30 to 40 years, making them vulnerable to ice storms. The fountain sat in a large, empty and

crumbling concrete basin surrounded by non-ADA-compatible radial paths that forced pedestrians to go around it. Hodgson, whose company is one of only two in Vermont to have won national design awards from the American Society of Landscape Architects, sums up the old park as “a bit stark.” Visitors to the new park will find less shade, a more open space with better sight lines and twice as much seating, as well as several performance spaces. The redesign brings a modern touch to the heart of downtown Burlington while retaining what the state’s preservation experts determined to be the park’s historic characteristics: a central water feature and gathering place, radial paths, and a vertical element. Wide paths of various materials and colors — permeable brick pavers, tan concrete, granite cobbles and more — intersect at a central ellipse formed by a

low granite sitting wall. One slice of that ellipse contains the splash fountain jets, which were offset from center so that the downhill path could be lengthened and its grade reduced. New, young trees set in grates in the hardscape contrast with the large-canopied trees retained along the western, southern and northern sides of the park. One hopes the lush new lawn will better survive foot traffic. A bathroom and trilevel drinking fountain — the lowest spout at dog level — are located in suitably exposed parts of the hardscape. Benches made from thermally modified ash line the paths. While these are bolted in, the colorful metal folding chairs and tables can be moved anywhere in the park — which will come in handy when the summer sun bakes the sizable hardscaped area. Large rain gardens, in the form of two basins and a stepped linear garden along Main Street, have solved the stormwater runoff problem. They are planted with shrubs and perennials, some still flowering in November. Another low sitting wall shores up the linear garden. Breaks in the wall reveal precast concrete stepping stones leading to the lawn — the kind of feature that might show up in an architecture magazine. The southeast corner holds a paved rectangular performance space outfitted underground with electricity, data and tent tie-downs; from it, performers can face a small audience on the steps of Burlington City Hall or a larger one on the lawn. It’s one of four such event spaces, the other three being the fountain space, also fully wired; the Firehouse Plaza in front of the BCA Center; and the wired College Street Terrace adjacent to the Whiskey Room. Still to come is the park’s new “vertical element.” One slice of the ellipse has been outfitted with a reinforced base that will hold a sculpture. Burlington City Arts executive director Doreen Kraft said it’s likely to be a tribute to Paul Bruhn, late founder of the Preservation Trust of Vermont.

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Art and functionality combine in the granite-cobble runnel that slows stormwater on its way to the corner rain garden. Also an artwork by Kat Clear and Tessa O’Brien called “Watersheds to the Lake,” it features 120 Champlain marble discs bearing names of the tributaries to Lake Champlain. Each has a thread of gold paint — a reference to the Japanese art of kintsugi, or the mending of broken pottery with precious metals. Mending is an apt metaphor, not just for the park’s stormwater remediation efforts but for its very completion. City Hall Park’s transformation began benignly in 2011, when BCA won a new National Endowment for the Arts grant to engage the community in reimagining it. But when the park became part of the city’s Great Streets Initiative in 2016, and actual budgets emerged, many community members objected to what they saw as drastic revisions of a beloved space. Critics formed the group Keep the Park Green in an effort to preserve healthy trees, some of which were slated for removal. The group also advocated for limiting costly renovations to soil remediation and retaining what they saw as the park’s historical character. Tension at public-input meetings ran high, a lawsuit was filed, and misinformation and smears on social media targeted Wagner Hodgson and city arborist V.J. Comai.

“There’s just a deep passion in Burlington about the public realm,” Hodgson noted. Donna Walters, a spokesperson for Keep the Park Green, put it more plainly during a phone call: “It was a pretty divisive project.” Despite those divisions, her group ended up having a significant impact on the park’s tree cover. Its efforts spared the park’s oldest tree, a 40-year-old silver maple now prominently solo in the largest expanse of grass. The St. Paul Street stormwater garden was relocated to accommodate another large silver maple, according to Comai. Walters estimated that a dozen trees were saved from the ax, including several crab apple trees near city hall. Neither side is entirely pleased with the results. “They made it into a plaza; we wanted a park,” Walters said, adding, “Because of the nature of the water feature, there will be a lot of kids running through screaming.” Looking up at the trees, Hodgson opined, “In 20 years, there will be too much shade again” for growing grass. Comai, a University of Vermont graduate in community forestry and horticulture with nearly 30 years’ experience, thinks

in even longer terms: “If you’re looking 50 years down the road, [the trees] will be crowding each other out.” Other concerns have cropped up since the park was built. The Main Street sitting wall, a skateboarder’s dream, already bears the streaks and pocks of multiple attempts. The benches and stone surfaces have an anti-graffiti coating that can be powersprayed off if tagged, but the expensive product will then need to be reapplied. The rain gardens appear to need lots of maintenance, given the number of plantings and their tendency to trap garbage. Hodgson said the city will soon install metal skate stops on the walls to discourage skateboarding. As for the rain gardens, Comai said they’ll be maintained by him and his small crew, who “care about them.” Densely planted to discourage weeds, they’re “very manageable,” he said. As Hodgson pointed out, “The lowestmaintenance park would be [nothing but] lawn and trees. But the city benefits from a diversity of plantings — especially pollinator plants.” In 2019, BTV joined Bee City USA, an initiative of the nonprofit Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation that engages communities in protecting threatened bee ecology. If the city’s ultimate goal in redesigning

THE NEW PARK IS A

HIGHLY ENGINEERED SET OF SOLUTIONS.

PODCASTS COURTESY OF KAREN KEVRA

Karen Kevra

Listening to the Muse One of the first things flutist KAREN KEVRA will tell you about herself is that she had an incredible mentor: Louis Moyse, the world-renowned flute player and son of Marcel Moyse, one of the cofounders of MARLBORO MUSIC. Inspired by Moyse, Kevra founded the Montpelier chamber music series CAPITAL CITY CONCERTS. When its 20th season was cut short in March 2020, and its 21st canceled, she decided to use the time to make a podcast about musicians and other artists and their mentors. Now “Muse Mentors” can be heard on the usual array of podcatchers and the Capital City Concerts website; two episodes are available, and another is released roughly every two weeks. Kevra is a “podcast junkie,” but this is the first time she has created one. “I was listening to a lot of political podcasts,” she said, “and that just became unbearably heavy. So I created a feel-good podcast that will leave people feeling inspired.” Podcasting was also a way to reconnect with audiences and friends that didn’t involve virtual concerts. “The novelty of online concerts wore off pretty quickly for me. They make me sad,” Kevra admitted. “And who wants more screen time?” Entertaining and full of sound effects and musical snippets, each roughly 30-minute episode intersperses Kevra’s interviews with her subject with her own summaries of the backstories of both artist and mentor. As she noted, “a lot of musicians and artists have bios that are kind of dry,” until you start to talk to them. Inaugurating the lineup is Capital City Concerts pianist JEFFREY CHAPPELL, who studied with Leon Fleisher after that world-famous pianist’s career was transformed by a repetitivemotion injury to his right hand. In the podcast, Chappell says

the park was to encourage more people to use it more often, that certainly seemed to be happening on opening day, a rainy Friday under 50 degrees. Among the many visitors I passed were two deliriously happy children soaked head to toe, their parents in pursuit while stripping off and holding out their own coats. It was a far cry from the run-down park that can be glimpsed in a half-hour interview with Comai filmed by James Gero for Channel 17/Town Meeting TV on September 9, 2018. About 20 minutes in, Gero captures a public disturbance: Three police officers point guns at a shouting, shirtless white man backed up against city hall. On Saturday night of opening weekend at the new park, Zach Williamson, BCA’s festival and event director, looked down at the transformed space from the third floor of the BCA Center and saw a whole different sort of activity. “It was 9:30 or 10, and I was getting ready to turn the fountain off for the night,” he recalled. “I saw people out there playing in the fountain — adults and teenagers, or maybe college-aged — so I decided not to. I had a good time changing the colors and presets for the fountain jets and seeing how they reacted. It was fun.” m

INFO Learn more at enjoyburlington.com.

he learned from Fleisher’s wife that his mentor had been playing 18 hours a day when the focal dystonia set in. Chappell, who can trace Fleisher’s own mentors back to Ludwig van Beethoven, also speaks warmly of his first mentor, pianist Jane Allen of St. Louis, with whose family he lived for the last two years of high school. Kevra layered all sorts of sound effects into the episode, including an angelic choir in the background when Chappell mentions his time at Curtis Institute of Music, and a recording of Fleisher giving advice. She spends about 150 hours making each episode and credits her tech-savvy son — Owen Lenz, 31, who’s home for the pandemic — with helping her master Buzzsprout and a sound-clip library. In the second episode, audiences meet Armando Veve, a Philadelphia-based artist who grew up in South Burlington and studied with Kevra while playing piccolo and flute in the VERMONT YOUTH ORCHESTRA ASSOCIATION. Among the subjects of episodes still to come are ROB MERMIN, the CIRCUS SMIRKUS founder, whose mentor was mime Marcel Marceau; and Middlebury artist and saxophonist KATIE RUNDE and her mentor, realist painter Evan Wilson. Asked if she would one day make an episode about herself and Moyse, Kevra said, “Oh, way down the road.” Listeners can help support Capital City Concerts by subscribing to “Muse Mentors” on Patreon — a reminder that many musicians and artists continue to struggle financially. “But this is free,” Kevra said of the podcast. “I wanted it to have a generosity of spirit.”

A M Y L I L LY

INFO Learn more at capitalcityconcerts.org. SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

arts news

Supernatural Honesty Poet and artist Bianca Stone reflects on her grandmother’s legacy and editing The Essential Ruth Stone B Y B E NJA MI N A LESH IRE

SEVEN DAYS: Conducting an interview about poetry at this point in time feels both insane and the most sane thing to do. More sane than watching glib talking heads on TV speculate madly or doomscrolling through tweets that may be Russian funded. BIANCA STONE: Our timeless soothsayer Oscar Wilde said, “All art is quite useless” — but really, it’s the only excuse to make something useless. We need to remember this when we’re doomscrolling. I find my anxiety so intense right now that I’m desperate to dump it somewhere, to find a vessel. There is a need for it to be useful, not just rattling in a vacuum. There was a great Onion headline I saw: “Woman Hopes She Did Enough Worrying to Help Biden Campaign.” A perfect example! Uselessness made into art. We look to art to be relived from the anxiety of the useful, perhaps. We need the unuseful just as much. SD: You must have meant to say “relieved,” but I’m going to let that subliminal typo stand, if you don’t 26

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

COURTESY OF BIANCA STONE

conversation with poet BIANCA about all of the irons she has in the fire could easily fill an entire newspaper. She’s illustrating a children’s book of Gertrude Stein poems, running a community workshop, starting a letterpress imprint and the online magazine Iterant, hosting a podcast, publishing her next collection with Tin House and, of course, renovating her grandmother’s Goshen home — the RUTH STONE HOUSE, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. But the focus of Seven Days’ recent chat with Bianca was her experience editing The Essential Ruth Stone, published in September. The book compiles poems from Ruth’s 13 collections over a career that spanned half a century and won her great acclaim, including the 2002 National Book Award and two Guggenheim Fellowships. After Ruth died in 2011, Bianca moved back to Vermont to repair and preserve her grandmother’s home through the RUTH STONE FOUNDATION. Since then, she’s made waves as a poet herself, publishing several lauded collections and spearheading poetry comics as a genre. Bianca Stone spoke about the restorative and rebellious power of writing verse, her grandmother’s “dry wit,” and next steps for the Ruth Stone House. STONE

BOOKS

Bianca Stone

mind: art as reanimator. Still, part of me finds it difficult to write about poetry at all right now. I wonder if we should just let ourselves talk about whatever burrows its way into the conversation. Maybe it’s Ruth’s use of internal rhyme, and maybe it’s whether you believe America has ever been a democracy. BS: I couldn’t agree more. I’m reading Harold Bloom now, which seems abhorrent and antithetical to everything going on in the world; his lamentation of the Western canon chafes a bit. However, I think what draws me in is my sudden need to revisit the classics (particularly Dante and Milton), which is to revisit the eternal issue of suffering. Ruth Stone was someone steeped in what Bloom called “the art of memory.” She was melding history and metaphysics in her writing. She was (ironically) sincere in her irreverence towards sincerity — which you can see in such lines as the opening to “The Excuse”: “Do they write poems when they have something to say, / Something to think about, / Rubbed from the world’s hard rubbing in the excess of every day?” She pulls apart emotion like unweaving a basket. It’s horrifying and amazing to witness in a poem. What I wanted to expose in this collection was her almost violent dry wit, that supernatural honesty. That was her way in to grief and suffering. SD: That courage to go toward pain, toward anxiety, is something I admire so much about her work. BS: With the climate crisis, plague, police

murder, domestic terrorism — we’re in a state of anxiety about mortality. Ruth Stone was someone who conversed openly with the dyad of mortality and immortality. I love the ending of her poem “Being Human”: “I do not doubt all things are possible / Even that wildest hope that we may meet beyond the grave.” She was deeply concerned with the universe: She was a lyrical physicist, an aesthetic astronomer. SD: Yes, and such a strong concern for mortality/immortality has a link to ethics; each of those nouns is just one crucifix away from being spelled “morality/immorality.” BS: This nail-biting election, with all the votes being scrupulously counted, reminded me so much of the Bush/Gore election days, which Ruth was insane about. I could distinctly hear her voice saying, “They stole the election!” She went around with an invitation from Laura Bush to the White House (that she didn’t go to) in her pocketbook. Every time she got pulled over by a cop, she would scream: “I’m a full professor of English literature! Don’t you dare Ma’am me!” SD: I believe it! One selection that leaps off the page is “Some Things You Will Need to Know Before You Join the Union.” It’s an almost burlesque piece about working at the “Poetry Factory,” which takes the piss out of everything from prestigious institutions like Yaddo to the male poetic fascination with beards, alcoholism

and suicide. To me it feels so refreshing — unafraid, hilariously unhinged, winking while remaining dead serious. BS: That poem reminds me a little of Wilde’s quote about sincerity being the hallmark of all bad poetry. I think humor is overlooked, even in the most devastating of circumstances. Ruth’s poem is attacking on multiple fronts, acknowledging the problems within the poetry world head-on, the competition and sexism. But it’s also examining the larger tragic desperation of poets and wryly exposes the Industrial Age’s incompatibility with human creativity. Something we need to consider deeply. SD: What’s next for the Ruth Stone House? BS: A lot of our work is education around poetry and letterpress printing, book arts. The Ruth Stone House wants to help poets thrive in Vermont and to provide a kind of alternative to the usual institutions. We were scheduled to have our first writing retreat intensive this past summer with Ariana Reines, C.A. Conrad, Dorothea Lasky and Airea D. Matthews. It was devastating to cancel it, but to focus our efforts we started an online magazine, Iterant. My twin brother, Walter Stone, oversees and edits this. Now we’re embarking on a capital campaign and encourage anyone interested to check out our website and contact me directly at bianca@ruthstonehouse.org. Mostly, we want to preserve this sacred space that Ruth created, by turning it into an artists’ sanctuary. This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

INFO The Essential Ruth Stone by Ruth Stone, edited by Bianca Stone, Copper Canyon Press, 179 pages. $17.99

THE TALKING FISH By Ruth Stone My love’s eyes are red as the Sargasso With lights behind the iris like a cephalopod’s. The weeds move slowly, November’s diatoms Stain the soft stagnant belly of the sea. Mountains, atolls, coral reefs, Do you desire me? Am I among the jellyfish of your griefs? I comb my sorrows singing; any doomed sailor can hear The rising and falling bell and begin to wish For home. There is no choice among the voices Of love. Even a carp sings.

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POETRY

Still Looking for Home Dedicated to Ellen B Y B I LL HI CKOK

I was a simple soldier called to fight in an ordinary war My buddy Dana went to Toronto but I answered the call I didn’t know then that you didn’t have to have your leg blowed off to come back wounded Son of a bitch, what happened over there? I still don’t know and I’m running out of time The war was raging and in the States there were cops in the streets making sure that everybody stepped the right way They were electing a president and the way things looked was more important than the way things were The guys without the billy clubs had blood on their faces but were talking calmly and making the most sense The night before I left I can still hear my dear mother crying as the door closed behind me on the old homestead in Vermont I can still see the tears of my sweet darlin’ shooting straight out before they trickled down her cheeks the next morning as she came to see my bus drive off. My last glimpse she was sitting on the sidewalk crying her eyes out as people rushed up to her I left my bride and took a ride on a Greyhound headed south with a bunch of scared kids In our hearts we all knew we were going to die in some jungle in a far away country we never heard of until a couple of weeks before. Sixteen hours later I was sworn in and on government soil when I saw my first fighting Two guys that had never been introduced but were certain they couldn’t stand each other and it was the opposite’s fault tried to settle the Civil War once and for all But it was a 100 years too late, some issue or another about skin color I was in the mix at mighty Fort Dix and that’s the way it started Those nice gentlemen in charge taught me the spirit of the bayonet was to kill and how to throw a hand grenade just right Five months later I was ready to go do what I was brought there to do I couldn’t spell that foreign land or pronounce that foreign land the same way two times in a row But I knew neither was required to die in that foreign land Plans changed and they sent me to old Koree ’cause the current dictator was acting up The sergeant gave me 200 rounds of ammo and told me to shoot anyone that didn’t look like me I says “Sarge what happens if the bullets run out but the ‘not me’s’ didn’t?” He says “Come see me for further instructions” and laughed hysterically as he turned and walked away The North Koreans and the Chinese never came down, I don’t believe it was for humanitarian reasons either I never had to shoot anyone but a few times I had to look real stern and scare ’em On the flight back they said we were just there to be a deterrent anyway Right near the end my mind went and I started feeling ways I didn’t know I could feel, none of which were good Sarge says “Don’t worry, it’s just stress, you’ll be alright when you get home” The problem was I never got home. Oh sure I made it back to my native locale and the house was still there but the home was gone Growing up all the men in my neighborhood had been to World War II, most fought in Europe, the rest in the Pacific They all drank beer, smoked cigarettes, worked all the time and didn’t talk much When they smiled their expressions revealed that somewhere along the way they had the juice squeezed out of them Like one of the limes at a cocktail party that they didn’t get to go to celebrating the end of the war As a boy I used to think that was the way men were. Only after I came back did I realize that no, that’s the way men were that had been to war and seen too much. They all rest in peace now in a final formation in the churchyard on Chapel Hill It’s fifty years later and I’m still looking for home. Maybe that’s it over there through the mist Prayer and loving better than I used to have allowed me to get this far, but it ain’t home Let’s see where it takes me from here

Bill Hickok, 75, of Burlington, served in the U.S. Army 1969 through 1970. He attended the University of Vermont, raised a family and has retired from a career in insurance, but he says he’s still seeking “the feeling of joy I had before the military.” He began writing poems during the pandemic. This one is published in honor of Veterans Day, November 11. SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Local Owners Unveil New Plan for

CityPlace Burlington

IMAGES COURTESY OF FREEMAN FRENCH FREEMAN

The planned corner of St. Paul and Cherry streets

ood news, Burlington: There’s a new plan for the three-acre vacant lot where the downtown mall used to be. And it’s backed by three local partners — Dave Farrington, Al Senecal and Scott Ireland — who are committed to making it happen. Together, the three Vermonters bought a 50 percent stake in the project formerly owned by Brookfield Asset Management. Developer Don Sinex still owns the other half. Farrington, owner of Shelburne-based Farrington Construction Company, says he and his partners are very eager to get started. The new team has already filed a zoning permit with the city and hopes to break ground by September 2021. “We’ve made more progress in eight weeks than Brookfield did in two years,” Farrington says.

Close-up of St. Paul Street

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

P R O D U C E D B Y 7 D B R A N D S T U D I O — P A I D F O R B Y P O M E R L E A U R E A L E S TAT E

MORE OF WHAT YOU WANT, LESS OF WHAT YOU DON’T Farrington points out that the new project is a scaled-down version of the concept approved by Burlington voters in 2016. This one takes into account public criticism of the design. The 14-story towers have been downsized. The proposed hotel has been scrapped, along with all of the commercial oﬃce space. The project still includes two buildings, but they’re smaller: The North Tower will have nine stories; the South, 10. The new design includes features to beneﬁt the whole community. These include:

understand the value of employing local contractors, so they’ve broken up the development into three stages, which he says will make it possible for smaller outﬁts to compete for the jobs.

A BOOST FOR BURLINGTON BUSINESSES

422 parking spaces, along with at least 300 bike parking spaces; the project is in close proximity to the downtown bus terminal and will encourage residents to use public transportation and alternatives such as CarShare VT.

Many business owners and restaurateurs in downtown Burlington are eager to see progress at the CityPlace site. Charles Reeves is among them; he owns Penny Cluse and Lucky Next Door with his wife, Holly Cluse. He hasn’t had a chance to look at the new plans yet, but “I’d like to see something happen,” he says. The stalled project has “put a chill” on the downtown business district, he adds. And the pandemic hasn’t helped. The city’s locally owned stores and restaurants are all struggling to survive the COVID-19 era. Forward movement on CityPlace would provide a much-needed boost. And Reeves is impressed with the local team taking it on. “All of these guys are go-get-em, get-the-job-done kind of people,” he says. Melissa Desautels, owner of Whim Boutique and Dear Lucy, agrees. She describes Farrington, Senecal and Ireland as “trustworthy locals, people we see on a daily basis.” Desautels, a Burlington resident, saw Farrington’s work up close while a member of the fundraising committee for the University of Vermont Medical Center’s new Mom and Baby Unit in 2015; Farrington’s company built the Children’s Hospital at UVM Medical Center. Desautels liked what she saw when she toured the facility. She notes that Farrington also serves on the UVM Medical Center Foundation board. He and his partners “absolutely care about our community and downtown,” she says. Unlike Reeves, Desautels has reviewed the new plans. “I’m all for it,” she says. “I like the changes they made.” Like the developers, she’s ready to get the ball rolling. “The sooner the better,” she says. 

The reconnection of Pine and St. Paul streets between Bank and Cherry.

Find more information about the new CityPlace Burlington plans at cityplaceburlington.com.

426 units of housing, at least 84 of which will be classified as “affordable”; the old plan included just 357 apartments. 45,000 square feet of street-level retail space. A rooftop restaurant on the South Tower and an observation deck, open to the public, with a view of the city and Lake Champlain. Meeting, coworking and community space that will be available and accessible to all. Public art installations that will beautify the buildings and support local artists. A state-of-the-art stormwater management system that will help reduce and filter the flow of runoff to Lake Champlain. Solar panels, green roofs and energy efficiency features that will cut utility costs and reduce the buildings’ carbon footprint; both buildings will be LEED Gold certified.

Farrington notes that he and his partners are all active participants in the local construction community — Senecal owns Omega Electrical Construction, and Ireland owns S.D. Ireland Concrete Construction. They

The planned corner of Bank and St. Paul streets

I’M ALL FOR IT.

I LIKE THE CHANGES THEY MADE. MELISSA DESAUTELS, OWNER OF WHIM BOUTIQUE AND DEAR LUCY

The planned corner of Cherry and Pine streets

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Close-up of Pine Street SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

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INFORMATION

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Cold Comfort D Welcome to the Winter Preview on’t let the recent blast of summerlike weather fool you: While Old Man Winter might be running a little late, he’s on his way. And it’s a good bet he’ll be extra cranky when he gets here. Even in the best of years, winter is a tough time for a lot of folks. As you might have noticed, 2020 hasn’t exactly been a good year. Between the dire economy, social and political strife, the climate crisis, and that unifying thread of awfulness, the pandemic, this winter poses a sleighful of unprecedented challenges. It seems Ol’ Bill Shakespeare was off by quite a few centuries: Now is the winter of our discontent. What can we do to stave off gnawing existential dread and crippling seasonal affective disorder? Extreme times call for extreme measures, so you might consider taking the plunge with a group of WINTER SWIMMING ENTHUSIASTS in Charlotte. They meet every morning, snow or shine, for a dip in Lake Champlain — and chop through the ice when it freezes over. If you seek a more conventional outdoorsy outlet, ski areas around

the state are gearing up for what promises to be a very unusual winter on the slopes — particularly after the state announced on Tuesday that all out-of-state travelers to Vermont would be required to quarantine for 14 days. But with pandemic protocols in place, SKI RESORT OFFICIALS ARE OPTIMISTIC for a fun and, most importantly, safe season. Speaking of gearing up, check out ALPINE SHOP in South Burlington, which has been outfitting skiers and snowboarders for 57 years. And, while you’re at it, maybe order a cool, ultra-detailed geospatial map of Stowe Mountain Resort or Sugarbush Resort from RAMBLE MAPS. Restaurants have been hit especially hard by the pandemic. Expanded outdoor seating gave many local eateries a summer reprieve, but as winter forces diners indoors again, RESTAURANT OWNERS are trying to figure out how to survive until spring. It’s the same old song for Vermont’s LIVE MUSIC VENUES, which are grappling with how to operate safely indoors after a summer of outdoor concerts. Many of the live events that would typically entertain us through the cold season are taking a hiatus this year. But there are still plenty of FUN THINGS TO DO, both in person and virtually. Which is a good thing because, this winter of all winters, we’ll take any diversions we can get. Stay safe and stay warm, friends. DAN BO LLE S

winter preview Skiing in a pandemic PAGE 32 Alpine Shop PAGE 34 Winter swimming PAGE 36 Winter to-do list PAGE 38 Ramble Maps PAGE 40 Restaurants prepare for winter PAGE 44 Nightclubs get super creative PAGE 50

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Downhill Battle Vermont ski areas prepare for an uncertain winter B Y D A N BOL L ES • dan@sevendaysvt.com FILE: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

Jonathan Baldwin skiing beneath the Single Chair lift at Mad River Glen

he Single Chair lift at Mad River Glen has whisked skiers, one at a time, to the top of the mountain for nearly three quarters of a century. Since 1948, as the rest of America changed, generations of downhillers have made the long, solitary ascent, enjoying an escape within the escape that is a day on the slopes. Isolation is part of the antiquated chairlift’s appeal: It’s a nine-anda-half minute respite from the burdens of the world — including small talk with chatty fellow skiers. But this season, Mad River Glen’s lift will serve as more than a charming reminder of skiing’s sepia-toned past. The Single Chair is one of the small advantages that the proudly rustic, cooperatively owned Waitsfield ski area has against a foe every bit as formidable as warm winters or glitzy megaresorts. “The Single Chair is sort of pandemicproof, in a way,” said Ry Young, marketing and events manager at Mad River Glen. Even as Mad River Glen and the state’s other ski areas prepare to open for the 32

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

2020-21 season, the coronavirus is reaching new peaks around the country. While Vermont has maintained comparatively low rates of infection, the state has recently begun to see an increase in the number of cases. Infections are on the rise in neighboring states, as well, posing a problem for Vermont’s $1.6 billion-peryear industry that relies heavily on tourist dollars from places like Massachusetts, Connecticut and New York.

IT’S GONNA BE

KIND OF OLD-SCHOOL. GE O F F H ATH E WAY

“It’s gonna be an economic challenge,” Bolton Valley Resort president Lindsay DesLauriers said of the coming winter. “There’s no getting around it.” Last week, the state released operating guidelines designed to help Vermont ski areas safely navigate an unprecedented

season. Developed by the Vermont Agency of Commerce and Community Development with input from the Vermont Department of Health, the Vermont Department of Public Safety and the Vermont Ski Areas Association, the new protocols advise now-familiar COVID-19 precautions: Wear masks, observe social distancing and reduce indoor capacities. “Skiers wear masks and gloves and goggles anyway,” Young noted. “So that part’s pretty easy.” Other aspects of the state’s guidelines have some resort owners on edge, however, as does the timing of their release. With just a few weeks left before most ski areas are slated to open, their staffs are scrambling to comply with the new guidance regarding travel restrictions, quarantining and datagathering protocols for contact tracing. “It’s a bummer that all this came out this week,” Young said, noting that the state and ski resorts have been having conversations about pandemic protocols since the spring. “It would have been a bit more helpful to have this stuff in August.”

In a typical year, more than three quarters of guests at Vermont resorts come from out of state. On Tuesday, Vermont announced that all nonessential out-of-state travelers are required to quarantine for 14 days, either at home or in Vermont. Visitors can halve their waits by testing negative seven days into quarantine. Resorts are responsible for making sure their guests sign documents attesting that they’ve abided by quarantine regulations. Those rules place a good deal of responsibility on ski resorts to screen their guests — and on those guests to play by the rules. Not everyone is convinced they will. “It’s a little unfair that all of this responsibility falls on us,” Young said. “We know people will be lying. They’ve been lying all summer long. The [Mad River] Valley has been full of out-ofstaters all summer, and you can assume not all of those people have been following the guidelines. “We don’t have the bandwidth to police that,” Young continued. “It’s almost as if the state is trying to put an enforcement mechanism at the ski areas,” said Geoff Hatheway, president of Magic Mountain in Londonderry. However, he thinks ski areas do have an important role to play in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in Vermont this winter. “It’s really about education,” he said. “We need people to understand that these guidelines exist for a reason.” “We want everyone to be safe, and we want to protect our season,” DesLauriers said. “We’re happy to comply.” Data tracking is a particular weak spot for Mad River Glen, which is a lower-tech operation than most other Vermont resorts. “Until this season, we’d been printing out day tickets on wickets,” Young said. Many resorts now rely on radio frequency identification (RFID) systems to track skiers electronically, which should make complying with the state’s data-tracking requirements easier. The cost and timing rule out an RFID system for his resort, Young said, but Mad River Glen is working on upgrades using slightly older technology. “It will bring us firmly into the early 2000s,” he joked. Despite such last-minute challenges, Young anticipates that the season can and

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will be good, as do ski area personnel around the state. “We’re very optimistic of having a ‘normal’ ski experience,” he said. Once skiers and snowboarders are actually on the mountains, Young’s optimism could prove warranted. While the state halved capacity limits for indoor facilities such as base lodges, required social distancing on lift lines and lifts, and recommended that resorts cut down on out-of-state staff, it did not mandate specific limitations on the mountains themselves.

winter preview Still, Vermont ski trails are likely to be less congested than usual as most resorts limit on-mountain capacities in various ways. “The most important thing is to make sure that people are safe when they’re up here,” DesLauriers said. While some ski areas, such as the Vail Resorts-owned Stowe Mountain Resort, Okemo Mountain Resort and Mount Snow Resort, will require reservations for skiing and riding, most Vermont slopes will not — at least, not yet. Sugarbush Resort, for one, won’t start by requiring reservations but might consider a reservation system as the season goes on. “We may need to look at that again, but we don’t know yet,” Sugarbush public relations and communications manager John Bleh said. Most resorts will limit day tickets, giving priority for getting on the slopes to season-pass holders. As a result, numerous resorts are seeing a spike in early season-pass sales. Some, such as

Killington, are requiring reservations for parking, adding another hurdle intended to slow down traffic. “The process of getting to the mountain is going to be very different,” Young said. “But once you’re up there, it should feel pretty normal.” Resorts are advising visitors to boot up — and eat lunch and get warm — in their cars, because base lodge space will be at a premium. While many ski areas will attempt to provide fresh-air facsimiles of the creature comforts that skiers and riders have come to expect inside the lodge — Sugarbush is building private cabanas; Magic Mountain is converting an old T-bar shack into a concession stand, for example — the 2020-21 season promises to be something of a throwback to a simpler era. “It’s gonna be kind of old-school,” Hatheway said. “Everything is going to be pushed outside as much as possible. But that’s where the sport lives anyway, so it won’t be much different on the ski slopes.” “The whole season is being defined by doing everything we can to predict what we think will happen, but also to prepare for the fact that we’re going to have to make adjustments as we go,” DesLauriers said. “And we think it’s going to work out.” For all the logistical and economic challenges that the upcoming ski season poses, there may also never have been a ski season that was more anticipated or more needed. “We’re all cooped up, so skiing is an important part of everyone’s mental health this year,” DesLauriers said. As Young put it, “The act of skiing will be the most normal thing anyone has done in the last seven months.”

INFO For more on the state’s COVID-19 guidelines for ski areas, visit skivermont.com.

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

11/9/20 3:50 PM

RETAIL THERAPY BY CAROLYN SHAPIRO

Gearing Up

winter preview

Alpine Shop embraces a new kind of winter sport season

Check out what other Vermont retailers are up to at shoptheregister.com. 34

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

The Alpine Shop

PHOTOS: LUKE AWTRY

n early spring, soon after Alpine Shop closed as part of Vermont’s pandemic lockdown, owner Andy Kingston made plans to cancel a backup order of bicycles he figured no one would want. Then, during a Zoom meeting, he heard fellow retailers of ski and outdoor sports equipment mention a surge in demand for bikes. Families looking to get out of their homes during the pandemic were buying wheels. Kingston, who owns Alpine Shop with his wife, Becky, didn’t cancel the order. As it turned out, he needed it — and then some. “We were sold out by June,” he said. “You’re normally left with a lot of bikes at the end of the season.” Nationwide shortages kept him from ordering more. Kingston and his counterparts on the Zoom call belong to a buying group called Sports Specialists that gives them the power to negotiate better deals with suppliers. Their industry has been one of the hottest during the pandemic due to an avalanche of interest nationwide in outdoor recreation and the gear to support it. But there’s a downside: With reduced factory staff, many producers of that gear have struggled to keep up with orders. In June, sales of bicycles were up 63 percent over the previous year, according to a report by retail research firm the NPD Group. Kingston had trouble getting not just cycles but also bike tires and components. Now, as Vermont approaches its first ski season to start during the pandemic, Kingston said he feels hopeful. “I’m really bullish on specialty retail,” he said last week from his office on Alpine Shop’s second floor. “We’re seeing in our industry that our businesses are going to do fine and, in some cases, do extremely well.” The shop’s Swiss chalet-style façade is a landmark on busy Williston Road in South Burlington. The 57-year-old Alpine Shop

I’M REALLY BULLISH ON SPECIALTY RETAIL. AND Y K INGS TO N

Becky and Andy Kingston

is one of New England’s biggest providers of leased ski packages, Kingston said. The rental option appeals to skiers who prefer not to spend $1,000 or more on a new set of skis, boots, bindings and poles. Seasonal rental packages, including size swaps as needed and free tunings, start at $99 for kids and $179 for adults. The shop also sells used and past-season gear at a discount and has a bargain floor upstairs. “We can usually work around most people’s budgets,” Kingston said. On a typical fall weekend, customers would crowd into the store to get outfitted for their rentals. This year, to maintain social distancing, Kingston requires appointments for lease packages. Alpine Shop’s basement storage area has become a fitting center where staff can handle one group at a time. Boot-fitting benches now have plastic dividers. When Alpine Shop closed in midMarch with other nonessential businesses, Kingston furloughed most of his 40 or so

employees. The store had just begun to wind down from its busy winter season and prepare to outfit customers for tennis, swimming and biking. Kingston’s first COVID-19-related challenge was figuring out how to collect rental ski equipment from Alpine Shop customers whose season lease was up. He came up with a novel solution: offer those customers a 20 percent discount on the coming winter’s rental. They could keep their package or swap it for a different one at the start of the season. About 1,000 customers took advantage of the offer, helping Alpine Shop pay its bills at a difficult time. Sales in April and May dropped more than 50 percent compared to the same months in 2019, Kingston said. Such innovative problem solving is typical of Kingston as a retailer, said Dave Nacke, president and CEO of Sports Specialists. “He always comes from a very intellectual approach,” Nacke said. “He thinks it all the way through ... It’s strategic and calculating, but calculating in a good way.” The Kingstons bought the store in 2011. They had no retail experience, but a ski shop seemed like a good fit; the couple met on the slopes while attending Colgate University. Andy, who grew up in

Northfield and has skied since age 2, was Becky’s downhill instructor. In his office, Andy Kingston keeps three pairs of skis from the 1950s lined up against a wall. Two pairs belonged to his parents and are some of the first — and still best, he said — metal-edged skis ever made. His sister found them in the family’s house in South Hero the day the Kingstons bought Alpine Shop from the children of the original owners, Chuck and Jann Perkins. At that time, the store’s online business was only about 2 percent of sales, Kingston said. The new owners invested in a more sophisticated website, which now accounts for 30 to 40 percent of sales. Alpine Shop’s revenue stream, like its 18,000-square-foot building, crosses several categories. That diversity has helped it weather the current crisis, Kingston said. Clothing — jackets, fleece pullovers, hiking pants and more — dominates the front of the store. That category makes up about half of Alpine Shop’s sales, Kingston said, but was slow to recover after the store reopened to in-person shoppers in May. Over the summer, amid continued worries about COVID-19 exposure, no one wanted to try on clothes. Alpine Shop reduced its orders for some clothes and swimsuits and shifted its spending to technical gear for activities that people can do solo or socially distanced, such as climbing and backcountry skiing. It was another sharp move: “Our September sales of backcountry surpassed our entire year last year,” Kingston said. Kingston also anticipated that this winter’s restrictions on access to ski resort lodges would create a need for tailgating products. Though camping had never been one of the shop’s specialties, he brought in foldable chairs and tables, coolers, and portable stoves for families who might need to put on boots and grab meals in resort parking lots. Kingston hopes these efforts help Alpine Shop recoup some of its losses. He retains an optimism that’s virtually required in the Vermont ski industry, dependent as it is on uncontrollable forces such as the weather. “We’re used to uncertainty,” Kingston said, “but this brings it to the next level.” Contact: shapiro@sevendaysvt.com

INFO Alpine Shop, 1184 Williston Rd., South Burlington, 862-2714, alpineshopvt.com

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

10/29/20 12:57 PM

PHOTOS: CALEB KENNA

Cold Play

As temps fall, swimmers raise their spirits with morning laps in Lake Champlain B Y KEN PI CA RD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

Cecelia Wu

t was 42 degrees outside as I left my house at 6:45 a.m. and drove to Charlotte Beach for my first cold-weather swim. It was still dark — and not the kind of serene, salmon-streaked-twilightsky dark that encourages you to relax on the porch with a cup of coffee and take in the sunrise. This was a raw, overcast, blustery dark. Even my neighbors’ roosters were sleeping in. Honestly, I wasn’t looking forward to this assignment. It’s not that I’m averse to the cold; I prefer 10-degree days to 90-degree ones. I also like to swim. I just hate waking up early. Weeks earlier, I had responded to an open invitation on Front Porch Forum to join a group of cold-weather swimmers, who meet most mornings in Charlotte for a few laps in Lake Champlain. As I pulled into the beach parking lot, I realized that my brain had frozen up even before my feet touched water: I’d forgotten a towel, an oversight on par with trying to grill hamburgers without a spatula. I’d 36

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

have to make do with the blankets and dog towels in the back of my Subaru. Among the four fellow swimmers who greeted me were Charlotte residents Julie Postlewaite and Susan Blood. The invitation I had answered came from Blood, 53, who had herself responded to a similar post two years earlier from Postlewaite, now 48, an Alaska native who swims almost every morning, sometimes twice a day. Postlewaite took up winter swimming in her mid-40s after she become overly sensitive to the cold. She was inclined to attribute the change to her age until she read a book by Wim Hof, the 61-year-old international cold-weather guru known as “The Iceman.” Hof, who is Dutch, teaches deep-breathing techniques useful in coldwater plunges. He’s helped train Navy SEALs to survive frigid immersions. He’s even run up Mount Kilimanjaro half naked in the snow. After doing some morning winter swims on her own, Postlewaite convinced

Blood to join her. Blood took her first coldweather swim on January 5, 2019 — her birthday — a decision she half jokingly described as “a little crazy.” Only a month into swimming together, the pair participated in the Memphremagog Winter Swimming Festival in Newport, held in late February. The annual

winter preview event draws serious cold-weather swimmers from as far away as Finland, including some who have swum the English Channel. “It completely changes the way you experience winter,” Postlewaite told me later. “You can have a gray, dreary day that would otherwise bring you down. But if you’re swimming in it, it’s exciting.”

I assumed that all four women at the lake that day were hard-core open-water swimmers, as they’d all shown up with neoprene swim caps, goggles and flotation buoys. But in fact, two of them were relative newcomers. Tanna Kelton just started at the end of September. Like me, she answered Blood’s Front Porch Forum invitation and had never previously tried cold-water swimming, though she, too, was familiar with Hof. “When this opportunity popped up, it was an immediate yes for me,” she said. “And I’ll go as long as I can.” “It’s just an amazing way to start the day,” Blood added. “And the lake looks different every morning.” Indeed, at that hour Lake Champlain was gorgeous, albeit uninviting. With 18 mph winds and gusts up to 22 mph, the whitecaps made it look more like the North Atlantic. At least the sky was brightening. As the opening scene of Jaws taught me, it’s not safe to swim in open water when

it’s dark, even if the only creatures likely to draw blood are zebra mussels. “There’s sort of a rule that, for every one degree Celsius, it’s totally safe to stay in for one minute,” Blood explained as we walked down to the beach. “Today, the water is about 52 degrees Fahrenheit, or 11 degrees Celsius. So 11 minutes is safe.” “I’m game,” I chirped unconvincingly. Though my inaugural swim seemed daunting, it barely compared with Blood’s first season of winter swimming, when she and Postlewaite swam virtually every day until the lake froze over. One morning, Postlewaite showed up with an ax to cut them a hole in the ice. Despite the obvious risks, such as hypothermia, winter swimmers are very safety conscious, especially when ice is present. Blood said they always make sure to have safe entrance and exit routes, and they prefer not to swim alone. One member of the group even offered me an inflatable, hunter-orange swim buoy — presumably so I’d be visible if the Coast Guard needed to recover my body. I politely declined. As I peeled off my sweatpants and donned a pair of water shoes — protection against the aforementioned zebra mussels — I discovered that I’d also left my swim goggles in the car. To reiterate: not a morning person. “It’s the before and after that’s hard,” Roberta Nubile of Shelburne said as we all waded into the lake together. Nubile herself had just taken up cold-weather swimming a few weeks earlier; this was her 10th swim. “Before, it’s the psychological, and after, it’s being freaking cold,” she added. “But during, it’s fantastic!” Many Vermonters have seen or done a polar bear plunge, in which participants typically jump in an icy lake and rush straight out to be greeted by supporters who wrap them in towels and post photos to social media before the plungers’ hair is dry. Winter swimming is a whole different ballgame; as Blood had indicated, the Charlotte group does laps for several minutes at a time. As waves crashed against my thighs, and I endured the pain that crept up my lower extremities, I waited for the others to dive rather than wade in. When none of them did, I plunged in headfirst to get it over with. I’d made another newbie mistake — and one that could have been dangerous in colder water. According to the National Center for Cold Water Safety, “cold shock response” — the sudden lowering of skin temperature from cold-water immersion — can cause instant hyperventilation, spikes in your heart rate and blood pressure, disorientation, fear, and panic. And if your first, involuntary gasp for air happens

From left: Lori Lustberg, Roberta Nubile, Sean Postlewaite, Julie Postlewaite, Cecelia Wu, Tana Kelton and Susan Blood

while you’re underwater, it’s likely to be metabolism, reduces inflammation and fights depression. Because it boosts the your last. Fortuitously, as Blood had noted, the immune system, it might even keep you water was a balmy 50 degrees, so after healthy in a pandemic. the 43-degree air, it actually felt warmer In all, I swam for about eight minutes; than I’d expected. But to call what I did the longest swim in our group was 13 “swimming” would be a generous over- minutes. I got out before the others did statement. I sidestroked for a short while, to grab my phone and snap some photos always staying close to — only to discover that shore and able to touch I’d left it in the car, too. bottom. When I asked Just as well. My fingers Blood how long we’d were probably too cold been in, I was surprised to operate a touch screen. to hear three minutes. It As the other swimfelt longer. mers emerged from the Cold-weather swimlake, I vigorously dried J UL IE P O S TL E WAITE ming isn’t a new sport; my hair with a blanScandinavians have done ket coated in dog hair. it for decades or centuries. The trend has Nubile was right; it was freaking cold, caught on in the U.S. more recently, and especially when the wind gusted. I pulled many of those who’ve been bitten by the my sweatpants over my wet bathing suit cold-water bug speak passionately about and fumbled to remove my water shoes. the sport’s physical and psychological Pulling dry wool socks over wet feet was benefits. a no-go with my fingers functioning as “When you’re out there in the middle of poorly as my brain. I jammed my bare winter, and it’s a sunny day, and you come feet into my boots, mulling how quickly out when there’s ice on the shore … it’s the this recreational activity could turn into a most amazing experience,” Postlewaite survival scenario. said. “If you try it and do it for three days, As we walked back to our cars, Blood you’ll probably become addicted to it.” explained a dangerous condition known Her addiction reference wasn’t as “after drop.” It happens when the completely metaphorical. Immersion in cold blood in the extremities returns to cold water triggers a massive release of the body’s core during rapid rewarmendorphins, as well as cortisol, a pain- ing, causing the body’s temperature to relieving hormone that creates a eupho- keep plummeting and the person to lose ria some people feel for hours afterward. consciousness. It’s one reason people Some studies suggest that cold-water suffering from hypothermia shouldn’t be immersion improves circulation, speeds rewarmed too quickly. But, as Postlewaite

IT COMPLETELY CHANGES

THE WAY YOU EXPERIENCE WINTER.

learned from reading Hof’s book, swimmers can easily avoid hypothermia by gradually conditioning themselves to the cold, controlling their breathing and not pushing far beyond their comfort level. I, for one, was eager to warm up as quickly as possible. Back in the car, I cranked up the heat and wondered whether it was safe to drive. My teeth chattered uncontrollably, and my toes were numb. Days later, as I listened to a voice recording I made while driving home, I was jarred by the sound of my slurred words, an early warning sign — along with shivering, confusion, memory loss and fumbling hands — of hypothermia. After I arrived home at 7:45, my teeth chattered for another 20 minutes, even in a hot shower. But I’ll freely admit to feeling unusually alert, even a bit euphoric, for the rest of the day. Blood and Postlewaite attended the Winter Swimming World Championships in Slovenia in February 2020. Blood said one of the best parts of her daily immersion ritual, aside from the community of people she’s met, is seeing how Lake Champlain changes daily. I can totally appreciate the appeal, and I’ve considered going back, even as lake temperatures continue to fall. But, given my aversion to early mornings, I’m more inclined to dip my toe in again after the crack of noon. m

INFO Learn more at the International Winter Swimming Association, iwsa.world. SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

COURTESY OF SALLY MONTANA

To-Do List

Seven events to put on your cold-weather calendar B Y KRI ST EN R AV I N • kravin@sevendaysvt.com

Disney+. Just in time for the winter months, two major Vermont presenters of film festivals and series — the Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival and the Vermont International Film Foundation — swoop in with Split/Screen, a collaborative online film series. In alternating months, MNFF and VTIFF will present curated collections of four to five films available for streaming on digital devices and smart TVs. Stock up on popcorn, fire up FaceTime, and log in for remote movie nights with your film-loving friends.

experience a 19th-century rural Christmas. Billings Farm & Museum’s Christmas at the Farm program offers a glimpse of Victorianera Vermont and its holiday traditions. At the working farm in Woodstock, families will find candle-dipping and cooking demos, warm cider doughnuts, and vintage decorations adorning the 1890 farmhouse parlor. Bring or rent snowshoes for a ramble in the fields.

Winter Forest Bathing

winter preview

Saturday, December 12, 10 a.m. to noon, at the Green Mountain Audubon Center in Huntington. $25-30. vt.audubon.org

The American Dream Project

For some Vermonters, winter is about cozy slippers, hot tea and avoiding the outdoors at all costs. For others, it’s an invitation to see the natural world in a new light. The Japanese practice of forest bathing is one way folks can experience the great outdoors while reaping the restorative benefits of nature immersion. Certified nature and forest therapy guide Duncan Murdoch leads a winter forest bathing session in Huntington, encouraging participants to engage all five senses through a slow, mindful woodland walk.

Second Sunday of the month, December 2020 through May 2021, 4 p.m., online. $20 for the series. townhalltheater.org

In the words of Middlebury Acting Company artistic director Melissa Lourie, “As a professional theater company, MACo has a unique platform to tell stories that respond to current realities.” To that end, the company has teamed up with Middlebury’s Town Hall Theater and Burlington’s Vermont Stage to present the American Dream Project. Plays centered on issues of racial and economic inequities will propel monthly virtual discussions augmented by readings from MACo actors and guest artists. Featured works include the Pulitzer Prizewinning Sweat by Lynn Nottage and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson, soon to be a feature film starring Viola Davis.

First Wednesdays Lecture Series First Wednesday of the month through May 2021, 7 p.m., online and at various locations statewide. Free. vermonthumanities.org

Zoë Keating

Christmas at the Farm

Friday, December 4, 7:30 p.m., online. $20. uvm.edu/laneseries

Select dates from December 5 through January 3, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock. $4-16; free for members and kids under 3. billingsfarm.org

Back in June, cellist Zoë Keating released a clip on YouTube in which she performs a piece called “Quito Song.” The blackand-white video captures Keating’s unique performance style in a nutshell: Through her mastery of her instrument and technology, the Vermont-based musician creates a dynamic soundscape by looping and layering samples of her own live playing. Keating takes the stage at the University of Vermont Recital Hall in Burlington — known for its outstanding acoustics — for a livestreamed concert as part of the UVM Lane Series. Fans can expect new improvised material alongside renditions of Keating’s original compositions. Tickets go on sale on November 20. 38

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

COURTESY OF IVAN CURY

egardless of the season, Vermonters tend to keep busy. Given all of the activities and performances the state has to offer, it’s easy to see why. Even during a worldwide pandemic, event organizers have found creative ways to stimulate hearts, minds and bodies. We’ve compiled a list of seven events or event series that Vermonters can look forward to in the coming months. This small sampling covers a range of geographic regions and genres — think music, theater, talks, movies and even an outdoor wellness exercise. For more Green Mountain State happenings, browse Seven Days’ online calendar and the Magnificent 7, a weekly list of noteworthy events, at sevendaysvt.com.

Lifelong learners need look no further than Vermont Humanities’ annual First Wednesdays Lecture Series for educational, entertaining and sometimes hard-hitting talks. Each month, listeners get schooled on topics including the arts and culture, history, social justice, nature, and science. What’s more, all presentations are free, so they won’t add to those crushing student loans. Visit vermonthumanities.org to explore virtual and in-person offerings at nine host locations around the state.

If modern-day stressors have you and your loved ones feeling less than festive this holiday season, travel back in time to Christmas at the Farm

A still from Mr. Soul!, a selection for the Split/Screen film series

Split/Screen November 2020 through June 2021, online. $12.50 per film; $40 for a monthly pass. middfilmfest.org and vtiff.org

After eight months of quarantine, many of us have blown through the interesting content on Netflix. And Hulu. And

Modern Times Theater

Saturday Storefront Trilogy Saturdays, March 6, 13 and 20, 11 a.m. and 2 p.m., at 452 Railroad St. in St. Johnsbury. $8-10. catamountarts.org

Even the most die-hard winter lovers might be weary of gray skies and dirty snow by the time March rolls around. The Northeast Kingdom’s Modern Times Theater blasts through that late-season ennui with Saturday Storefront Trilogy, a three-part comedic puppet show starring updated versions of the iconic characters Punch and Judy. Husband-and-wife entertainment duo Justin Lander and Rose Friedman will bring their signature humor and eclecticism to these family-friendly performances complete with raffle prizes, refreshments and preshow music played from a hand-cranked gramophone.

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Work of Chart Ramble Maps turns geographic data into wall art B Y M ARG A RET G RAYSON • margaret@sevendaysvt.com

winter preview

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

PHOTOS COURTESY OF RAMBLE MAPS

ost skiers recognize the telltale signs of a traditional ski mountain map: minuscule trees and gently shaded slopes rendered in pale colors like a vintage travel poster. Such maps and posters are go-to décor for powder hounds. When Mad River Glen launched a Kickstarter campaign by offering prints of its new map — hand-painted by national mapmaking icon James Niehues — the resort raised more than $120,000. The striking, painstakingly rendered map was released last month. But Burlington’s Matthew Parrilla, an avid backcountry skier, had a different vision for filling a blank wall in his house. A software developer by trade, Parrilla was excited about data available from the Vermont Center for Geographic Information of the state’s Agency of Digital Services. The center provides geospatial data, including geographical elevation and the composition of the tree canopy. Last winter, Parrilla used those data to create a map of Mount Mansfield and the Stowe Mountain Resort ski area. He used colors to indicate the ground covering — green for coniferous trees, brown for deciduous trees and white for open space. The effect is a simple, almost abstract image. Parrilla’s map doesn’t indicate trail markers, roads or parking lots, which are common on a conventional ski map. But thanks to an intricate level of detail, it does reveal where a skier might find thinner trees for glade skiing — or a secret powder stash. That same granular detail makes the map look three dimensional, even though it’s printed flat. A typical U.S. Geological Survey elevation map, the kind hikers often use, has about a 20-foot resolution. Using VCGI data, Parrilla can make a map at about a two-foot resolution. In layman’s terms, that means his map is nine times more detailed than a USGS map. The VCGI uses lidar data, collected by shooting lasers at the ground from an aircraft and measuring the reflections. “It’s really beautiful data,” Parrilla said. And that data can make really beautiful maps. He posted his Stowe map to a few groups on Facebook and “got thousands and thousands” of viewers, he said, along with several folks who wanted maps of their own. That interest sparked an idea.

The Mount Mansfield map

Matthew Parrilla (left) and Brian Holdefehr

Parrilla had been planning to start a software company with his friend Brian Holdefehr, who had recently worked at Google. Instead, the two formed a company called Ramble Maps in February, based on Parrilla’s Stowe map. They quickly developed more tricolor maps of Vermont peaks, followed by black-andwhite maps of the Cascade Volcanoes and of entire states. The maps are available printed on aluminum, acrylic or wood and range in price from $250 to $1,300. Ramble Maps launched just as the pandemic hit the U.S., and things were slow for a while. But Parrilla and Holdefehr said business has picked up through the summer. The company’s customer base is national, and its most popular map is of Washington’s Mount Rainier. “I think it’s interesting to see these wilder places free of labels, and just seeing

THE FEARLESS SAV THAT’S FUN TO DRIVE.

Detail of the Mount Mansfield map

IT’S INTERESTING TO

SEE THESE WILDER PLACES FREE OF LABELS. B R I A N HOL D EFEHR

the terrain for what it is, and not having as much of a human context,” said Holdefehr, who currently lives in New Jersey. “It allows you to see some of the things that are normally a bit hidden, because either you’re on the ground and you can’t really get the perspective to really understand what’s around you. Or in something like a satellite photo, it’s often complicated, because of all the colors.” If they’re working with a new data set, making a map might take a full day at the computer. Parrilla and Holdefehr work on image composure, adjust shadows and fix data irregularities. “We spend a lot of time in Photoshop,” Parrilla said. “The subtlety of the shading and the composition is what we spend the most time trying to get right.” Though the project started with mountains, Parrilla and Holdefehr have begun making state maps to appeal to customers living in places with no

dramatic geologic features, such as mountains. Some states don’t have the detailed geographic data necessary to make a map of a small area. Take Montana, for example. Parrilla said he’d love to make a map of Glacier National Park, but available data isn’t detailed enough to produce a map that will retain its high definition in a large print. “It might be around 20 states where we’ve explored this high-resolution lidar data, and Vermont is probably the best in the country,” Parrilla said. Ramble Maps isn’t just interested in mountains. It has produced black-andwhite maps of rivers and lakes; cities, such as Salt Lake City and Memphis, Tenn.; national hiking trails; and even entire countries. The popularity of a place doesn’t necessarily dictate the popularity of a map. For instance, Yosemite National Park was the fifth-most-visited national park in 2019, but its Ramble Map isn’t particularly popular, most likely, said Parrilla, because it’s not geographically interesting from above — no recognizable peaks or singular features. Holdefehr’s favorite map is of Washington’s Mount Saint Helens. “It is one of the most geologically interesting. It only erupted 40 years ago, and you can see exactly how the top of the mountain blew off,” he said. “You can see the lava fields coming down off the sides of it … It describes an active volcano.” Though the Green Mountains may have started it all, Vermont maps aren’t best sellers for Ramble Maps. But Parrilla has his Mount Mansfield map, and he hopes to see the maps of Vermont’s peaks get more attention as time goes on. “I hope to have created something that is a beautiful representation of this place I love,” Parrilla said. m

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INFO Find out more at ramblemaps.com. SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

WHISKEY TANGO FOXTROT BY KEN PICARD

What’s the History Behind the Log Cabin Motel in Stockbridge?

PHOTOS COURTESY OF DEBORAH JOHNSON-SURWILO

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

possibly by Bob and Shirley Emmons. According to one commenter on White’s Facebook post, Bob Emmons sold electronics and was known locally as the “TV Man.” But efforts to reach this Facebook commenter and others, who seemed familiar with the old motel, were unsuccessful. “When I was a kid in the ’70s, the motel was still running, although even then it was somewhat sketchy,”

About a decade ago — he can’t remember exactly when — Penniman and a business partner purchased the 2.5-acre property from out-of-state investors, who had themselves bought the closed business at auction. Initially, Penniman intended to develop it, but that was put on hold when his partner pulled out. He floated the idea of building storage units on the land but said he has no immediate plans for the property, other than to keep the lawn mowed and the trash picked up. “There’s been talk of rebuilding the log cabin, because there’s nothing salvageable in there,” he added. “If we rebuilt it, it would be in the same style. My kids are always bugging me to do something with it.” But Penniman’s connection to Stockbridge is fraught with powerful emotions. On November 20, 1978, while hunting there during Thanksgiving week, the then-25-year-old walked into the woods one morning Log Cabin Motel in Stockbridge to cut down a tree. When it fell, it pinned him to the ground. Penniman lay trapped for five hours in 20-degree weather with an open leg fracture, three-quarters of a mile from the nearest road. It was only after a group of hunters heard his cries for help that a search party was summoned. Penniman was finally rescued by a state trooper and a game warden, and then spent the next two months recovering in Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital in New Hampshire. What were those five hours like, with his leg crushed under a downed tree and facing the prospect of bleeding to death or dying of hypothermia? As the hours ticked by, did he contemplate his one gruesome means of escape involvWhite said. By that time, the ing the chain saw? log cabin had been converted “I can’t tell you the whole into a tavern, which White story,” Penniman said. “I have visited just once. PTSD from it, and I can never “It was a dive bar,” he get through the end of it without added, “so it was never really breaking up.” my scene.” To be clear, Penniman never Steve Penniman, current suggested that his traumatic owner of the Log Cabin experience in the woods explains Motel, remembers going there. The 67-year-old why the Log Cabin Motel still sits electrician grew up in western Massachusetts, but his vacant. After all, nearby Killington Ski Resort has expanded grandparents owned property in Stockbridge. Once a year, its accommodations on the mountain in recent years, forcPenniman’s father would take him hunting in Vermont, and ing many small, mom-and-pop motels in the area out of they’d stay at the motel. In later years, Penniman said, he business. rented rooms there during his own hunting trips. Still, it seems apropos that Penniman continues to cling “It was $13 a night, which I thought was an outra- to a business, albeit a dead one, with “log” in its name. m geous deal,” he recalled. “The place was always packed.” Penniman remembers deer hunters hanging their quarry INFO from an old maple tree out front, which has since been Got a Vermont mystery that has you flummoxed? Ask us! wtf@sevendaysvt.com. cut down. COURTESY OF KIRK WHITE

or more than 30 years, James “Buzz” Surwilo of Montpelier has driven past the Log Cabin Motel, on Route 107 in Stockbridge. The abandoned lodgings sit across the highway from the White River, in the sparsely populated town on the eastern slopes of the Green Mountains. Based on its location, Surwilo assumed that the motel once catered to hunters, fishermen and other “outdoorsy types.” “At some point, maybe 20 years ago, it closed,” he wrote, in an email. “The motel and cute adjacent log cabin … [have] been falling into disrepair and [are] now pretty sorrowful looking. What happened, and why did someone just walk away from a business … and let it become dilapidated to the point of no return?” Initially, there wasn’t much to go on. Scores of old structures — run-down barns, abandoned strip malls, defunct general stores — dot Vermont’s landscape, and many are collapsing after years of neglect. The Log Cabin Motel seemed to fall in that category. The one-story, eightroom motel is nondescript, with flaking white paint and a roof as rippled as wet cardboard. The one notable feature on the property is the separate log cabin: a sturdy-looking house, presumably built in an earlier era, with chunky, Lincoln Log beams and two stone chimneys. The past president of the StockbridgeGaysville Historical Society, Mette Rea, had little to offer about the cabin except that her group has never researched it. As for the adjacent motel, she called it “an eyesore.” Similarly, the Stockbridge town clerk’s office had few records on the commercially zoned property except for the name of an absentee owner in East Longmeadow, Mass. But Surwilo’s query was fortuitously timed. Several weeks after he wrote it, Kirk White, a 58-year-old acupuncturist — and the newly elected Vermont House rep from Bethel — posted, on the Stockbridge Connections Facebook page, three black-and-white photos of his family members building the log cabin. As White explained in a phone interview, his father’s family had lived in a nearby inn in Stockbridge. In 1944, after the inn burned down, White’s relatives — his then16-year-old father, Ronald; uncle Ray; and grandfather Leo — built the cabin together as their new house. Ronald White went into the military in 1950. While he was away, his father died, the log cabin was sold, and the family moved to a 55-acre farm in Bethel, where Kirk White now lives with his wife. Evidently, the adjacent motel was built years later,

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Now’s the time to Untitled-52 1

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

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PHOTOS: JAMES BUCK

food+drink

winter preview

Weathering the Storm Vermont restaurants brace for a pandemic winter

Outdoor dining at Sweetwater’s

B Y JOR D AN BAR RY & ME LISSA PASANEN • jbarry@sevendaysvt.com, pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

he arms of a new ventilation system crawl across the ceiling at Stone Corral Brewery in Richmond, reaching over the bespoke plexiglass-and-wood dividers between tables. “It looks like the Demogorgon from ‘Stranger Things,’” server Francesca Genello said. “I think it makes people feel safer, though. It makes me feel safer.” In a world that feels more and more like science fiction, the normalcy of sitting down to a pint of the brewery’s Hipster Salad double IPA and a mountain of nachos was comforting, even on Election Day 2020. As the temperature drops and COVID19 cases mount, people seek that comfort where they can find it, which may mean heading to their favorite eateries. “Obviously, now you have to do it differently and more safely, but I think people still crave it,” Stone Corral co-owner Bret Hamilton said.

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

The new ventilation system is one of Hamilton’s investments in the safest possible dining experience. It took a bite out of his rainy-day savings, but he’s betting it will help him make it through the winter. If Vermont restaurants were poised to head into winter like horses in a handicap race, they would be bearing ponderous weights. Even in a normal year, most of the state’s restaurants see reduced business between November and April, except for those in snow-sports hot spots. This year, restaurateurs face challenges that include capacity restrictions, customer safety concerns, far fewer tourists and cancellation of events that typically bring people to town for early dinners and after-show drinks. Many of the state’s dining establishments survived the first seven months of the pandemic thanks to expanded outdoor seating and federal and state loans and grants.

But, as Vermont readies for an uncertain winter, those dollars are running out, and restaurant owners are bracing themselves with every tactic they can muster. No one is expecting to turn a profit this winter. “It’s not about making money,” said David Melincoff, owner of Sweetwaters on Burlington’s Church Street. “It’s about losing as little as possible.” To chef Eric Warnstedt, the immediate future looks “weird, bleak, scary.” Warnstedt is co-owner of Hen of the Wood in Burlington and Waterbury, Prohibition Pig in Waterbury, and Doc Ponds in Stowe. Across his four establishments, revenue overall from on-site dining and takeout business was down about 67 percent this summer, leaving little cushion for the slow season. “We are pretty terrified about the winter,” Warnstedt admitted.

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Market on the Move MAWUHI AFRICAN MARKET TO LEAVE LONGTIME OLD NORTH END HOME

After 13 years of operating MAWUHI AFRICAN MARKET at 160 North Winooski Avenue in Burlington’s Old North End, owner PAT BANNERMAN will leave the space at the end of the year, she said. JASON LIN of Burlington purchased the building a year ago and plans to upgrade the structure and perhaps open his own food business there “down the road,” he told Seven Days. “The first thing [is] to upgrade,” Lin said. Bannerman plans to

move her store to another location, possibly a ground-floor space in the North End Studios building at 294 North Winooski Avenue. She likes the site, which is bigger than her current shop, for its proximity to her market’s longtime home. “I build my clientele around it,” Bannerman said of the neighborhood. “The transition would be easier.” Bannerman’s market specializes in African and Caribbean food and offers MoneyGram, a service through which customers can send and receive funds.

“We have all walks of life here,” Bannerman said. “People need my market. They need my services.” A GoFundMe campaign for the market launched by neighborhood resident and community organizer MELLISA CAIN raised more than $21,500 in a week. The money will offset the costs of moving and setting up a new store. “Thank you to the whole neighborhood,” Bannerman said. “The way neighborhood people support [me] and show kindness, it’s overwhelming.” m

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

11/9/20 2:02 PM

SAFETY FIRST

Since the March 17 shutdown of all on-site dining, the state has gradually eased restrictions on restaurants and bars. Gov. Phil Scott calls this “turning the spigot.” The on-site dining spigot has been stuck at 50 percent of normal licensed capacity, or a maximum of 75 people indoors, since June 26. Seated dining parties must have at least six feet of distance between them. Reservations or call-ahead seating are mandated, as are face coverings for staff and for customers when not eating. Whether because of these guidelines, the state’s relatively low infection rate, or a combination of the two, the Vermont Department of Health has yet to track any outbreaks or case clusters related to restaurants or bars, according to Ben Truman, public health communication officer. But precautions are still warranted. Dr. Tim Lahey, an infectious disease specialist at the University of Vermont Medical Center, said some international research indicates that dining inside restaurants has contributed to COVID-19 transmission. Even with carefully spaced tables and optimized ventilation, Lahey cautioned, “there is no getting around the fact that indoor restaurant dining means being in pretty close proximity with people outside of your own household without a mask on.” People need to weigh the pros and cons, he said, with their own health in mind. For his part, Lahey supports his favorite restaurants by ordering takeout. “I’m glad that people in the industry have jobs,” he said, “and it’s OK for them to have diners, because I don’t think it’s that risky.” But that might change, he noted, if case counts continue to rise. For those who do dine on-site, Lahey suggested seeking out well-ventilated spaces — outdoors, if possible. “It is increasingly clear that transmission through the air is a much bigger cause of transmission than stuff you touch,” he said. And “the air that somebody exhales 46

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

TALKING POINTS

Safety is a topic of conversation at Richmond’s Stone Corral even before diners walk in the door. While customers now place online orders for Pickleback Pig sandwiches, growlers of beer and other takeout items, they still make reservations over the phone. “A lot of people are craving that interpersonal contact now,” owner Hamilton said. “I think that’s one of the reasons people go out to dinner, right?”

Stone Corral Brewery

Where the servers at Stone Corral used to talk through the beers on tap or the daily specials, they now explain the restaurant’s $1 temporary surcharge to help defray pandemic-era costs, from personal protective equipment for staff to compostable takeout containers (see sidebar). The surcharge “isn’t enough money to move the bottom line,” Hamilton said, but it “provides our service staff [with] a talking point that brings safety to the forefront with our patrons, which is far more valuable.” When customers make a reservation at the two Hen of the Wood locations, their confirmation comes with a clearly worded message outlining expectations for mask

wearing and a link to more detailed health and safety information. Co-owner Warnstedt said it can be a challenge to communicate safety guidelines without overwhelming customers. “People don’t want to read 20 rules. They just want to eat,” he said. The Black Krim Tavern in Randolph has many regulars who come from over the New Hampshire border, chef-owner Sarah Natvig said. Her reservation confirmation email requests that guests coming from restricted travel areas rebook for a future date. So far, Natvig said, “Everyone is really respectful,” and a few customers have

TRASH TALK As the takeout business model helps keep restaurants afloat during the pandemic, it also presents diners with a lot of new waste to deal with. Who needs Tupperware when you’ve got containers that held chicken curry from Burlington’s Pho Hong, corn chowder from Cornwall’s Windfall Orchard and chow fun from Stowe’s Umami jammed into a kitchen cupboard? Such containers cannot be returned to restaurants for reuse, per the Vermont Department of Health. So, once the cupboard is full, they tend to get tossed in the trash (Styrofoam, foil), recycling bin (plastic, glass) or compost (certified paper/cardboard products), depending on their composition. Deciding how to dispose of our takeout containers might sound simple on paper, which can be recycled. But in real life, it gets complicated. A plastic container, like the one Pho Hong’s curry comes in, can be recycled, but only if it’s empty and rinsed out, said Michele Morris, director of outreach and communications at Chittenden Solid Waste District. If it’s dirty or contains food debris, it belongs in the trash. A greasy pizza box can be recycled. But if there’s congealed cheese on it, toss it, Morris said. Only products clearly labeled “certified compostable” (also signified by the initials BPI) can be put in the compost, she continued. A traditional paper coffee cup lined with plastic is not recyclable because it’s composed of two materials bonded together, Morris said. Throw it out. The disposal issue “literally gets a little messier if you have a smoothie out and about” and no way to clean out the plastic cup it’s served in. “We don’t want it in the recycling bin,” Morris said. “It’s a real problem. Throw it in the garbage.” The “compostable” bags that line compost bins are, indeed,

SALLY POLLAK

Restaurant owners are doing whatever they can to keep feeding their customers, sometimes in new ways. Some have invested in new air-filtration systems. Others have bought tents and heaters to seat diners outdoors as long as possible. Still others are offering grocery staples for sale and creating new takeout options. A few may even close for several months to save cash reserves for spring. In the words of Leslie McCrorey Wells, co-owner of Burlington’s Pizzeria Verità, Trattoria Delia and Sotto Enoteca, it’s about “meeting people where they are.”

can probably hang there for a while, even hours in some circumstances, indoors.” What about partitions between tables? While they may reduce risk in a quick exchange, such as one with a store clerk, Lahey said he has not seen any research demonstrating that partitions are effective for longer intervals; over time, he believes, particles will float around or over them. An outdoor tent? When all of the sides are down, Lahey pointed out, that’s little different from being indoors. “I can’t imagine that those viral particles know the difference between a plaster wall and a canvas wall,” he said. To minimize your risk inside a restaurant, Lahey recommended wearing a mask unless you’re actively eating or drinking. You could also linger less over your meal — which, he noted, also helps restaurants seat more guests over a given meal window. “It’s a little bit safer, and it’s a way to support your restaurants,” he said.

PHOTOS: JAMES BUCK

Weathering the Storm « P.44

Takeout containers in author’s cupboard

acceptable compost, according to CSWD. So are the compostable bags used for vegetables at some grocery stores, including City Market, Onion River Co-op. Although those bags have no value to CSWD, Morris said, “We recognize that they help people keep food scraps out of the trash.” m

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reluctantly canceled reservations. But she does not vet customers beyond that. “I’m not a police officer,” she said.

THE GREAT OUTDOORS

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three individual “safari” tents, each with its own propane heater, that are suited for private parties of up to 10. “Outdoors has been a huge piece of what’s kept us going,” Rinder-Goddard said. “The weather has already pumped the brakes. The tents are my attempts to cheat that.” The tents are open on one side for air circulation, though Rinder-Goddard may add some lighter plastic to cut the wind. “You want to dress like a Vermonter; no linen pants,” he joked.

Like many restaurants this summer, Sarducci’s in Montpelier took advantage of its outdoor space. The owners installed a plant-filled tent over a parking lot and umbrella-covered tables along the river. Those options were so popular that the tent stayed up through November 6. At that point, co-owner Carol Paquette said, the realities of winter weather outweighed the benefits of outdoor On one block in downdining. “I can’t have servtown Randolph, a pair PARIS ers walking out in the snow of restaurants has played RIN DER-GODDARD or down icy steps,” she said. musical chairs to posi“But I’m sad and a little bit scared to see tion themselves for winter survival. it go.” The Black Krim Tavern closed in A couple weekends ago, when temper- its original Merchants Row space and atures dipped into the 40s, Sweetwaters reopened on October 1 two doors over. On was still seating guests outside at tables November 6, the food truck Taco Truck arranged around its five new tall, red- All Stars opened a brick-and-mortar flamed propane heaters. The members offshoot, Tacocat Cantina, in the space of one group even brought their own vacated by Black Krim. blankets with them, Sweetwaters owner Black Krim’s Natvig hadn’t planned Melincoff reported. to move her restaurant out of the cozy Normally, by November, the restau- 1,000-square-foot space it had occupied rant would have stored away its outdoor since 2010. But 2020 is not about cozy furniture. This year, “we’re trying to dining. As it got cold, Natvig said, “I knew keep outdoor seating open as long as the winter would not warrant opening possible, and customers are definitely inside. I’d be able to seat, like, eight people.” still asking to sit out there much later So, when Natvig’s landlord offered than usual,” Melincoff said. “When it her a bigger spot on the same block, she gets dark and cold at 4 or 4:30, it’s going took the plunge. The chef estimates her to be interesting.” new space, the former home of a bar, At Fire & Ice Restaurant in Middle- is about three times the size of her old bury, co-owner and general manager one. It allows her to seat essentially the Paris Rinder-Goddard also hopes to keep outdoor options going. He has erected WEATHERING THE STORM » P.48

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BREATHE EASIER

Engineering challenges are part of what drew Stone Corral’s Hamilton to brewing in the first place. Now he embraces them as he takes pandemic precautions. Hamilton installed the formidable ventilation system that his staff compares to a sci-fi horror creature following guidelines from the American Society of Heating, Refrigeration and Air-Conditioning Engineers — which may well exceed those of the World Health Organization and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, he said. An air-to-air heat exchanger now pumps a gallon of fresh outdoor air per seat per second into the dining room while exhausting stale air, he explained. Other restaurants rely on their current equipment with some additions. Pizzeria Verità’s HVAC system was a good fit for MERV-13 filters — the engineering society’s current recommendation

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same number of diners she did before the pandemic, now “super spread out.” In the former Black Krim space, business partners Adam Hineman and Jenn Bird spent October painting the walls and storefront lime green and purple to transform it into the new home of their takeout taco business. After the pandemic wreaked havoc on the Chittenden County-based taco truck’s summer event schedule, a local farmer invited the truck owners to set up residence on Route 66. The community welcome was “huge and humbling,” Bird said. “About half of our customers came religiously every week. That’s small-town love.” Still, the truck’s revenue was down, and winter looked bleak — until a customer who happened to be the landlord of the Merchants Row block offered Hineman and Bird the newly vacant space. “If it wasn’t for the pandemic, this obviously wouldn’t have happened,” Bird said.

10/29/20 10:43 AM

— which the restaurant installed after two months on a waiting list. At the two Hen of the Wood locations, the open kitchens require very strong hood exhaust systems, co-owner Warnstedt said, which have the added benefit of turning over the air in the dining rooms frequently. Lahey, the infectious disease doctor, said that “it may just not be practical for [restaurants] to totally redo a $100,000 ventilation system, but ensuring ventilation in some way could be helpful.” Even cracking windows — weather permitting — can help with air circulation, he suggested.

TAKEOUT TRADE-OFF

Back in the spring, when restaurants could only offer takeout, many kitchens previously focused on traditional dining faced a steep learning curve. Rinder-Goddard recalled one of the first nights Fire & Ice offered takeout in May. The restaurant was swamped with almost 300 orders. “It was pouring rain, and customers were sitting in the parking lot for 45 minutes,” he said. “I was crying and bleeding out of my ears.” His team has learned a lot since then, but takeout is “a completely different beast,” he said. At Pauline’s Café in South Burlington, owner David Hoene is seeing takeout orders increase with the colder weather. While the cash flow is welcome, the problem is that everyone still wants to eat dinner in the same roughly two-hour window. “The difficulty now is to not let takeout overwhelm the in-house customer experience,” Hoene said. To help, he is now opening on Tuesdays for takeout only, hoping to divert some of that business. Takeout customers will likely look for delivery as inclement weather sets in. But delivery services are notoriously expensive for restaurants, taking cuts of 15 to 30 percent on orders placed through them. Wells took advantage of a 60-day commission-free offer to list Pizzeria Verità and Trattoria Delia on DoorDash. Her

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is closed again or slows way down. “A good plan B is really what it is.”

PANTRY PROVISIONS

A combination of strategies has helped restaurants keep going at low throttle. But, as winter slows business, some may find insufficient reason to keep the stoves on. The owners of Burlington’s Penny Cluse Café and Lucky Next Door planned to close their takeout operation for the winter on November 2, leaving fans temporarily bereft of favorites such as buckets of cheese-lashed home fries. But co-owner Charles Reeves said strong orders have encouraged him to stay open until the Monday of Thanksgiving week, when he’ll reevaluate. Reeves explained that his on-site breakfast and lunch model only works at high volume, which capacity restrictions currently preclude. “We’re taking it week by week,” he said. “Everybody wants to keep working, but what’s really important is that, next spring, we have money to open.” A few blocks away at Sweetwaters, Melincoff is seriously considering cutting back from seven to five days a week through March and suspending lunch service. Not only is midday business down with fewer workers and tourists in town, but he is concerned about losing his college student employees over the extended break this year from Thanksgiving to February. Trimming the schedule would also give his team needed breaks during what promises to be an especially challenging winter season. “The physical amount of work, the stress, managing the public and the staff, managing the ambiguity — it all takes its toll,” Melincoff said. Still, like many restaurant owners interviewed for this story, the 39-year hospitality business veteran believes his industry has the grit and creativity to make it through. “We just need to suit up and go to battle every day until it’s over,” Melincoff said. “It’s about perseverance.” m

Beyond ready-to-eat meals, restaurants are ready to stock your pantry and wine cellar, too. The takeout menus of both Hen of the Wood locations include “Hen provisions”: meal components such as fresh, uncooked ricotta ravioli and frozen Bolognese sauce. The restaurants have recently started wine clubs with themed bimonthly offerings sold by the bottle. “We’re just going to continue to do a little bit of everything,” co-owner Warnstedt said. “It all keeps the machine moving.” Wells has completely rebranded her snug, subterranean wine bar, Sotto Enoteca, as Sotto Provisions, with a corresponding online store. “I thought it was something that could really work in Sotto’s small space,” she said. “A nice little Italian market.” Sotto Provisions sells handmade pastas and sauces from the Trattoria Delia kitchen; pizza kits from Pizzeria Verità; local and imported meats, cheeses and produce; wine; and a veritable Italian pantry of other items. “If we ended up shutting down again, we’d have a store that we could keep open and have some income coming in — and we’d be able to keep staff members employed,” Wells said. Natvig at Black Krim is thinking along the same lines. Her husband, Chip Natvig of Pebble Brook Farm in Braintree, is moving his farm store to her new, larger restaurant space and adding meats and seafood to his inventory. Where the pool tables of the town bar once stood, customers will be able to buy creatures that swam near tide pools. “Grocery seems like a solid economic plan now,” Sarah Natvig said. It may also prove critical, she added, if on-site dining

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wrote in his post, also stressing strict social-distancing measures and safety protocols. After cheering my ass off as cars cruised up and down Main Street for a couple of hours, I strutted up to Radio Bean to make good on my promise to myself. Luckily, I showed up at the same time as the troubadour prince of the Old North End, ERIC GEORGE, and I finally tasted C’est Ça’s okonomiyaki, the Japanese pancake I’d heard such good things about. (So. Good.) It was hardly the exuberant whirlwind the birthday bash usually is. But, fueled by the positive vibes circulating all over the Queen City and the unseasonably warm weather, it was somehow even better. Watching George strum out a few tunes on the iconic venue’s stage with the election announcement at the forefront of my mind, I felt a sense of hope. It’s coming back. We’ll have it all again.

been doing it now for half my life. Wild. Thank you!” Normally, the trio of businesses hosts an all-day lineup of Vermont’s finest musicians. (I marathoned the whole thing back in 2016.) Obviously, that couldn’t happen this year. But Anderson did open Radio Bean, with an extremely limited capacity — and made the shop’s stage available for anyone who wanted to sit in and play a few tunes. “This is NOT a party, but I still believe we can have fun, celebrate life, make eye contact and connect with each other in a responsible and meaningful way as we head into winter,” Anderson

winter preview

Can We Really Preview Winter Music?

Radio Bean

JORDAN ADAMS

Last week’s column started with a short section called “Clearing My Throat.” I briefly expressed the weirdness of writing a column on a Monday that would hit newsstands on a Wednesday, with the biggest presidential election of my life sandwiched between them. Today, a week later, I feel as though I’ve expectorated the loogie that’s been rattling around my lungs for the past four years. The outpouring of joy I witnessed in downtown Burlington on Saturday after national news outlets called the race for president-elect JOE BIDEN was the most thrilling thing I’ve experienced in years. With my trusty JVC PC-30 boom box on my shoulder, I let my “Ultimate Get-Pumped” playlist speak for me as the city erupted into celebration. The feeling that something so electrifying was just happening, and that no one organized it or told anyone to do it, was indescribable. You really had to be there. Of course, that was not how I thought I would spend my Saturday. I planned to stop by Radio Bean’s annual birthday bash, an event that I think most folks had either forgotten about or assumed wasn’t happening in 2020. That wasn’t an unreasonable assumption. Radio Bean, now in its 20th year, has been closed since March. Its sister spaces found new life this year: Restaurant ¡Duino (Duende)! was reinvented as the fresh-a-licious C’est Ça, and luminescent nightclub the Light

Club Lamp Shop became furniture café Cherry. Yet Radio Bean, the hole-in-thewall that started it all, has been more or less boarded up since the pandemic’s onset. Last Friday, owner LEE ANDERSON posted a message to social media alerting followers that he would acknowledge the annual milestone by reopening Radio Bean for one day only. (Anderson could not be reached for additional comment by press time.) “First and foremost, I’m beyond grateful to have been (and still be) a part of this beautiful community,” Anderson wrote. “I started this business on credit cards when I was 22 years old and have

You may have noticed that this is our Winter Preview issue. The coronavirus certainly makes previewing anything a bit of a challenge, but live events are the most unpredictable. Vermont has contained the virus’ spread to acceptable levels through much of the pandemic. We felt

GOT MUSIC NEWS? JORDAN@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

comfortable reopening most of our economy, and things have been pretty normal, precautions aside. We’ve even had a good amount of live music through the summer and fall, albeit mostly outdoors. But if you take a look at our daily counts of new COVID-19 cases, you’ll see an alarming upward trend of late. Ditto for the rest of the country. And the world. So, with winter approaching, I asked around at a few local clubs to find out what, if anything, might be happening now that live music is likely to have to move indoors — or stop altogether. As I assumed, there’s not a ton of new information, and most venue owners are just as in the dark as the rest of us. “We’ll react to whatever the state deems safe,” Nectar’s vice president of business development, BRIAN MITAL, said by phone. After closing in March, the club has consistently offered DJs, comedy and live music since June, indoors and out. “Everything is day by day,” Mital said. “Unfortunately, because we’re in a pandemic, things can change at any moment.” Waterbury’s Zenbarn has held outdoor concerts all summer and fall, but it recently shifted to an indoor model that includes “party pods,” or socially distanced, roped-off areas that groups of people can reserve. Co-owner NOAH FISHMAN said the staff has hung acrylic glass in front of the stage to protect audience members from singers’ droplets and updated the HVAC system with UV treatments. This is, of course, on top of the standard safety protocols with which we’re all painfully familiar. Zenbarn also set up an artist endowment via GoFundMe that, for now, guarantees artists get paid. Despite selling out many recent events, the venue cut its capacity from 199 to about 50 people per show, a drop that affects the revenue it passes on to performers. “If worst comes to worst and we go back to takeout only, I still plan to have music,” Fishman said, noting that he’ll pay artists from the new fund even if Zenbarn has to switch from live to livestream. We’ll keep an eye out for new developments. Speaking of which…

You Light Up My Life

…Burlington’s New Year’s Eve celebration, Highlight, is moving forward this year, albeit in a new way. The collaboration of production company Signal Kitchen and Burlington

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UVM Study Offers City Arts will shift to an entirely streaming model. FREE Treatment Using a high-quality streaming platform, as opposed to Facebook Live or UVM is seeking volunteers other less reliable options, the December age 18 and older to 31 event will feature between 120 and 200 participate in a research video streams, or “stages.” What’s on the study on Seasonal agenda for Highlight House Party, as it’s Affective Disorder (SAD). being called? That’s up to you! Diagnostic assessment Beginning next week — probably and treatment therapy Monday, November 16 — performers will be offered can apply to be part of Highlight at at no charge. 8 SO. MAIN STREET, highlight.community. What kind of ST. ALBANS entertainment are organizers looking 524-3769 Compensation up to $530 for this year? Essentially, if performers for qualified participants. make a compelling enough case, they Call 802-656-9890. R A I LC I TYM A R K E TV T.COM could present anything from rock shows to cooking lessons to acrobatics. What can you dream up? 8/21/2012v-railcitymarket111120.indd 2:43 PM 1 11/9/20 6:54 PM Each performance will run for 60 12v-UvmDeptOfPsych(WInterblues)082620.indd 1 minutes. Signal Kitchen and BCA will offer technical and creative guidance to folks who lack experience setting up a livestream, though performers have to provide their own tech. Viewers must purchase an all-access CLASSIC HITS of the ‘60s, ‘70s, and ‘80s $10 ticket, as they have in years past. But this year, performers will be issued a unique promo code, which they can disseminate to their followers. Viewers • BIGGEST PLAYLIST who apply said code when buying tickets • FEWEST BREAKS will put 60 percent of the ticket price (about $4.56 after state tax and fees)into their fave performer’s hand in addition to the $125 stipend that all performers will receive. It’s like when you go to a DIY show and the door person asks you which of the five bands you’re there to see. Performers can opt out of the stipend, putting $125 back in the pot to create space for an additional performer (hence the flexible number of stages). Expect more info about Highlight in December.

THE BEST MUSIC E V ER M ADE!

Listening In If I were a superhero, my superpower would be the ability to get songs stuck in other people’s heads. Here are five songs that have been stuck in my head this week. May they also get stuck in yours. *NSYNC, “*Bye Bye Bye” STEAM, “Na Na Hey Hey Kiss Him Goodbye” VIOLENT FEMMES, “Kiss Off” EN VOGUE, “My Lovin’ (You’re Never Gonna Get It)” LESLEY GORE, “You Don’t Own Me”

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Much of Andy Warhol’s art revolved around explicating images that were so common people took them for granted. 150 Dorset Street, South Burlington Warhol and his pop-art ilk saw something (Blue Mall) worth exploring in the pages of catalogs and comic books, on billboards and Store Hours flyers. By transforming the ads into high Mon 10am-4pm art, they at once celebrated, magnified Tue-Sat 9:30am-5:30pm and ultimately deconstructed the Hours for Donation Drop-Offs commodification. Mon 10am-3pm Plattsburgh, N.Y.’s Famous Letter Writer Wed-Sat 9:30am-5pm demonstrate a similar fixation on pop culture with their debut album, Warhola. 12v-replaysvermont102120.indd 1 10/26/20 1:30 PM But, instead of road signs, comic-book panels or cans of Campbell’s soup, the album plays with cultural references from the Warhol era to now, especially related to music, film and technology. The songs the Covid surge by illuminate not only their creators’ life histories but also American society as a whole. By carefully dropping references into the context of their own experiences, they reveal layers of meaning in everything from Siri to the Columbine school shooting to Better Off Dead. Front person and lyricist M.I. Devine is also the author of Warhol’s Mother’s Pantry: Art, America and the Mom in Pop, Offer not valid for gift shop or sale items.

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Some Hollow, Coffee, Water, Beer (SELF-RELEASED, CD, DIGITAL)

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About three years ago, I tore Some Hollow a new one. The Burlington indie pop-rock band’s debut EP, Green, hit me like a stray fart, and I put them on blast. As I’m the one ripping apart musicians just trying to make music, I’ll go ahead and take the hit as the villain. I’ll be Magneto here. And, just like the X-Men archvillain, I reserve the right to change my spots. The band’s debut had plenty of promise and industry, but everything was so saccharine that it could have given Wilford Brimley diabetes all over again. That’s harsh, but Green inspired some tough love from yours truly. Yet Some Hollow came back for more, submitting their new full-length record, Coffee, Water, Beer, to Seven Days and specifically requesting that I review it. And, well, you have to respect that. Because there was a good chance singer and guitarist Jason Lee, bassist Jim Hamel,

a companion collection of essays, out now, that examines “how we cut new things from the traditions we’re given,” according to its cover copy. The SUNY Plattsburgh associate professor of English dives into these themes with his multi-instrumentalist and composer wife, Ru — real name Julia Devine, an adjunct lecturer of English and theater at the same institution. They are artists and academics in equal measures. Warhola is a satisfying listen no matter how closely it’s scrutinized, though it’s the kind of record that’s begging to be picked apart and discussed. (You could start with the strikethrough of its title, Warhol’s birth surname.) On the surface, the album is a nostalgic take on new wave and ’80s indie with clever nods to ’60s bubblegum pop sprinkled throughout. Devine’s emphatic inflection heightens his lyrics, throttling meaning out of every syllable. Ru’s occasional vocal assists are kitschy, colorful and, at times, otherworldly. But her true gift is how she brings Devine’s poetry to life through powerful, imaginative arrangements. “19.99,” a bubbly, near-garage-rock jam, describes a fabled future, but its title smirks

at capitalism, portending a doomed society. In the same breath, Devine drops references to Gethsemane, the scene of Jesus’ betrayal; and Laramie, the Wyoming city where gay high school student Matthew Shepard was murdered. Are these two lynchings really that different? On “7th Grade,”Devine’s musical references (“You sounded like Axl”) are accompanied by mental anguish (“They put you on Paxil”). He chokes out phrases with sharp emphasis, drawing out his syllables over smooth organs and plodding drums. Even on the closer, “Daughter,”which comes off as completely sincere and largely free of the touchstones found throughout the record, Devine sneaks in a Cat Stevens reference atop gossamer synths and solemn electric guitars. Just like the building blocks of pop art, Warhola is a record that can be examined and explored as deep as a person can fathom. And now that it exists in the world, it’s part of the culture it seeks to understand. Warhola is available on all major streaming platforms. Physical copies will be available in 2021.

and drummer Josh Morse were just setting themselves up for another burn session when they smashed “send” on that email. “Small Time Smugglers Town,” the LP’s opening track, had me properly worried I was going to have to be a bastard again. It’s jaunty but utterly forgettable and lyrically limp. As writers, Some Hollow aren’t big on subtext. Take, for instance, this line from “Downtown,” the second track: “Went downtown to play a show / With Josh and Jim and Some Hollow / Man, we really laid it down / right in the middle of downtown.” Lee sings this with all the emotional depth of a man reading a bus schedule. However, a curious thing happened as the album went on. With additional listens, the band started catching me with its hooks. The laid-back, late-night funk of “Every Single Day” didn’t feel like anything I had heard on Green. Lee’s voice shone amid the outlaw country feel of “Worried Man.” There were interesting

sonic tweaks happening during the songs and an added layer of sophistication to the writing. “Meetings” even delved into They Might Be Giants territory, with tongue-in-cheek, irreverent humor and some killer saxophone breaks courtesy of Swimmer’s Matt Dolliver. The band itself was never the problem, and Some Hollow’s tightness, honed over years of gigging, is impossible to miss. The difference on Coffee, Water, Beer is that the trio is starting to put out songs that use those chops in interesting ways. It has also incorporated a couple of ace guest musicians, including Pappy Biondo on banjo and guitarist Dan Rahilly, both of whom serve up tasty work. The overall result is a pleasant, interesting record that hits several high-water marks for the band. Judging by Some Hollow’s fearless response to an early pummeling, the band’s confidence and future are both trending upward. Coffee, Water, Beer is streaming now on Spotify.

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movies His House ★★★★

S E V E N D AY S T I C K E T S . C O M

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HOME FRONT Mosaku (left) and Dirisu play a refugee couple facing a supernatural threat in Weekes’ thoughtful scare film.

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The deal

Married couple Bol and Rial Majur (Sope Dirisu and Wunmi Mosaku) fled from their native South Sudan to the UK hoping for a better life. Released from detention, the two refugees are given a modest row house in an economically depressed town and the task of sitting tight and proving they’re “good people” worthy of their new home. Under no circumstances are they allowed to relocate without official permission. So, naturally, the house turns out to be haunted. Mysterious bumps and a humming voice resonate through the shabby rooms. Wallpaper peels itself off to reveal terrifying visions. Something is stalking Bol and Rial, and at least one of the phantoms is well known to them — the young daughter, Nyagak (Malaika Wakoli-Abigaba), whom they lost on their harrowing journey to England.

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ur streaming entertainment options are overwhelming — and not always easy to sort through. This week, the warm weather had me turning my mental clock back to the lead-up to Halloween. It seemed like a good time to watch His House, Netflix’s new socially conscious horror flick from debut director Remi Weekes.

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Will you like it?

His House is a sly hybrid: half hauntedhouse flick, half sober drama about culture clash, trauma and survivor’s guilt. Viewers who come for the former film rather than the latter may be disappointed when the haunting doesn’t escalate in the meticulously sadistic way that films such as The Conjuring have taught us to expect. Weekes dials the scares up to 11 prematurely, then pulls back to examine everything those scares are a metaphor for. By the midpoint, the house is more dreamscape than hellscape, a place where the couple’s memories and fears meld into surreal visions that paint themselves directly on the walls and floors. (I was reminded of the stunning 2018 animation The Wolf House, also about a haunted refugee.) The central issue is not whether the ghosts are real but which spouse is taking the right approach to them. While Bol does his best to fight the haunting, Rial embraces it as a chance to bargain with the supernatural — specifically, an angry witch — for Nyagak’s return. The split replicates their different attitudes toward their new home: While Bol tries desperately to fit in, cheering for soccer players at the local pub, Rial can’t overcome her sense of loss and alienation. Weekes’ screenplay and staging depict the couple’s situation with nuance; it’s clear why they feel isolated and

sometimes paranoid, yet neither they nor their English neighbors are caricatured. Some people are welcoming to them, others hostile, others indifferent. The two central characters could be more fleshed out as individuals, but the actors inhabit them fully, conveying complex emotional shifts with small changes of expression. There are moments of levity, too, as when Bol and Rial spy an old woman shambling down the street and joke that she must be the queen they’ve heard so much about. When it comes to horror cinema, I’m a sucker for deep-focus shots where a monster appears subtly in the background, visible only to the audience, and the first half of His House offers some masterful examples of this tactic. If the second half is less scary, it’s because Weekes has revealed that the real monster chasing the couple is their own past, which takes increasingly gruesome forms the more they attempt to repress it. The ending has an elegiac quality that fans of The Babadook will recognize, revealing the movie to be less a genre film than an earnest psychological drama about migration, loss and belonging. Right now, refugees seem to haunt the Western imagination; His House suggests that they are, first and foremost, always the haunted.

If you like this, try...

• Horror Noire: A History of Black Horror (2019; Shudder, AMC+, Urban Movie Channel): Xavier Burgin’s documentary traces a century of African Americans’ depictions in and contributions to the horror genre, leading to the current renaissance represented by Jordan Peele’s hits Get Out and Us. • Under the Shadow (2016; Netflix, rentable): Real-world terrors spin themselves into otherworldly ones in this art-house horror flick about a politically marginalized young woman sheltering with her child in the wartorn Iran of the 1980s. • Demon (2015; Kanopy, Shudder, AMC+, rentable): This film from Poland, about an outsider marrying into a small farming community, finds subtle, cerebral scares in culture clash and the refusal of the past to stay buried. MARGO T HARRI S O N

LACEY TERRELL/NETFLIX

“It had been so lonely living alone, but now my house feels like a home again.”

From left: Haley Bennett, Gabriel Basso and Amy Adams in Hillbilly Elegy

NEW IN THEATERS AMMONITE: In Victorian England, a pioneering female paleontologist (Kate Winslet) and a society woman (Saoirse Ronan) find love in this period drama from writer-director Francis Lee. (120 min, R; Savoy Theater) COME AWAY: The future Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland are siblings in this family fantasy from director Brenda Chapman (Brave), starring Angelina Jolie, David Oyelowo and Gugu Mbatha-Raw. (94 min, PG; Essex Cinemas) FREAKY: A high schooler (Kathryn Newton) gets body-swapped with a serial killer (Vince Vaughn), and … hilarity ensues? Christopher Landon (Happy Death Day) directed the horror comedy. (101 min, R; Essex Cinemas, Sunset Drive-In) HILLBILLY ELEGY: Amy Adams and Glenn Close really go for those Oscars as they play the lowachieving rural relations of a high-achieving young man (Gabriel Basso) in Ron Howard’s drama based on J.D. Vance’s memoir. (116 min, R; Essex Cinemas) MARTIN EDEN: A working-class fellow (Luca Marinelli) builds a career as a writer while nursing his passion for an heiress in this adaptation of Jack London’s semiautobiographical 1909 novel. Pietro Marcello directed. (129 min, TV-PG; Savoy Theater)

NOW PLAYING COME PLAYHHH A family is menaced by a monster inside a kid’s smartphone in this horror flick from writer-director Jacob Chase, starring Azhy Robertson and Gillian Jacobs. (105 min, PG-13. Essex Cinemas, Sunset Drive-In) THE DONUT KINGHHH1/2 Alice Gu’s documentary tells the story of Cambodian refugee Ted Ngoy, whose multimillion-dollar doughnut empire kept Dunkin’ out of California in the 1980s. (90 min, NR; Savoy Theater) HAPPY DEATH DAYHHH In this horror twist on Groundhog Day, a girl must relive the day of her murder until she figures out whodunit. Jessica Rothe and Israel Broussard star. Christopher Landon (Scouts Guide to the Zombie Apocalypse) directed. (96 min, PG-13; reviewed by M.H. 2017; Sunset Drive-In)

HONEST THIEFHH1/2 Liam Neeson plays a bank robber whose plan to turn himself in to the FBI goes awry when rogue agents set him up for murder in this action drama directed by Mark Williams (A Family Man) and also starring Kate Walsh and Jai Courtney. (99 min, PG-13; Essex Cinemas) LET HIM GOHHH Diane Lane and Kevin Costner play a retired sheriff and his wife who are determined to find their missing grandson after their son’s death in this crime drama from director Thomas Bezucha (The Family Stone). (114 min, R; Essex Cinemas, Sunset Drive-In) THE WAR WITH GRANDPAHH Forced to share a room with his grandfather (Robert De Niro), a kid (Oakes Fegley) goes on the offensive to get his space back in this family comedy directed by Tim Hill (Hop). With Uma Thurman and Rob Riggle. (94 min, PG; Essex Cinemas)

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OLDER FILMS THE BIG LEBOWSKI (Sunset Drive-In) FLASH GORDON 40TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex Cinemas, Sun only) GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY (Essex Cinemas, Sunset Drive-In) HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS (Sunset Drive-In) TOY STORY (Sunset Drive-In) THE WOMAN WHO LOVES GIRAFFES (Savoy Theater, Sat only)

OPEN THEATERS AND POP-UPS ESSEX CINEMAS & T-REX THEATER: 21 Essex Way, Suite 300, Essex, 879-6543, essexcinemas.com THE SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 229-0598, savoytheater.com SUNSET DRIVE-IN: 155 Porters Point Rd., Colchester, 862-1800, sunsetdrivein.com

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classes THE FOLLOWING CLASS LISTINGS ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS. ANNOUNCE YOUR CLASS FOR AS LITTLE AS $16.75/WEEK (INCLUDES SIX PHOTOS AND UNLIMITED DESCRIPTION ONLINE). SUBMIT YOUR CLASS AD AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTCLASS.

climbing ADULT 3-WEEK CLIMBING CLINICS: Join our certified instructors in an inviting and fun atmosphere, meet new people, and build or improve your climbing. Classes range from beginner to intermediate and lead climbing for co-ed and women’s groups. COVID-19 restrictions apply. No experience necessary! Visit petracliffs.com for details & registration information. Tue., Thu. & Fri. nights, starting Dec. 1. Cost: $165/person for gear, 3 sessions, & either a month of membership or additional punch-card visits, depending on class. Location: Petra Cliffs Climbing Center, 105 Briggs St., Burlington. Info: Andrea Charest, 657-3872, andrea@petracliffs. com, petracliffs.com.

culinary VERMONT EATS: FALL COOKING CLASSES: Have fun with food and Vermont history with this 90-min. virtual cooking class series! Each week features one food dish and two beverages (alcoholic and non-alcoholic). Receive recipes prior to class and cook along. November 17: Maple, November 24: Dairy (sponsored by Cabot Creamery Cooperative). Visit vermonthistory.org to register! Tue., Nov. 17 & 24, 7-8:30 p.m. Cost: $5/ class for members, $10/class for nonmembers. Location: Online, Online. Info: Vermont Historical Society, Shana Goldberger, 828-2291, shana. goldberger@vermonthistory.org, vermonthistory.org/calendar.

pronunciation and to achieve fluency. Audio-visual material is used. “I feel proud to say that my students have significantly improved their Spanish with my teaching approach.” -Maigualida Rak. Read reviews on Facebook at facebook.com/spanishonlinevt. Location: Maigualida Rak, Online. Info: Maigualida Rak, spanishtutor.vtfla@gmail.com, facebook.com/spanishonlinevt. LEARN SPANISH LIVE & ONLINE: Broaden your world. Learn Spanish online via live videoconferencing. High-quality, affordable instruction in the Spanish language for adults, students and children. Travelers lesson package. Our 14th year. Personal small group and individual instruction with a native speaker. See our website for complete information, or contact us for details. Location: Spanish in Waterbury Center, Waterbury Center. Info: 585-1025, spanishparavos@gmail.com, spanishwaterburycenter.com.

massage CHINESE MEDICAL MASSAGE: This program teaches two forms of East Asian medical massage: Tui Na and shiatsu. We will explore oriental medicine theory and diagnosis, as well as the body’s meridian system, acupressure points, and yinyang and five-element theory. Additionally, Western anatomy and physiology are taught. VSAC nondegree grants are available. FSMTB-approved program. Starts Sep. 2021. Cost: $6,000/625-hour program. Location: Elements of Healing, 21 Essex Way, Suite 109, Essex Jct. Info: Scott Moylan, 288-8160, scott@elementsofhealing.net, elementsofhealing.net.

drumming DJEMBE & TAIKO: JOIN US!: Digital classes! (No classes on-site for now.) Taiko: Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Djembe: Wednesday. Kids and Parents: Tuesday and Wednesday. Private digital conga lessons by appointment. Let’s prepare for a future drum gathering outdoors! Schedule/ register online. Location: Taiko Space, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3G, Burlington. Info: 999-4255, burlingtontaiko.org.

language EXPERIENCED NATIVE PROFESSOR OFFERING ONLINE SPANISH CLASSES: Premier native-speaking Spanish professor Maigualida Rak is giving fun, interactive online lessons to improve comprehension and

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bully-proofing and self-defense life skills to avoid becoming victims and help them feel safe and secure. Our sole purpose is to help empower people by giving them realistic martial arts training practices they can carry with them throughout life. IBJJF and CBJJ certified black belt sixth-degree instructor under Carlson Gracie Sr.: teaching in Vermont, born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. A five-time Brazilian National Champion; International World Masters Champion and IBJJF World Masters Champion. Accept no Iimitations! Location: Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: 598-2839, julio@ bjjusa.com, vermontbjj.com.

yoga martial arts VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU: Brazilian jiujitsu is a martial arts combat style based entirely on leverage and technique. Brazilian jiujitsu self-defense curriculum is taught to Navy SEALs, CIA, FBI, military police and special forces. No training experience required. Easy-to-learn techniques that could save your life! Classes for men, women and children. Students will learn realistic

EVOLUTION YOGA: Come as you are and open your heart! Whether you’re new to yoga or have practiced for years, find the support you need to awaken your practice. Offering livestream, recorded and indoor classes. Practice with us at your comfort level. Flexible pricing based on your needs, scholarships avail. Contact yoga@evolutionvt.com. Single class: $0-15. Weekly membership: $10-25. 10-class pass: $140. New student special: $20 for 3 classes. Location: Evolution Yoga, 20 Kilburn St., Burlington. Info: 864-9642, evolutionvt.com.

COURTESY OF KELLY SCHULZE/MOUNTAIN DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

Humane

Society of Chittenden County

Regina

AGE/SEX: 3-year-old female ARRIVAL DATE: October 24, 2020 REASON HERE: She was brought to HSCC as a stray. SUMMARY: If there’s one thing this girl loves, it’s getting outside and exploring! She’s an energetic pup who enjoys running, jumping and sniffing everything the world has to offer. She often has a big, silly grin on her face and a mischievous twinkle in her eye. Regina has been friendly with everyone here at HSCC, but she’s eager to start the next chapter of her life with a new family! Since she came into our care as a stray, we don’t know a lot about her former life, so she’ll benefit from an owner who is comfortable getting to know her and helping her become her very best self.

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November is Adopt a Senior Pet Month! Older pets have so much to offer and make great companions for all types of families. HSCC offers year-round reduced adoption fees for our senior sweeties, including a Seniors-for-Seniors discount for adopters over 60! Visit hsccvt.org/pet-adoption to learn more and to see who is currently looking for a loving retirement home.

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CATS/DOGS/CHILDREN: She has no known experience living with other dogs, cats or children. SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Regina is available for foster-to-adopt for Vermont residents only until her spay.

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appt. appointment apt. apartment BA bathroom BR bedroom DR dining room DW dishwasher HDWD hardwood HW hot water LR living room NS no smoking OBO or best offer refs. references sec. dep. security deposit W/D washer & dryer

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 and similar Vermont statutes which make it illegal to advertise any preference, limitations, or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, handicap, presence of minor children in the family or receipt of public assistance, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or a discrimination. The newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertising for real estate, which is in violation of the law. Our

BURLINGTON Single room, Hill Section, on bus line. No cooking. Linens furnished. 862-2389. No pets. KEEN’S CROSSING IS NOW LEASING! 1-BR, $1,054/mo.; 2-BR, $1,266/mo.; 3-BR, $1,397/mo. Spacious interiors, fully applianced kitchen, fi tness center, heat & HW incl. Income restrictions apply. 802-655-1810, keenscrossing.com. PINECREST AT ESSEX Joshua Way, Essex Jct. Independent senior living for those 55+ years. 1-BR avail. now, $1,240/mo. incl. utils. & parking garage. NS/ pets. 802-872-9197 or rae@fullcirclevt.com. S. BURLINGTON CONDO 2-BR, 2-BA. 3rd floor. Stainless steel appliances, HDWD flooring, W/D. Secure parking, gym. Close to UVM. $1,850/mo. incl. heat & A/C. Email: gypsywhistle@yahoo. com, cell: 802-233-8146. TAFT FARM SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 10 Tyler Way, Williston, independent senior living. Newly remodeled 1-BR unit on the ground floor, w/ restricted view avail., $1,095/mo. incl. utils. & cable. NS/pets. Must be 55+ years of age. cintry@fullcirclevt. com, 802-879-3333. TAFT FARM SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 10 Tyler Way, Williston, independent senior living. Newly remodeled 1-BR unit on the main floor avail., $1,185/ mo. incl. utils. & cable. NS/pets. Must be 55+ years of age. cintry@ fullcirclevt.com or 802-879-3333.

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact: HUD Office of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092 (617) 565-5309 — OR — Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633 1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

display service ads: $25/$45 homeworks: $45 (40 words, photos, logo) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x21

print deadline: Mondays at 4:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classifieds questions? classifieds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x10

Homeshares BURLINGTON

Share apartment w/ active woman in her 30s who enjoys VPR & farmers markets. Assist w/ transportation, cooking & other household support, in exchange for no rent. Shared BA.

BARRE Share a newer apartment w/lovely senior couple needing an overnight presence, occas. weekend meal prep & some friendly companionship in exchange for no rent. Private BA. Dog considered!

ORWELL Musical senior gentleman who enjoys keeping up on world events, with a home to share 25 min. to Middlebury. $300/mo. plus light help w/ snow removal & companionship. Must be dog-friendly!

Finding you just the right housemate for over 35 years! Call 863-5625 or visit HomeShareVermont.org for an application. Interview, refs, bg check req. EHO Homeshare-temp2.indd 1

TAFT FARM SENIOR LIVING COMMUNITY 10 Tyler Way, Williston. Independent senior living. Newly remodeled 2-BR unit on 2nd floor avail., $1,390/mo. incl. utils. & cable. NS/pets. Must be 55+ years of age. cintry@fullcirclevt. com or 802-879-3333.

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OFFICE/ COMMERCIAL DOWNTOWN OFFICE SPACE Quiet location incl. 1-2 private offices, large conference room or work space, kitchen, high-speed internet. Avail. now. $750/mo. (1 office); $1,200/mo. (2 offices). 660-2600, info@vtiff.org. OFFICE/RETAIL SPACE AT MAIN STREET LANDING on Burlington’s waterfront. Beautiful, healthy, affordable spaces for your business. Visit mainstreetlanding.com & click on space avail. Melinda, 864-7999.

EDUCATION services

ADOPTION COUPLE HOPING TO ADOPT Kind & fun-loving VT couple can provide a safe & loving home for your baby. If you are pregnant & considering adoption, we would welcome hearing from you. jonandtessa.weebly. com, 802-272-7759.

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Calcoku SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSIFIEDS »

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

12x

2÷

View and post up to

8 3 7

2÷

5 8 2 7 9

10+ 10+

1 5

CALCOKU

Difficulty - Hard

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

8 3 1 4 1 3 2 8 7 7 6

No. 662

SUDOKU

Difficulty: Medium

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HH

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 onebox cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

Place a number in the empty boxes in such a way that each row across, each column down and each 9-box square contains all of the numbers one to nine. The same numbers cannot be repeated in a row or column.

1 8 9 3 4 5 2 7 6 3 6 2 1 7 9 5 8 4 ANSWERS ON 7 P. 614 5 8 2 6 3 1 9 H = MODERATE HH = CHALLENGING HHH = HOO, BOY! 4 1 6 7 5 2 8 9 3 5 9 7 6 8 3 1 4 2 ATROCIOUS TOONS8 2 3 4 9 1 7 6 5 ANSWERS ON P. 61 » 6 7 8 5 3 4 9 2 1 2 3 1 9 6 8 4 5 7 9 5 4 2 1 7 6 3 8

6 5

crossword 3 6 5 2 4 1

Extra! Extra! There’s no limit to ad length online.

13+

Open 24/7/365.

Post & browse ads Complete the following puzzle by using the 6 photos per ad online. at your convenience. numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

2÷ 1-

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Fresh. Filtered. Free. What’s that

buzz?

Find out what’s percolating today. Sign up to receive our house blend of local news headlines served up in one convenient email by Seven Days.

SEVENDAYSVT.COM/DAILY7 8v-daily7-coffee.indd 1

1/13/14 1:45 PM

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

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music

BANDS/ MUSICIANS PUNK DYKES/WOMXN UNITE Mid-30s queer lady punk rocker from Canada seeking to start a new band! COVID safety a priority. Let’s yell & make noise. playswmusic@ gmail.com.

INSTRUCTION BASS, GUITAR, DRUMS, VOICE LESSONS & MORE Remote music lessons are an amazing way to spend time at home! Learn guitar, bass, piano, voice, violin, drums, flute, sax, trumpet, production & beyond w/ pro local instructors from the Burlington Music Dojo on Pine St. All levels & styles are welcome, incl. absolute beginners. Come share in the music! burlington musicdojo.com, info@burlington musicdojo.com.

GUITAR INSTRUCTION Berklee graduate w/ 30 years’ teaching experience offers lessons in guitar, music theory, music technology, ear training. Individualized, step-by-step approach. All ages, styles, levels. Rick Belford, 864-7195, rickb@rickbelford.com. GUITAR LESSONS Jazz, rock, Western classical, Indian classical. Technique, theory, learn songs, express your unique voice. Studentcentered lessons. All ages/levels. 20 years’ experience. In-person & online lessons avail. xander.naylor@gmail. com, 802-318-5365.

STUDIO/ REHEARSAL REHEARSAL SPACE Safe & sanitary music/ creative spaces avail. by the hour in the heart of the South End art district. Monthly arrangements avail., as well. Tailored for music but can be multipurpose. info@ burlingtonmusicdojo. com, 802-540-0321.

BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD Tuesday, December 1st, 2020, 5:00 PM: PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE REMOTE MEETING Zoom: https://us02web. zoom.us/j/8202866895 3?pwd=RE5BdFhRMFQy aStNYlJhSTFlY1RDUT09 Webinar ID: 82028668953 Password: 842557 Telephone: +13017158592 or +13126266799 or +19292056099 or +12532158782 or +13462487799 or +16699006833 1. 21-0409CA/MA; 362 Riverside Ave (NAC-R, Ward 1E) Douglas Boyden and BlackRock Construction: 64-Unit senior housing development and related site work. Lot line merger included. 2. 21-0374CA; 160 Bank Street (FD6, Ward 3C) HandySisters LLC, Catamount Hospitality LLC: Construct gallery seating area with canopy on south side

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

– seeking alternative compliance as to gallery dimensions. Plans may be viewed upon request by contacting the Department of Permitting & Inspections between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Participation in the DRB proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. Please note that ANYTHING submitted to the Zoning office is considered public and cannot be kept confidential. This may not be the final order in which items will be heard. Please view final Agenda, at www. burlingtonvt.gov/dpi/ drb/agendas or the office notice board, one week before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard.

BURLINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT PROJECT NOTIFICATION AND SOLICITATION OF INTEREST Burlington School District (BSD) in Burlington Vermont is planning a complete overhaul of their existing high school campus. The project will consist of 192,000 SF of renovation and 78,000 SF of additions to the existing school buildings (circa 1964). Due to the size and complexity of the renovation & site work, the work will be strategically phased throughout the course of 4 years. Maintaining an active school with minimal disruptions will be the overall goal of the phasing plan. Scope includes extensive interior and exterior work, which will encompass all major construction divisions. The work is slated to start in 2021 and be substantially complete in the fall of 2024. The BSD invites Trade Contractors and Vendors to submit letters of interest for inclusion in bidding/ contracting. All contractors and vendors will need to be insured and all contracts over $500k will require pre-qualification and bonding. Contractors wishing to submit bids on bids packages over $500k must submit the AIA-A305 form plus additional documentation. The Owner has established specific qualification criteria, which is included in the qualification package. Qualification of interested parties will be conducted jointly by the Construction Manager and the BSD. Bidding will be phased

from late spring 2021 to the end of summer 2021. NOTE! This notification may be the only public notification of this work. Interested parties are encouraged to request a qualification package from the Construction Manager no later than November 15, 2020. Dylan Lozier, Construction Manager Whiting-Turner Contracting Company dylan.lozier@whitingturner.com Phone: 410-808-6690 Minority owned and women owned businesses are strongly encouraged to participate Publication Dates: October 28, November 3, November 10, 2020.

HOWARD CENTER If you received services from Howard Center and would like a copy of your record, please contact Howard Center’s Health Information Department at 488-6000. In order to protect individuals’ privacy, the agency routinely destroys healthcare records after retaining them for the number of years required by law.

& Storage, Inc. will hold a virtual public sale of the following goods:

REAL ESTATE PROFESSIONALS: List your properties here and online for only $45/week. Submit your listings by Mondays at noon to homeworks@sevendaysvt.com or 802-865-1020, x10.

A RARE OPPORTUNITY

BRISTOL | VT. ROUTE 116 | #4810075

House hold goods and personal belongs owned stored for Maria Fernandez $1,566.57 The terms of the sale are final payment in full by cash or credit card. items will be sold in “as is condition” with no warranties expressed or implied. Any person claiming the rights to these goods must pay the amount necessary to satisfy the storage cost list above. Please contact Jennifer at 802-655-6683 between the hours of 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT PROBATE DIVISION In re Estate of Frances C. Rouelle NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of Frances C. Rouelle, Essex Junction, Vermont. I Six hundred acres spanning Brishave been appointed tol, Starksboro and Monkton. Ruexecutor of this estate. ral mountain setting with wooded All creditors having Listed by Margo Plank Casco trails and old logging roads. Endclaims against the 802-453-4190 and Bill Martin less possibilities for this expansive decedent or the estate 802-989-1871 property. Road frontage on VT Rt must present their Greentree Real Estate claims in writing within 116. $695,000 vermontgreentree.com four (4) months of the first publication of this gov/public-notices-andto 11:00am. Those notice. The claim must OPENINGS: PUBLIC HEARING hearings interested in attending be presented to me at BURLINGTON CITY SCHEDULED ON https://mentalhealth. may join using the hw-GreenTree111120.indd 1 11/5/20 11:44 the AM address listed below COMMISSIONS/ APPLICATION FOR vermont.gov/news/ following information: with a copy sent to the BOARDS CERTIFICATE OF coa-howard-centercourt. The claim may be Design Advisory Board – APPROVAL SUBMITTED Join Microsoft Teams 108-184-pearl-street barred forever if it is not alternate BY HOWARD CENTER Meeting: +1802-828presented within the Term Expires 6/30/23 FOR THE PROPOSED 7667 four (4) month period. One Opening PURCHASE OF Conference ID: PUBLIC SALE PROPERTY LOCATED AT 374522616# Date: November 9, 2020 Fence Viewer Take notice that on the 180-184 PEARL STREET Term Expires 6/30/21 30th day of November IN BURLINGTON, VT. The applicant will offer /s/ Marie Line One Opening 2020, Vermont Moving a brief overview of the The Vermont & Storage, Inc. will hold Signature of Fiduciary proposed project, after Departments of Board of Tax Appeals a virtual public sale of which the public will Disabilities, Aging, and Term Expires 6/30/23 Executor: Marie Line, 8 the following goods: be invited to comIndependent Living Three Openings Thimbleberry Rd, Malta, ment. DAIL and DMH (DAIL) and of Mental House hold goods and NY 12020 representatives will be Health (DMH) (colApplications may be personal belongs owned in attendance at the lectively, Departments) submitted to the Clerk/ (802) 338-6703 stored for Craig W. hearing. have determined that a Treasurer’s Office, Walsh Certificate of Approval 149 Church Street, starlight05468@yahoo. $1,040.00 DAIL and DMH will also (COA) application from Burlington, VT 05401 com be accepting written Howard Center for the Attn: Lori NO later than The terms of the sale public comment, which purchase of a property Wednesday, December Name of publication: are final payment in full must be submitted located at 180-184 Pearl 2, 2020, by 4:30 pm. Seven Days by cash or credit card. no later than 4:30 pm Street in Burlington, items will be sold in “as on December 8, 2020. Vermont, is complete. Publication Date: If you have any quesPlease direct comments is condition” with no The property, to which 11/11/20, 11/18/20 tions, please contact warranties expressed or to Frank Reed, Director the application applies, Lori at (802)865-7136 implied. of Mental Health is the current location Name and Address of or via email lolberg@ Services, Vermont of Howard Center’s Court: Probate Division burlingtonvt.gov. Any person claiming the Department of Mental Act 1 and Bridge of Vermont Superior rights to these goods Health, 280 State Drive, programs and includes Court, Chittenden Unit, City Council President NOB 2 North, Waterbury, must pay the amount a commercial space and PO Box 511, Burlington, Tracy will plan for necessary to satisfy the VT 05671 - 2010, or nine residential units/ VT 05402 appointments to take storage cost list above. electronically to frank. apartments. Th e COA place at the December reed@vermont.gov. application and related 7, 2020 City Council Please contact Jennifer attachments and tables Meeting/City Council at 802-655-6683 All public comments are posted on the DAIL With Mayor Presiding received by December 8, between the hours of and DMH websites. Meeting. 9:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m. 2020, will be reviewed, and DAIL and DMH will This application will make a determination be the subject of an upcoming public hearing as to whether to grant a PUBLIC SALE Certificate of Approval. and public comment Take notice that on the period. The hearing is 30th day of November Link to Documents: scheduled for December 2020, Vermont Moving https://dail.vermont. 1, 2020, from 10:00am

Executor/Administrator: Jutta Miner c/o Geraldine E. Stewart, Esq, Jarrett & Luitjens, PLC, 1795 Williston Rd., Suite 125, South Burlington, VT 05403 (802) 864-5951

styling.

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 11/11/2020 Name of Probate Court: Chittenden Probate Court, P.O. Box 511, Burlington, VT 05402-0511

for all. FROM P.59

6 3

5 1 2÷ 3 7 4 35 2÷8 6 12 9 1-

8 7+ 6 4 1 9 2 7 3 5

9 2 5 6 7 3 8 1 4

5 1 3 2 3 1 4-8 7 6 10+ 4 5 9 2

2 6 4 1 4 5 17 9 213+ 6 5 2 10+ 8 3 99+ 1 3 4 6 8 1 7

2 7 6 5 8 4 3 1 9 8 9 3 1 4 2 7 62- 5 9 2 1 4 5 7 Difficulty - Hard 6 3 8

12x

2÷

Using the enclosed math operations as a guide, fill the grid using the numbers 1 - 6 only once in each row and column.

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Calcoku

No. 662

4v-free-colors.indd 1

Difficulty: Medium

7 6

Executor: Chrystal Bolm 87 Seymour St #301 Williston, VT 05495 802-578-0470

wheeling.

Dated: 10/27/2020 Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Jutta Miner

Signature of Fiduciary

To the Creditors of: Ralph Miner late of South Burlington, Vermont. I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the 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.

FROM P.59

Date: 11/3/2020 /s/ Chrystal Bolm

DATED : October 8, 2020 By: /s/ Rachel K. Ljunggren__ Rachel K. Ljunggren, Esq. Bendett and McHugh, PC 270 Farmington Ave.,

I have been appointed executor of this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months 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.

PUZZLE ANSWERS

Being the same property conveyed to Stephen Kelty, a single man and Valerie Brooks, a single woman, as tenants in common, by deed dated November 30, 2004 of

The mortgagor is entitled to redeem the premises at any time prior to the sale by paying the full amount due under the mortgage, including the costs and expenses of the sale. Other terms to be announced at the sale.

To the creditors of Peter Bolm, Burlington, Vermont.

BEING ALL AND THE SAME LAND AND PREMISES AS CONVEYED TO STEPHEN KELTY, A SINGLE MAN, AND VALERIE BROOKS, A SINGLE WOMAN, AS TENANTS IN COMMON BY QUITCLAIM DEED, OF STEPHEN KELTY, ALSO KNOWN AS STEPHEN E. KELTY, JR, A SINGLE MAN DATED 11/30/2004, AND RECORDED 02/09/2005 IN BOOK 206 PAGE 18 OF THE TOWN OF BARRE RECORDS, AND IN SAID DEED DESCRIBED AS FOLLOWS:

thinking.

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

Land Situated in the Town of East Barre in the County of Washington in the State of VT.

TEN THOUSAND ($10,000.00) Dollars of the purchase price must be paid by a certified check, bank treasurer’s or cashier’s check at the time and place of the sale by the purchaser. The balance of the purchase price shall be paid by a certified check, bank treasurer’s or cashier’s check within sixty (60) days after the date of sale.

SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT STATE OF VERMONT PROBATE DIVISION DOCKET NO.: 20-PR-01238 In re ESTATE of RALPH MINER

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT PROBATE DIVISION: DOCKET NO. 20-PR01124 CNPR In re Estate of Peter Bolm

In accordance with the Judgment Order and Decree of Foreclosure entered August 31, 2020,in the above captioned action brought to foreclose that certain mortgage given by Deborah Kelty a/k/a Deborah J. Kelty f/k/a Deborah Gagne and the late Stephen E. Kelty, Jr.to Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for Quicken Loans Inc., dated April 27, 2012 and recorded

Tax Id Number(s): 024/022.00

Terms of sale: Said premises will be sold and conveyed subject to all liens, encumbrances, unpaid taxes, tax titles, municipal liens and assessments, if any, which take precedence over the said mortgage above described.

Ste. 151, Farmington, CT 06032

Name of publication: Seven Days Publication Date: Nov. 11, 2020 Name and Address of Court: Vermont Superior Court Chittenden Unit 175 Main St. Burlington, VT 05401

MORTGAGEE’S NOTICE OF FORECLOSURE SALE OF REAL PROPERTY UNDER 12 V.S.A. sec 4952 et seq.

To wit:

Reference is hereby made to the above instruments and to the records and references contained therein in further aid of this description.

Executor: Julia Russell 142 Windswept Ln Charlotte, VT 05445 802-425-4757 julia05russell@gmail. com

STATE OF VERMONT VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT WASHINGTON UNIT, CIVIL DIVISION DOCKET NO: 520-9-19 WNCV QUICKEN LOANS, LLC FORMERLY KNOWN AS (FKA) QUICKEN LOANS INC. v. DEBORAH KELTY A/K/A DEBORAH J. KELTY F/K/A DEBORAH GAGNE OCCUPANTS OF: 22 Phil Street, (East Barre) Barre VT

Commonly known as: 22 Phil Street, East Barre, VT 05649.

/s/ Julia Russell, Signature of Fiduciary

Name and Address of Court: Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit Probate Division PO Box 511 Burlington, VT 05402

record in Deed Book 206, Page 18, in the County Clerk’s Office.

Date: 11/6/2020

Publication Date: November 11, 2020

’BEGINNING AT A POINT ON THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF A ROAD AS LAID OUT IDENTIFIED AS PHIL STREET, WHICH POINT MARKS THE MOST SOUTHERLY CORNER OF LAND NOW OWNED BY DAVID BROWN AND THE MOST EASTERLY CORNER OF LAND BEING HEREIN CONVEYED; THENCE PROCEEDING FROM SAID POINT NORTH 55 DEG. 19 MIN. 35 SEC. WEST 100 FEET TO AN IRON PIN; THENCE TURNING TO THE LEFT AND RUNNING SOUTH 59 DEGREES 01 MIN. 20 SEC. WEST 99.54 FEET TO AN IRON PIN; THENCE TURNING TO THE LEFT AND PROCEEDING SOUTH 31 DEGREES 03 MINUTES 51 SECONDS WEST A DISTANCE OF 25 FEET TO A POINT WHICH CONSTITUTES THE MOST WESTERLY CORNER OF LAND BEING CONVEYED AND THE MOST NORTHERLY CORNER OF THE ABUTTING LOT #3 LOCATED SOUTHWESTERLY OF LOT #1; THENCE TURNING TO THE LEFT AND PROCEEDING SOUTH 57 DEGREES 48 MINUTES EAST A DISTANCE OF 154.93 FEET TO A POINT ON THE NORTHERLY SIDE OF SAID PHIL STREET; THENCE TURNING TO THE LEFT AND PROCEEDING NORTH 26 DEGREES 40 MINUTES EAST A DISTANCE OF 110 FEET TO THE PLACE OF BEGINNING’

To the creditors of Judith Heyde, Charlotte, Vermont. I have been appointed executor of this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months 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.

Name of publication: Seven Days

in Book 260 Page 473 of the land records of the Town of Barre, of which mortgage the Plaintiff is the present holder, by virtue of an Assignment of Mortgage from Mortgage Electronic Registration Systems, Inc. as nominee for Quicken Loans Inc. to Quicken Loans Inc. n/k/a Quicken Loans, LLC dated January 23, 2015 and recorded in Book 278 Page 582 of the land records of the Town of Barre for breach of the conditions of said mortgage and for the purpose of foreclosing the same will be sold at Public Auction at 22 Phil Street, (East Barre) Barre, Vermont on December 4, 2020 at 11:00AM all and singular the premises described in said mortgage,

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

chrystal.bolm@ uvmhealth.org

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT PROBATE DIVISION DOCKET NO. 20PR01239 In re Estate of Judith Heyde

61 6/12/12 3:25 PM

62 NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

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

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X21, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE. JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Holiday Cash!

Apply in person 210 East Main Street, Richmond

Seven Days Issue: 11/11 Due: 11/9 by 11am Size: 3.83 x 3.46 Cost: $308.55 (with 1 week online)

Engaging minds that change the world

Part-time Career Counselor

THE WAITSFIELD FARMERS MARKET is looking for a

Market Manager. Please go to waitsfieldfarmersmarket.com for a complete job description and application instructions. We will respond to all qualified candidates.

Navigate New Possibilities ™ Your Career at NDI is Waiting

Seeking a motivated individual to team up with our Health Professions Advisor in supporting pre-health students. Use accessible and culturally responsive approaches to design and promote opportunities, meet with students/alums, build our network, and mentor peer leaders. Creativity is a must for this part-time, temp position (funded through June 2021). Cover letter and resume to career@uvm.edu by 18-Nov.

Find out more at our Hire Up Session: Wednesday, November 11, 10:30 a.m.

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EVENTS AND MARKETING COORDINATOR

Learn more about NDI at ndigital.com/careers.

11/9/20 1:29 PM

MANUFACTURING OPERATORS! Location: Essex Junction, VT Night Shift: 7pm to 7am Pay Rate: $17.44 (includes shift differential)

Part Time and Full Time Opportunities Available in Hannaford Stores Throughout Vermont

Schedules: Work approximately 14 Days per Month!! • Includes long, 4-day weekends every other week! Eligible for Benefits on Day 1: • Medical, Dental & Vision Coverage. • Paid Vacation Time: Approximately 3 weeks per year (accrued). • Paid Sick Time: 80 hours per year • 401k Investing Options. Education Assistance: Eligible after 6 months. • Up to $5,250 per year in a degree related field.

Comprehensive health & wellness benefits for full time associates Part time associates still receive additional Hannaford rewards incentives, as well as access to our Employee Assistance Program Flexible schedules, and great career/development opportunities.

Apply online at globalfoundries.com/about-us/careers or for more information email jobs@globalfoundries.com.

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11/4/20 11:58 AM

http://bit.ly/HireUpNDI

The University of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity/Afﬁrmative Action Employer.

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Immediate full-time and flexible part-time positions Manufacturing, Call Center, Warehouse

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Do you love making checklists, and then checking things off of them? Are you great at planning and executing fun events? Do you work well with a wide range of people, and handle stressful situations with calmness and creativity? Do you value a close-knit community and thriving downtowns? Montpelier Alive works to make Montpelier more livable and vibrant by celebrating its heart and soul: its downtown. We are looking for a part-time Events and Marketing Coordinator to help us celebrate Montpelier and its people through enchanting events and captivating communications. Visit montpelieralive.org/ apply for more information.

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10/30/20 12:52 PM

CARING PEOPLE WANTED Burlington Area

Home Instead Senior Care, a provider of personal care services to seniors in their homes, is seeking friendly and dependable people. CAREGivers assist seniors with daily living activities. P/T & F/T positions available. 12 hours/week minimum, flexible scheduling, currently available. $13-$17.50/hour depending on experience. No heavy lifting. Apply online at: homeinstead.com/483 Or call: 802.860.4663

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2/24/20

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

63 NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Restorative Justice Assistant The Essex Community Justice Center (ECJC) is seeking to hire a temporary, part time Restorative Justice Assistant. Tasks will include: victim outreach, administrative support and data tracking. The position will be 20 hours/week through 5/31/21, and requires a flexible schedule allowing for some evening hours. Training, education, course work and/or lived experience in the areas of substance abuse, mental health, domestic and sexual violence, trauma, poverty, crime and other challenges is desirable. The ideal candidate will be passionate about social/racial/economic justice and restorative approaches to crime and conflict. Strong computer, data tracking, communication and phone skills are desired.

The Essex Community Justice Center is committed to diversity, equity, and inclusion, recognizing and respecting that diverse perspectives and experiences are valuable to our team and essential to our public service. BIPOC, people with disabilities, 1:02 PMLGBTQ+ applicants, and people from other underrepresented groups, are encouraged to apply.

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10/29/20 10:20 AM

The minimum starting pay for this temporary part-time position is $20/hour. Applications can be submitted online by visiting essexvt.org or essexvt.bamboohr.com/jobs/. Applications will be taken through November 20, 2020 at which point we will begin reviewing applicants. The Town of Essex is an equal opportunity employer.

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Looking for a Sweet Job?

DIRECTOR OF REAL ESTATE DEVELOPMENT

10/30/20 12:33 PM

LEAD CARPENTER

Our mobile-friendly job board is buzzing with excitement.

Exciting opportunity to join one of the fastest growing businesses in Vermont while making a difference in your community!

Job seekers can: • Browse hundreds of current, local positions from Vermont companies.

Champlain Housing Trust is seeking a highly skilled and experienced professional to lead its real estate development activities throughout Chittenden, Franklin, and Grand Isle counties.

• Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type. • Set up job alerts. • Apply for jobs directly through the site.

Start applying at jobs.sevendaysvt.com

The ideal candidate will be committed to social justice, equity, and CHT’s membership based model of community controlled and permanently affordable housing and possess a minimum of 5 years of experience in housing development, project coordination, sophisticated development financing, government housing programs, and grant writing and compliance. One of Vermont’s Best Places to Work in 2020, CHT is a socially responsible employer offering an inclusive, friendly work environment and competitive pay commensurate with experience. Our excellent benefit package includes a generous health insurance plan, three weeks of paid vacation, 14 paid holidays, sick leave, 403(b) retirement plan with employer contribution after one year, disability and life insurance and more.

POLLI Construction provides residential construction services in all of Chittenden County. We strive to exceed customer’s expectations and create a work environment that fosters learning and growth. We offer competitive pay based on skill and experience, scheduled pay reviews, and over-time, vacation, and holiday pay.

TO APPLY, CALL, EMAIL OR STOP BY!

For additional details regarding this position or to apply, please visit our career page: getahome.org/about/careers.

Equal Opportunity Employer: CHT is committed to a diverse workplace and highly encourages women, persons with disabilities, Section 3 low income residents, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to apply.

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10/26/20 6t-PolliConstruction111120 12:55 PM 1

802.482.5777

contact@polliconstruction.com 11 Gregory Drive, South Burlington

11/5/20 2:55 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

INTERN ARCHITECT

Wide ranging responsibilities will include design development, graphic presentation, and construction documentation. We are looking for someone with building construction knowledge, strong technical skills, and Revit proficiency. Someone who can work collaboratively as well as take on independent assignments. AES Northeast is a multi-discipline A/E firm of 48 architectural and engineering professionals with a diverse portfolio of residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial projects. We offer a welcoming, creative, professional work environment with locations in Plattsburgh, NY and Williston, VT. This full-time position is available immediately.

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The Vermont Judiciary is recruiting for several full-time, permanent Docket Clerk positions, to perform specialized clerical duties including data entry and extensive customer service over the phone. Locations in Burlington, St.Albans, Middlebury, Rutland, & Newport VT. High School graduate and two years of clerical, or data entry experience required. Starting at $17.11 per hour with excellent benefits, paid holidays and leave time. Candidates shall submit a complete and up-to-date Judicial Branch Application and resume. An electronic version of the Application may be found at: vermontjudiciary.org/ employment-opportunities/staff-openings.

PCC, a private, Winooski-based healthcare IT Benefit Corporation, seeks a natural communicator who thrives in a fast-paced competitive industry, and is skilled at making instant meaningful and memorable connections with anyone they come in contact with to join our Sales Team. The ideal Sales Consultant candidate: • Has a contagious positive attitude and embraces the challenges that are inherent in any sales position; • Sustains meaningful conversations that resonate with their audience and delivers dynamic and engaging interactive presentations; • Is goal driven and holds themselves accountable for both individual and team performance; • Is a proactive and engaged listener; • Enjoys the never-ending road of learning and refining knowledge and craft; • Is self-motivated, and a creative thinker with a passion for the mission, vision and goals of PCC and the clients we serve. The responsibilities of this position on occasion require early morning, evening, and weekend commitments to accommodate the needs of the prospects and clients we work with and the industry events we attend on behalf of PCC. Once travel is safe, 25-50% travel will be required. In order to keep our employees and community safe while we continue to develop our software and support our clients, PCC’s employees have been working from home during the COVID-19 pandemic. There will be televideo interviews for this position. Once our office is fully open, we expect the Sales Consultant to be onsite at our Winooski office. As a Benefit Corporation, PCC fosters a friendly, casual, hardworking environment that values our employees, clients, and community. We offer competitive benefits as well as some uncommon perks. Please see our website for more information about PCC, this job, and how to apply: pcc.com. No phone calls lease. AA/EOE.

WHERE YOU AND 11/9/202v-Kellogg-HubbardLibrary110420.indd 4:51 PM YOUR WORK MATTER...

PROJECT & IMPLEMENTATION SPECIALIS T – BURLINGTON

This position combines organizational development and employee engagement with implementation, maintenance and assessment of business processes and systems. Duties include: Develop and implement employee engagement and training strategies for projects and processes; Manage our Records Management Program; Support employees to gain knowledge, skills, and abilities to be active users of SharePoint sites and O365 apps; Administer employee emergency notification system and learning management system. For more information, contact Paul Hochanadel at (802) 585-0209 or paul.hochanadel@vermont.gov. Department: Vermont Department of Health. Status: Full Time. Job ID #10303. Application Deadline: November 24, 2020.

P U B L I C H E A LT H D I S T R I C T D I R E C T O R – M O R R I S V I L L E

Do you want to be part of a team that is building a culture of health in VT communities? We have an exciting opportunity for an experienced leader to guide a multidisciplinary team in the Morrisville Office. District Directors mobilize staff and partners to improve the health and well-being of Vermonters. At the local level, District Directors build relationships and forge connections with key stakeholders such as health care providers, hospitals, schools, businesses and community coalitions. For more information, contact Allison Reagan at Allison.Reagan@vermont.gov or 802.652.4190. Department: Vermont Department of Health. Status: Full Time. Job ID #8027. Application Deadline: November 19, 2020.

UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE PROGRAM ADMINIS TRATOR IV – MONTPELIER

The Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) Division is currently in need of an experienced Program Administrator to plan, coordinate, and supervise a unit within the division. If you’re up for the task of helping to manage a vital State program, have excellent communication and leadership skills, and can thrive in an environment that is governed by complex State & Federal regulations, this might be the right job for you! For more information, contact Angela Rouelle at angela.rouelle@ vermont.gov. Department: Labor. Status: Full Time – Limited Service. Job ID #7800. Application Deadline: Open Until Filled.

A G R I C U LT U R E W A T E R Q U A L I T Y S P E C I A L I S T I I / I I I – WILLISTON

The Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets is currently hiring for an Agriculture Water Quality Specialist! This position will support in achieving and maintaining compliance with a wide range of federal, and state water quality regulations. For more information, contact Laura DiPietro at Laura.DiPietro@vermont.gov. Status: Full Time. Please Note: This position is being recruited at multiple levels. If you would like to be considered for more than one level, you MUST apply to the specific Job Requisition: Level II: Job ID #10401 - Level III: Job ID #10261. Application Deadline: November 22, 2020.

Learn more at :

careers.vermont.gov

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The Kellogg-Hubbard Library seeks an enthusiastic and charismatic fundraiser to implement all aspects of the library’s fundraising program and initiatives. This full-time position works 35 hours per week on a flexible schedule and the work can be done partially from home. Please see our website for the complete job description: kellogghubbard. org/employment.

These positions are open until filled. Equal opportunity employer.

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SALES CONSULTANT

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Development Coordinator

CLERICAL ASSISTANTS

AES Northeast is seeking an inspired Intern Architect to join our 3-person team in Williston, Vermont. We are looking for a candidate that has a degree in Architecture and a minimum of 4 years of related professional office experience.

11/3/20 12:28 PM

RESIDENT ORGANIZER VT Affordable Housing Coalition seeks part-time Resident Organizer, with thorough understanding of Vermont’s affordable housing landscape, to take lead role in establishing statewide, resident-led grassroots policy advocacy initiative. Bachelor’s degree and 2-4 years of community organizing experience required. This is a one-year contracted, grant-funded position with anticipated December start date and potential for renewal and expansion in second year. To apply send cover letter and resume to: hiring@ vtaffordablehousing.org. Applications accepted on a rolling basis until position is filled.

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10/19/20 4:28 PM

The State of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer

11/9/20 8:54 AM 7spot.indd 1

10/29/19 12:12 PM

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

Accounting Manager Responsible for all financial reports and records for a local non-profit in So. Burlington. Bachelor’s Degree or equivalent in business related field. Minimum of two years’ experience in related position. Supervisory experience and knowledge of computer systems and databases needed. Send resume, references and salary requirements to: Vermont Association for the Blind and Visually Impaired, 60 Kimball Avenue, So. Burlington, VT 05403 E.O.E.

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MULTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN

CENTERS FOR WELLBEING Join our exciting and innovative prevention-oriented counseling team. Seeking experienced counselors for these full and part-time positions: • Short-term solution-focused counselors for adults experiencing a range of daily life stressors, relationship issues, depression, and anxiety.

Please send a letter stating if some or all these positions interest you, the number of hours per week you prefer to work, with a copy of your current resume. Positions available in different areas of Vermont. Half-time positions provide full health care and retirement benefits! All work performed remotely while COVID persists. Master’s in counseling-related field required; license required for #1 and #2 above. Please email marca@investeap.org by November 23rd. The Invest EAP Centers for Wellbeing is an E.O.E.

Jennifer@vtmoving.com.

4/26/19 12:20 PM

Responsible for the maintenance and repair of information technology hardware and associated software in schools within the Addison Northwest School District and provides technology customer service to administrators, staff, and students in schools; provides training to staff on hardware and software, including one-on-one and groups; coordinates school technology purchasing and budgeting. For full job description and to apply go to: schoolspring.com job #3392684

For more information or to apply, please visit nvrh.org/careers.

• Resource and social work support counselors for lower income individuals seeking support with day-to-day challenges.

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

Technology Support Specialist

Full, part-time and per diem positions available. Excellent benefits available including student loan repayment and tuition reimbursement.

• Prevention counselors to provide behavioral screening and short-term Motivational Interviewing (MI) for depression, anxiety, and increasing exercise. In-depth MI training offered on the job.

Local moving company looking for movers! Previous experience is not required. We will train the right candidates! Applicants must have a valid driver’s 5v-InvestEAP110420.indd license, have the highest level of customer service and work well in a team atmosphere. Competitive wages!

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Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) has a variety of openings available, including RNs, LNAs, Ultrasound Technologist, Echocardiographer, Sr. MultiModality Technologist and Medical Lab Technician or Medical Technologist. NVRH also has Administrative Positions, Food Service and Environmental Services openings.

COUNSELORS

10/30/20 11:24 AM

MOVING PROFESSIONALS

65 NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

TRANSLATORS NEEDED!

10/9/20 1:15 PM

PH International (Project Harmony, Inc.) is an international non-profit with 35 years of experience focusing on civic engagement, cross cultural learning, and increased opportunities in the digital age. The U.S. headquarter office is located in Waitsfield, Vermont with field offices in Armenia, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Republic of Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine with projects also implemented in other countries.

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF PROGRAM & FUND DEVELOPMENT

10/30/20 3:03 PM

ESSEX WESTFORD SCHOOL DISTRICT

Our Essex Westford School District is seeking “on-call” as needed Mandarin interpreters/translators to provide oral translation at parent/teacher meetings, and written translation of specific school documents (e.g., grade reports, letters, etc.). Position pays $50.00/hour for oral translation for up to one hour/meeting, and $50/page for written translation (or $25/page if previously translated with minor edits). We are currently accepting applications from qualified candidates who can provide English to Mandarin and Mandarin to English translation, supporting our Chinese student population. Work will be available on an on-call as-needed basis. Qualified candidates will have excellent oral and/or written translation/ interpretation skills. Excellent interpersonal skills, and an understanding of the diverse cultures of the individuals being served is also required. Preferred candidates have some experience providing translation services in a professional setting. Candidates must live within driving distance to our school district and be able to attend school-based meetings. For consideration, please apply electronically through schoolspring.com (Job ID 3334724), or mail cover letter and application to: EWSD Human Resources, 51 Park Street, Essex Jct., VT 05452

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Immediate full-time opening located in the Waitsfield, VT office for a professional to support and lead targeted program development and fundraising efforts. The successful candidate will have demonstrated development experience, preferably with an international organization, including writing and coordinating proposals for federal U.S. government funding. Lead and participate in proposal development efforts by researching topics and mapping potential partners, competitors and needed experts; prepare proposal packages for submission to donors, largely U.S. government agencies, including development of the proposal narrative, budget, and appendices; contribute to the expansion of the individual giving program; and track and report on goals, including preparation of development and funding reports. Experience in project implementation and project management, including monitoring and evaluation experience is desired; expertise in developing project budgets; excellent written, verbal and interpersonal skills; strong organizational, problemsolving, analytical and time management skills; versatility, flexibility, and a willingness to work within constantly changing priorities with enthusiasm and can handle pressure well; and a work style that embodies patience and a commitment to listening, mentoring and facilitating development projects. FULL JOB DESCRIPTION & APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS AT: ph-int.org/vacancies. Application deadline: December 2, 2020. EOE.

11/5/206t-PHInternational111120.indd 3:36 PM 1

11/9/20 1:02 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Buyer Select is looking for a talented and experienced order management lead to own the oversight and day-to-day outcomes for key clients on our brandhub™ technology platform that ensures on-time delivery of consumer brand activation assets into market.

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICE WORKER Sign On Bonus - Up to $2,000 with a starting salary of $15 an hour.

Responsible for the cleaning of all areas of the facility with the exception of the OR. Must know how to handle cleaning issues or know the appropriate resources available to solve the specific problem.

LEARN MORE & APPLY: uvmmed.hn/sevendays 4t-UVMMedCenter093020.indd 1

9/25/20 12:36 PM

Responsibilities: manage via brandhub™ application all work flow and production status with suppliers, maintain activity and communication with third party logistics (3PL) partners, and distribute accurate shipping and receiving details to all parties. Qualifications: 3-5 years experience working with third party suppliers and 3PL partners, knowledge of an order lifecycle and product logistics, and user competence of ERP and order management software. Bachelor degree preferred.

Full Listing: www.selectdesign.com/careers 208 Flynn Ave., Burlington, VT (802) 864.9075

CHOCOLATES®

Director of Sales - Wholesale

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Have a passion for sales, wowing customers, fostering positive relationships, and inspiring a team? Do you thrive in a values-driven company and happen to love chocolate? If so, you might be the dynamic and versatile person to lead, develop and implement B2B sales strategies that drive results, engage the sales team, and sustain Lake Champlain Chocolates’ growth. This new role will shape and guide our sales leadership and management strategy, leveraging the strength of our well-recognized brand, loyal customers, consistent family-ownership, and B-Corp certification. Better still, you will work with collaborative, innovative, and respectful colleagues. We believe in a better way of doing business by focusing on a triple bottom line: people, profits, and planet. The ideal candidate will reflect these shared values, lead with integrity, and have a proven trackrecord of demonstrating sales results with another natural, organic, or specialty food brand. To learn more, please visit lakechamplainchocolates.com/careers. E.E.O.

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Are you flexible and willing to work in a collaborative team environment? Do you have excellent communication and organizational skills? The Burlington School District is seeking a hands-on, goal-oriented Operations Manager - Custodial Services to assist the Director of Property Services in the daily operations and supervision of assigned employees. Second shift, flexible schedule. This position coordinates all aspects of janitorial, custodial and cleaning services while ensuring students, staff, and visitors with a safe, attractive, comfortable, clean and efficient place in which to learn, play and develop.

CUSTODIANS

Apply: careers@selectdesign.com

Lake Champlain

OPERATIONS MANAGER, CUSTODIAL SERVICES

11/9/20

Receptionist Burlington Office Prestigious law firm seeks an energetic individual to handle reception desk responsibilities. Duties include greeting clients and vendors, routing inbound phone calls, calendaring, typing and related office tasks. Candidates should possess excellent communications skills, have a pleasant telephone manner, be computer literate, organized, and be able to work in a fast paced environment. This is a fulltime position.

Multiple Positions Available! Are you interested in supporting the health of our schools? Do you take pride in your work? Do you enjoy being part of a high functioning team? If you answered “YES” to any of these questions, you may be 8:57 AM a great fit for one of our new Building Custodian positions. After completing your paid training, you will be charged with the task of support and maintaining the health and cleanliness of our schools. You will work with a team of like-minded people who take great pride in helping to keep our students and staff healthy and well. The starting wage is $16.00 per hour plus shift differential, overtime is available. We offer a generous benefits package including: Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, Section 125: Flexible Spending Accounts and Dependent Care, Retirement 403(b), Employer Paid: Health Reimbursement Account (HRA), Employer Paid: Life Insurance. Paid Time Off: Vacation, Holidays, Sick Days, Personal Days.

Competitive salary and benefits package. Please reply to: Richard Dorfman, Business Manager Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP Email: rdorfman@langrock.com www.langrock.com

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Visit our career page to apply:

bsdvt.org/careers

10/26/20LS-BurlingtonSchoolDistrict111120.indd 2:30 PM 1 11/10/20 12:59 PM

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

PART-TIME BOOKKEEPER

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Rock Point School in Burlington is looking for a part-time bookkeeper to join our supportive and flexible team. The bookkeeper will manage bookkeeping and payroll and work closely (masked and socially distant, of course) with our director of finance and office manager.

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For more information and to apply, visit rockpointschool.org/part-time-bookkeeper

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Is currently seeking:

Supported Housing Respite Staff

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11/9/20 4t-DRPower110420 10:43 AM 1

10/29/19 12:12 PM Help Vermonters pursue their education goals!

VSAC CAREER AND EDUCATION OUTREACH: CURRICULUM DEVELOPER

VSAC’s Aspirations Project is seeking an exceptional Curriculum Developer to build on our existing curriculum and develop new curriculum to support our Outreach Programs as well as Vermont students, families, and schools. The ideal candidate has a passion for curriculum development, knowledge of postsecondary education and career exploration, an eye for details, and an appreciation for collaboration, organization and engaged learning. This candidate also possesses a deep understanding of how to work across teams to create curricula that is resonant with high school and college students, particularly those from historically marginalized communities, and that can be implemented by educators in a wide range of teaching contexts. The Aspirations Project Curriculum Developer works with VSAC’s Aspirations Supervisor, a Project Manager, and VSAC’s Outreach team to support the successful development and sharing of VSAC’s college and career curriculum. This part-time, temporary position can operate remotely with flexible scheduling.

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10/29/20 10:30 AM

100% EMPLOYEEOWNED

We’re all about mission at Vermont Student Assistance Corporation (VSAC). Help us fulfill our mission of providing all Vermont students with information and financial resources to reach their educational goals through development of college and career related curricula.

Apply ONLY online at www.vsac.org VERMONT STUDENT ASSISTANCE CORPORATION PO Box 2000, Winooski, VT 05404 EOE/Minorities/Females/Vet/Disabled

67 NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

Looking for a Sweet Job? Our mobile-friendly job board is buzzing with excitement. Job seekers can: • Browse hundreds of current, local positions from Vermont companies. • Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type. • Set up job alerts. • Apply for jobs directly through the site.

Start applying at jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Join the team at Gardener’s Supply Company We are a 100% employee-owned company and an award winning and nationally recognized socially responsible business. We work hard AND offer a fun place to work including BBQs, staff parties, employee garden plots and much more! We also offer strong cultural values, competitive wages and outstanding benefits!

Materials Handling and Inventory Manager We’re looking for a talented individual to join our Distribution Center in Milton, VT! This person is responsible for the well-being and success of the staff ; the efficient and safe storage and movement of all GSC inventory in a warehouse environment; locator accuracy; and supporting the Fulfillment operation. This position requires considerable hands-on work, collaborating with other departments and communicating effectively. Our ideal candidate will have a min of 3 yrs supervisory experience; in depth working knowledge of materials handling and inventory systems; aptitude in computer and physical systems; and strong team leadership and people management skills. Interested? Please go to our careers page at www.gardeners.com/careers and apply online!

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4/14/20 2:06 PM 1 Untitled-14 GW_MatHand7D_110720.indd 1

11/9/20 11:17 8:55 AM 11/6/20 AM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

INVESTIGATOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROJECT MANAGER

Office of the Public Defender, Burlington. Demanding criminal caseload in a fast-paced office environment. Must be able to work independently and as part of a legal team. Duties may require irregular hours and travel for which private means of transportation is required. Previous criminal investigation experience preferred.

Evernorth is seeking a Project Manager to join our real estate development team. The successful candidate will be an excellent communicator, team builder and enthusiastic collaborator, with experience in project management – design/ construction related, preferred. We believe in equal access to affordable housing and economic opportunities; the power of partnerships based on integrity, respect, and professionalism; and a collaborative workplace with professional, skilled and dedicated staff.

Full-time, exempt PG22 (union) position with State benefits. $22.36/hr. Email resume and cover letter by Sunday, November 15th to mary.deaett@vermont.gov.

Please send a cover letter and resume with salary requirements by November 20, 2020, to Sue Cobb, Director of Project Management c/o hr@evernorthus.org. E.O.E.

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10/23/20 12:27 PM 4t-Evernorth110420.indd 1

Edlund Company, LLC, an American manufacturer in Vermont since 1925. As a member of the Ali Group of companies, Edlund is part of the largest multinational corporation in the foodservice equipment industry, with 78 individual brands operating 55 manufacturing plants in 14 countries, and over 8000 employees. With a business emphasis toward industry leading Innovation, Superior Quality, and Outstanding Customer Service, Edlund is a multiple award-winning manufacturer, committed to providing solutions that meet the needs of a Global Foodservice marketplace.

Currently we are looking for passionate, talented, and experienced individuals to fill the following positions:

MAINTENANCE SUPERVISOR/ MASTER ELECTRICIAN SHIPPING/RECEIVING CLERK If you possess the above qualifications and are ready to join a Best in Class organization with great benefits and a fantastic work environment, please apply online by emailing HR@Edlundco.com. For additional information including a detailed job description see our website: Edlundco.com/careers.

Edlund Company, LLC. Attention: Human Resources 319 Queen City Park Road Burlington, VT 05401 HR@Edlundco.com No phone calls please!

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11/2/20 3:06 PM

VT Association of Conservation Districts

CONSERVATION PROGRAMS SUPPORT ASSISTANT

• Are you driven by a powerful mission? • Do you want more than a job? • Do you want to help build lifesaving eyewear?

The Vermont Association of Conservation Districts seeks qualified candidates to fill a full-time Conservation Programs Support Assistant position.

If So, We Want You!

This position will support the work of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) by providing assistance to NRCS staff managing enrollments in USDA Farm Bill Easement and Financial Assistance programs. The position will be located in the NRCS’ State Office in Colchester. It is anticipated that the Support Assistant will work three days per week in the Colchester office with the opportunity to work remotely the balance of the time. The Support Assistant’s responsibilities include providing day-to-day administrative, programmatic and clerical assistance to the Assistant State Conservationist for Programs (ASTC-Programs), NRCS Program Analyst and others as assigned. Qualifications include demonstrated success in providing program and administrative support and assistance in a multilayered policy driven environment; experience collaborating with operational, financial and program staff; ability to track, analyze and summarize data via spreadsheets and on-line applications; demonstrated skills in editing, drafting and/or developing explanatory bulletins, announcements, Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) and other communication tools; excellent verbal, interpersonal, writing and computer skills with proficiency in MS Office, Excel, PowerPoint and familiarity with communicating in a virtual digital environment. A Bachelor's degree is preferred. Starting salary is $16.87/hour and includes health benefits, sick, holiday and vacation leave. Visit www.vacd.org for detailed job description. Send resume, cover letter, two samples of technical writing projects or presentations as well as contact information for three professional references by November 16th to: joanne.dion@vacd.org or VACD, PO Box 889, Montpelier, VT 05601. E.O.E.

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Positions Available Manufacturing Operators

12 hour shifts, 6:45am-7:15pm/6:45pm-7:15am (+15% pm differential and 5% weekend differential)

Assembly Team Members M-F, 7am-3:30pm

Eligible for Benefits on Day 1 Robust Medical, Dental & Vision Paid Time Off (accrued vacation + sick) Career Growth / Paid Parental Leave / Tuition Assistance / Work Life Balance

Sign On Bonus!

Relentless Dedication To Protect Your Vision Apply online at: www.revisionmilitary.com/ careers Revision Military is an Essential Business - hiring and operating during COVID-19. Revision Military is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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11/3/20 1:53 PM

FULL TIME HOUSEKEEPER Come work with an amazing and dedicated team! The Converse Home, an Assisted Living Community in downtown Burlington, is hiring a Full Time Housekeeper 40 hours per week, including some weekends. This is a day shift, during business hours, benefited position at $16.00 per hour! Responsibilities include cleaning residents’ rooms and common areas in the home. We are looking for someone with the desire to work with the elderly, who is friendly and compassionate, and looking for a positive change where you can make a difference. If this is you, please apply! You must be at least 18 years of age, be a high school graduate or have equivalent GED, and be able to regularly lift up to 20 pounds. Prior experience in housekeeping preferred, but not necessary to apply. You must have a clean background check to be considered. To learn more about our community visit conversehome.com OR Contact kellie@conversehome.com to apply.

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NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

69 NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR VERMONT LEAGUE OF CITIES AND TOWNS This is a unique opportunity to become Executive Director of a highly respected state municipal association located in the Green Mountains of Vermont. The VLCT Board of Directors is seeking a dynamic leader to assist the Board in developing and achieving its vision for the future of Vermont local government and the role VLCT will play in achieving that vision. Founded in 1967, the Vermont League of Cities and Towns is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that serves Vermont's municipalities and officials. VLCT employs a staff of 50 and has an annual operating budget of $6.6 million. The League provides: · Educational workshops and consulting advice for municipal officials so that they can deliver excellent service to their communities · Information for the public so that it can better understand local government · Support for legislation that strengthens local government · Comprehensive insurance coverage for municipalities. Requires a bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution in public administration, political science, association management or related field. A master’s degree or work on a comparable postgraduate degree is preferred. Ten years of association or municipal management as a chief executive officer or similar position is highly desired.

11/9/20 4:48 PMAnticipated

start date by late March, 2021. For complete details and the informational brochure (when available): vlct.org/classifieds. VLCT offers a quality workplace located in downtown Montpelier and an excellent total compensation package. Confidential cover letters and resumes must be received via email at vlcted2020@gmail.com by Monday, 12/21/2020.

MEMORY CARE MANAGER Join our team of compassionate staff with a heart for creating caring and supportive communities! Cathedral Square is seeking an experienced professional to serve as the Manager of Memory Care at Allen Brook (MCAB). Individuals in this role provide general oversight and mentoring to the staff while fostering a team approach. This position will help maintain the Best Friends Approach to Dementia Care for our community as well as cultivate relationships with residents and their families. He/she is responsible for the overall operations including supervision of direct reports, resident services, clinical oversight, regulatory compliance (including HUD regulations, Medicaid, Residential Care and Assisted Living Regulations), review of the annual budget, food services, and maintenance operations.

VLCT is an equal opportunity employer. VLCT strongly encourages people of color, people with disabilities, LGBTQ applicants, and people from other underrepresented groups to apply, recognizing and respecting that diverse perspectives and experiences are valuable to our team and essential to our work.

QUALIFICATIONS: Must possess a Bachelor’s degree in Human Services, Social Work, or Healthcare Administration, or related field. Must have at least two years of administrative experience in residential care or three years of general experience in operating a senior residence (a HUD service licensed residential care home, nursing facility or assisted living community) serving seniors or individuals with disabilities. Knowledge of HUD and other applicable housing regulations. Knowledge of Medicaid programs, ACCS, ERC and other funding programs and governing bodies related to assisted living. Demonstrated leadership skills. Excellent interpersonal communication skills and the ability to relate to a wide variety of people. Excellent organizational and time-management skills. Good computer skills and knowledge of MSWord and Excel.

11/9/20 3:28 PM

We are Age Well -- the leading experts and advocates for the aging population of Northwestern Vermont.

Job Opening Community Health Worker

Visit agewellvt.org/about/careers to learn more and apply. Since 1974, we have provided Northwestern Vermonters with essential services to help them age well.

Full time, 40 hours per week at Memory Care at Allen Brook in Williston. CSC offers competitive pay, a great benefit package and a friendly, positive working environment. Visit cathedralsquare.org for a full job description. Submit resume or application to jobs@cathedralsquare.org. EOE

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11/9/20 4:56 PM

Meals on Wheels | Care Coordination | Helpline: 1-800-642-5119 Our nonprofit mission is to provide the support and guidance that insprires our community to embrace aging with confidence. Age Well is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and an Equal Opportunity

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

DENTAL ASSISTANT Middlebury Pediatric Dentistry is looking for a dental assistant to join our friendly, close-knit team. Help us take care of Vermont kids’ oral health! Full time. Health insurance. Paid vacation. Please contact us by email and include your resume:

AFTERSCHOOL AND SCHOOL-AGE HUBS ARE HIRING! Do you love working with kids? Want to make a difference with youth in your community? Afterschool and school-age child care hubs across Vermont are hiring. Staff at these programs are a critical part of Vermont’s COVID-19 relief response, giving elementary school students support in a safe space on remote learning days and during the out-of-school time hours. There are a variety of jobs for people who have experience working with youth, and are a great opportunity for those who might be home from college, high school grads taking a gap year, or anyone interested in positive youth development. Programs are especially keen to hire energetic, responsible, creative people who have diverse skills to share. Positions are short-term, full-time or part-time, and you must pass a background check. Jobs are inperson, and employers carefully follow COVID-19 health and safety protocols.

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Visit VermontAfterschool.org/Recruit to easily indicate your interest in applying for an open position near you. 5h-VTAfterschool111120.indd 1

11/9/20 4:53 PM

10/12/20 11:19 AM

Law Firm Administrator Premier law firm seeks a Firm Administrator to join its team of professionals in steering the firm into the future. Common sense, creativity and commitment guide the firm’s approach to work, to supporting its families and to serving Vermont communities.

Community Development Underwriter

Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), located in Burlington VT, has an immediate ope From Development offices in downtown Burlington andofMiddlebury, the law Places to Wo Community Underwriter. Named one the “Best Small/Medium firm of Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP (LSW) has provided the last few years, VHFA is looking for an individual who will help us toa maintain our gre full rangea strong of legalwork services for works well bo demonstrates ethic,to is individuals creative, putsand ourbusiness customersclients first, and more than 60 years. Passionate about practicing law, the firm’s and as a team player.

Housing Policy & Engagement Specialist Vermont Housing Finance Agency (VHFA), located in Burlington VT, is recruiting for a Housing Policy & Engagement Specialist. Named one of the “Best Small/Medium Places to Work in Vermont” the last few years, VHFA is looking for an individual with strong communication skills who will help us to promote our priorities and positions, maintain our great reputation, and advance our social justice goals.

28 attorneys – along with an experienced support staff headed

Responsible for comprehensive underwriting and analysis of prospective multifamily hou bydevelopments the Firm Administrator – pride themselves on tax working as and a special initiat family being considered for VHFA financing, credits, team to provide clients with the highest quality of legal services. and analyzes Housing Credit applications and the administration of the Federal and Stat Programs; administers Development programs with the Managing Directo The Firm Administrator reports directlyintocoordination the Management Development; actively participates in initiating and conducting outreach to the developm Committee and has broad responsibility for LSW’s overall adminisand partners; assists in the development of loan and Housing Credit policies and proced tration, including finances and accounting, information technology, of the development team; maintains familiarity with and administers programs in accord human resources, insurance/risk management, facilities/real estate applicable federal regulations, VHFA statutory requirements, and Community Developme management, and marketing. Therequisitions, position is an integraland partsubmits of underwriting guidelines; manages loan maintains requisite rep the firm’s future growth and success, and as such presents a unique tracks project performance.

The focus of this position is on the Agency’s housing policy work, specifically responsible for outreach and engagement, charged with presenting VHFA’s priorities as they relate to current federal and state legislative proposals, in partnership with the Executive Director. This will require attending state and regional housing policy meetings, fully understanding and articulating the Agency’s public policy positions, and helping to strategize the research and communications tasks in support of those. Much of the focus of this role will be on external partners: engaging them in VHFA’s work and understanding the impacts of VHFA’s policies on their work. Finally, this position will work with the Agency’s JEDI (Justice Equity Diversity Inclusion) Committee to ensure VHFA’s equity, diversity and inclusionary goals are achieved.

opportunity to work with the partnership on strategic planning and

Four-year college degree or equivalent work experience is required, as is a solid grasp of the development of business systems that enhance profitability. financial risk analysis and strong spreadsheet and word processing skills. Experience in m or single-family housing development, creditexceptional analysis, loanacademic underwriting, or residential a The successful candidate must have finance, and experience with community knowledge State and federa credentials; 7+ years’ experiencedevelopment in businessand operations of of a law programs, is desirable. Requires occasional throughout Vermont with a valid driver firm or related professional servicestravel organization; excellent dependable transportation, periodic travel analytical, outside the state for training and trade co communication skills;and vision; superior problem

A Bachelor’s Degree is required. Focused studies in political science, public policy/administration or related subject is preferred, as is at least two years’ experience in community or public relations, politics, communications, or policy analysis. A demonstrated commitment to social justice, equity, diversity and inclusion, and understanding of the national and local political environment, is desired. Familiarity with affordable housing policy and or government housing programs a plus.

solvingcandidates and decision-making skills;a business acumen and theapproach with good In addition, must demonstrate creative problem-solving detail, exceptional customer both service andand possess written and verbal comm ability to collaborate as skills, a leader teamexcellent member. Must be highly organized, able to handle multiple tasks, set priorities and meet deadline Compensation is commensurate with experience and the responwith a wide range of individuals, both internal and external to the Agency.

In addition, candidates must demonstrate excellent written and verbal communication skills, a high level of cultural awareness, attentiveness, and interpersonal skills, plus a keen understanding of a fastchanging social and cultural landscape. Must work well independently and as a team member, able to manage multiple priorities, proficient in Microsoft Office products. An aptitude for graphic design or visual arts a plus. Candidates must also possess a valid Driver’s License and be willing to travel throughout Vermont and to out-of-state conference and training events as opportunities present themselves.

sibilities of the position. The firm offers a full benefits package

VHFA including offers a competitive salary and an excellent benefits For a detailed job de health insurance, profit sharing/401k, lifepackage. insurance, benefits overview, please see the Careers section of www.VHFA.org. To apply, send cover l disability insurance, discretionary year-end bonus, etc. resume, salary requirements and references to the Human Resources Department at HR@v Anticipated start date is the 1st quarter of 2021. Friday, June 7, 2019.

The salary range for this position is $52,000-$65,000 with an excellent benefits package. For a detailed job description and benefits overview, please see the Careers section of VHFA.org. To apply, send cover letter (required), resume, and references to the Human Resources Department at HR@vhfa.org. Position will be open until filled.

VHFA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workplace. We high To apply, please submit your resume, including women, persons with disabilities, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural back

a letter of introduction, to:

Christopher L. Davis, Partner, Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP 210 College Street, P.O. Box 721, Burlington, VT 05402-0721 cdavis@langrock.com • www.langrock.com

VHFA is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to a diverse workplace. We highly encourage women, persons with disabilities, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to apply. 9t-VHFA110420.indd 1

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11/9/20 3:32 PM

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

CUSTOMER ADVOCATE

GO HIRE.

Find a career. Gain a family. Full Time in our Williston, VT location. Safelite will be unlike any place you've ever worked. (This won't be just the daily grind!) You'll join caring and passionate teams that collaborate to make a difference, deliver extraordinary results and bring unexpected happiness. Every day. Your effort, heart and creative ideas will be valued and rewarded. And we care about your well-being. So, we'll strive to give you what you need to be happy at work and at home. ESSENTIAL ACTIVITIES: • Warmly welcomes in-shop customers, while applying a Customer Driven approach when handling incoming calls, e-mails and faxes for service issues, pricing, warranties, commercial, dispatch, repair, cash, wholesale and sameday reschedules/cancellations. • Proactively resolves customer concerns quickly and efficiently -- without breaking a sweat -- often coming up with creative solutions. • Breezes happily through administrative tasks such as handling buyouts, invoices work orders, managing deleted work orders and processing credit memos and rebills. • Eagerly reviews orders from the national contact center, and handles dealer part orders and special accounts. • Keeps all the moving parts running smoothly by confirming and completing work order information, including insurance verification, additional parts and missing information.

Job Seekers: Job Recruiters: • Post jobs using a form that includes key info about your company and open positions (location, application deadlines, video, images, etc.). • Accept applications and manage the hiring process via our applicant tracking tool.

• Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type. • Set up job alert emails using custom search criteria. • Save jobs to a custom list with your own notes on the positions.

REQUIREMENTS: • 1-3 years’ telephone operations or business administration experience required • High School diploma or equivalent required • Knowledge of customer service and administrative protocols • Ability to provide world class customer service • Ability to adjust and respond to a fast-paced operation • Skilled in various customer service arenas, with experience in a contact center setting • Ability to travel up to 10%

• Apply for jobs directly through the site.

• Easily manage your open job listings from your recruiter dashboard.

Get a quote when you post online or contact Michelle Brown: 865-1020, ext. 21, michelle@sevendaysvt.com.

We offer a stable work environment, competitive pay, benefits and paid time off. Apply now at Safelite.com/careers!

jobs.sevendaysvt.com

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71 NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

We're known as an auto glass company. That's the focus of what we do. But we're much more -- we're a growing and evolving service brand. And what really makes us unique is our people. Because at our core, we're a People Powered organization -- and our people come first and our culture matters. We'll help you find a fulfilling career path and encourage you to have a life. Let us be the best place you'll ever work. 11/10/20 12:54 PM 9v-Safelite110420.indd 1

11/3/20 2:06 PM

fun stuff

RACHEL LINDSAY

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

11/3/20 2:24 PM

fun stuff RYAN RIDDLE

Making it is not :( Keep this newspaper free for all. Join the Seven Days Super Readers at sevendaysvt.com/super-readers or call us at 802-864-5684.

74SR-Comics-filler071520.indd SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020 1

7/14/20 3:32 PM

Have a deep, dark fear of your own? Submit it to cartoonist Fran Krause at deep-dark-fears.tumblr.com, and you may see your neurosis illustrated in these pages.

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY REAL NOVEMBER 12-18

advice, but it’ll be especially useful to keep in mind during the coming weeks. You’re probably going to feel more pressure than usual to tell others what they wish you would tell them; you may experience some guilt or worry about being different from their expectations of you. Here’s the good news: I’m pretty certain you can be true to yourself without seeming like a jerk to anyone or damaging your long-term interests. So you might as well say and do exactly what’s real and genuine.

SCORPIO

GEMINI

(OCT. 23-NOV. 21):

“I hold a beast, an angel, and a madman in me,” wrote Scorpio poet Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) in a letter to a friend. That sounds like a lot of energy to manage! And he didn’t always do a good job at it — although he did at times tap into his primal wellspring to create some interesting poetry. I’m going to use Thomas’ words in your horoscope, because I think that in the coming weeks you can be a subtle, refined and mature blend of a beast, angel and mad person. Be your wisest wild self, dear Scorpio!

ARIES (March 21-April 19): “Love can’t always do work,” wrote novelist Iris Murdoch. “Sometimes it just has to look into the darkness.” From what I can tell, you’ve been doing that recently: looking into the darkness for love’s sake. That’s a good thing! You have been the beneficiary of the blessings that come through the contemplation of mysteries and enigmas. You’ve been recalibrating your capacity to feel love and tenderness in the midst of uncertainty. I suspect that it will soon be time to shift course, however. You’re almost ready to engage in the intimate work that has been made possible by your time looking into the darkness. TAURUS (April 20-May 20): Author Barbara

Kingsolver says, “Don’t try to figure out what other people want to hear from you; figure out what you have to say.” That’s always valuable

(May 21-June 20): “The violets in the mountains have broken the rocks,” wrote playwright Tennessee Williams. I think that’s a poetic but accurate description of the feat you’ve been working on lately, Gemini. You’re gently smashing through stony obstructions. You’ve been calling on your irrepressible will to enjoy life as you have outsmarted the rugged, jagged difficulties. You’re relying on beauty and love to power your efforts to escape a seemingly no-win situation. Congratulations! Keep up the good work!

CANCER (June 21-July 22): Cancerian rapper Vince Staples says, “I feel like it’s impossible to be completely yourself.” Why? Because ideally we’re always outgrowing who we have become; we’re moving beyond the successes we have already achieved. There is no final, whole, ideal “self” to inhabit and express — only more and more of our selfness to create. Staples suggests we’d get bored if we reached a mythical point where we had figured out exactly who we are and embodied it with utter purity. We always have a mandate to transform into a new version of our mystery. Sounds like fun! Everything I just said, Cancerian, is an empowering meditation for you right now. LEO (July 23-Aug. 22): “I am my own sanctuary, and I can be reborn as many times as I choose throughout my life.” Singer-songwriter Lady Gaga said that, and now I offer it to you to use as your motto. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, it’s a fabulous time to be your own sanctuary. I invite you to rebirth yourself at least twice between now and the end of November. What’s the first step you’ll take to get started?

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22): The National Football League is a giant socialist enterprise. It earns billions of dollars of revenue and shares it equally with each of its 32 teams. So the team in Green Bay, Wis., population 105,000, receives the same payout as the team in Chicago, population 2.7 million. I advocate a comparable approach for you in the coming weeks. Just for now, distribute your blessings and attention and favors as evenly as possible, showing no favoritism toward a particular child or friend or pet or loved one or influence. Be an impartial observer, as well. Try to restrain biases and preferential treatment as you act with evenhanded fair-mindedness. Don’t worry: You can eventually go back to being a subjective partisan if you want. For the foreseeable future, your well-being requires cordial neutrality. LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22): “Who is to decide between ‘Let it be’ and ‘Force it’?” asked Libran author Katherine Mansfield. I mention this because you’re now hanging out in the limbo zone between “Let it be” and “Force it.” But very soon — I’m sure you’ll have a clear intuition about when — you’ll figure out how to make a decisive move that synthesizes the two. You will find a way to include elements of both “Let it be” and “Force it.” SAGITTARIUS

(Nov. 22-Dec. 21): Activist and author Rebecca Solnit writes, “The grounds of my hope have always been that history is wilder than our imagination of it and that the unexpected shows up far more regularly than we ever dream.” In my astrological estimation, her grounds for hope should also be yours in the coming weeks. The future is more wide-open than you might think. The apparent limitations of the past are at least temporarily suspended and irrelevant. Your fate is purged of some of your old conditioning and the inertia of tradition. I encourage you to make a break for freedom. Head in the direction of the Beautiful Unknown.

CAPRICORN

(Dec. 22-Jan. 19): The famous Leaning Tower of Pisa doesn’t stand straight but tilts at an angle. Why? The soil it was built on is soft on one side. So the marble-and-limestone structure began to

tip even before it was finished. That’s the weird news. The good news is that the tower has remained standing for more than eight centuries — and has stayed intact even though four major earthquakes have rolled through the area. Why? A research team of engineers determined it’s because of the soft foundation soil, which prevents the tower from resonating violently with the temblors. So the very factor that makes it odd is what keeps it strong. Is there a comparable phenomenon in your life? I believe there is. Now is a good time to acknowledge this blessing — and enhance your use of it.

AQUARIUS

(Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Even if you tend to pay more attention to what’s going wrong than what’s going right, I ask you to change your attitude for the next three weeks. Even if you believe that cynicism is an intelligent perspective and a positive attitude is a wasteful indulgence, I encourage you to suspend those beliefs. As an experiment — and in accordance with astrological potentials — I invite you to adopt the words of activist Helen Keller as your keynote: “Every optimist moves along with progress and hastens it, while every pessimist would keep the world at a standstill. The consequence of pessimism in the life of a nation is the same as in the life of the individual. Pessimism kills the instinct that urges people to struggle against poverty, ignorance and crime, and dries up all the fountains of joy in the world.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20): Researchers in the UK found that 62 percent of the adult population brags that they’ve read classic books that they have not in fact read. Why? Mostly to impress others. George Orwell’s 1984 is the top-rated book for fake claims, followed by Tolstoy’s War and Peace, James Joyce’s Ulysses, and the Bible. I hope you won’t engage in anything like that type of behavior during the weeks ahead. In my opinion, it’s even more crucial than usual for you to be honest and authentic about who you are and what you do. Lying about it might seem to be to your advantage in the short run, but I guarantee it won’t.

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

L ATEST VIDEO! Eva Sollberger’s

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SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

11/9/20 3:57 PM

Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com WOMEN seeking... DREAMER Are you into conscious living? Spirituality? Nature? Honesty? Compassion? Maybe you’re a hopeless romantic? I am seeking a lasting relationship with a like-minded man. Looking for my best friend to share adventures, love and life’s ups and downs. I like to hike, ski, relax, talk, ponder and spend lots of time with you. naturgirl, 64, seeking: M, l LET’S EXPLORE NEW ENGLAND I am an honest person who is looking for the same to have fun, open-minded conversations, sex for sure, kissing absolutely. I received my degree from Johnson State College, love museums and galleries. crystalrene, 48, seeking: M, l LOYAL, KIND AND HONEST I’m a very gentle person, drama free. I love to cook, and I keep myself busy doing all kinds of art. I like to walk (with a partner will be better). I’m living my dream, and I want to share it with my partner. Pepita13, 69, seeking: M, l FREE SPIRIT Love the outdoors, especially with water. I have traveled to about 70 countries and still want to travel some. Health and fitness are very important to me. I have done many sports over the years and continue to be active. I am a very curious person and enjoy learning. Waiting to hear from you. Tapbel, 62, seeking: M, l

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NEW TO VERMONT I’m a funny, quirky, happy woman who is new to the area and would love someone who could show me around and hang out while having fun. I’ve never been a big fan of snow, but if you can make me enjoy it, then you will be a keeper. Angleyez528, 43, seeking: M, l STRONG, INDEPENDENT, INTELLECTUAL Ski? Dinner? Speak any foreign languages? No rednecks or men who will break under heavy use. Must be well educated, well traveled and cultured. 420-friendly, and no man-babies looking for a mama! pip, 56, seeking: M, l ISO INTERESTING AND MEANINGFUL Bright, effervescent, strong-like-bull personality with a great sense of humor. Seeking companionship in a like-minded, kind soul leading to friendship, maybe more. Mutual respect is key. BBW brunette here. If you have a sense of humor and can hold a conversation, let’s chat! LilacLady33, 50, seeking: M, W, l FUN, UNIQUE FOODIE Looking for someone understanding yet caring. I may be born in fall, but I love Christmas, so take me out to look at the Christmas lights and then we will put our faces in mountains of whipped cream and good ol’ warm hot chocolate and call it a day. I love pretty much everything fun. New here; show me around. Kendrypooh, 22, seeking: M, l LOVE TO HAVE FUN Looking for someone to share adventures. Looking for someone to share in the fun life has to give us. Moderately adventurous and looking for someone who wants to enjoy life, laughter and everything the future can throw at us. Funnygirl112, 57, seeking: M, l LET’S MANIFEST A SEXY SITUATION Looking for a hot, nerdy dude who has an adventurous, sensitive, techie soul. Good with his hands. Must love cuddles. I don’t mind if you prioritize your alone time as long as you don’t mind that I can be an endearing space case. Be warned: I will ask for your natal chart and when your most recent STI test was. starsaligned, 25, seeking: M POSITIVE, CURIOUS, FUNNY, OUTGOING I seek a good man with integrity and honesty — a creative thinker and problem solver who is kind, loving, considerate, a good listener, engaged with life traveling, not a smoker or big partier. I am an extrovert, kind, considerate. Swim, read, enjoy cooking and working in my studio. I am not perfect, don’t smoke/ drink, and have been told that I am pretty. Sevevdays, 69, seeking: M AUTUMN LIGHT ..the wild geese, high in the clean blue air, are heading home again. Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination...announcing your place in the family of things. Mary Oliver. Hope, 63, seeking: M, l

SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

FUNNY, ACTIVE ACTIVIST AND ADVENTURIST Recently moved to Vermont from D.C. Would like to meet people for social/ political activism, hiking, hanging out and socializing. Always up for new adventures, like discussing world events. Am compassionate, enjoy outdoor activities. I’m nonjudgmental and appreciate the same in others. I’ve been involved in activism around racial equity, health care and disability rights ... but don’t take myself too seriously! AnnieCA, 67, seeking: M, l HERE’S TO SECOND CHANCES Widowed, fit, fun, financially secure WF with serious BDSM/kinky fantasies that I want/need to explore. Looking to find 50- to 60-y/o male with experience in the much less vanilla side of sex for dating and/or LTR. bestisyettobe, 53, seeking: M, l INTERESTED Still standing after all these years! WayToGo, 67, seeking: M THINKING ABOUT IT... Probably everyone thinks they’re smart, funny, and reasonably good-looking, so no news there. So, what I hope to find: a reader, thinker — someone who likes movies, theater, museums, travel, music, conversation, and the Oxford comma. Three years into widowhood, I realize I could really use someone to share experiences with. The range of those experiences would have to be explored. ZanninVT, 68, seeking: M, l FEMININE, FIT, FUN-LOVING FOREST WOMAN If the sun is shining, you’ll find me outdoors. If I’m indoors pursuing my artwork or piano, it must be raining. Silent sports, camping and canoeing. Swimming every day. Looking for a fit and active outdoorsman. I’d like to see if we can become best friends and then take it from there. Charley, 68, seeking: M, l CURIOUS OF LIFE AND HUMOR Sometimes I want to be among a lot of people, and sometimes I just want to be alone with my own company. Have always been curious about people and the world around me. Love learning new things, and currently working on how to play music. I have a great sense of humor and enjoy being outdoors all spring, summer and fall. daffodil19, 64, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking... AN INTERESTING FELLOW If you’re lovely and sincere, slender and not too tall, let’s grab a coffee and a scone. I know a good scone is hard to find, so maybe a muffin. But then let’s go for a walk. Maybe we’ll hit it off. I’m strong and passionate, and I like to write and am blown away by nature, beauty and love. Chapter2, 67, seeking: W, l CHAOSFACTORINCARNATE I’m just looking for anything. Strength: making funny. Wekness: spelin. CollyRog, 21, seeking: W

ALL STARTS WITH HELLO I count myself as an easygoing person, very lucky to have what eyesight I have. Losing your sight is one thing, but losing your vision is a whole different thing. Looking forward to hearing from you. Justmemacjr, 57, seeking: W, l

OPEN-MINDED, FRIENDLY BI MAN Moved to Grand Isle this summer. Looking to meet individuals or couples for FWB relationships or more. Open to many scenarios when comfortable. chance2, 55, seeking: M, TW, Cp

BOND ... JAMES BOND Man of mystery, ethically polyamorous, creative. Nerdy scientist, but not usually the smartest guy in the room. My quietude belies my depth. 1109sm, 58, seeking: W, Cp, l

A NEW ADVENTURE Kind, caring, dedicated professional looking for someone to go on new adventures with and hopefully share my life with. My ideal partner knows how to have fun but also carry herself in a professional manner, is a problem solver by nature and loves to try new things. Pcace007, 43, seeking: W

THOUGHTFUL, EVOLVING MAN I am the quintessential optimist, a realist and young at heart. My interests include listening to music, traveling both near and far, reading fiction and nonfiction, cooking, various forms of working out, spending time with a few close friends. I would like to meet someone who enjoys good conversation, who is passionate, playful, sensual and curious. not2complicated, 64, seeking: W, l CUTE, SMART A LOT Looking for a casual relationship that could evolve. Looking for an attractive woman with similar interests and disposition. I’m not too particular on what you do for work, but I would prefer it if you had a job that you were genuinely interested in, though I know things happen. New in town. Really just looking for some interesting experiences! ProgrammingHigh, 29, seeking: W SEEKING A WOMAN FOR FUN SWM, 50, Seeking a woman friend to have some fun and adventure with. Open to LTR. Let’s give it a try... Taurus, 49, seeking: W, l FRIENDLY, INTELLECTUAL, EASYGOING I would not stand out in a crowd. I can be a little boring until we get on the right subject. Mechanic, 67, seeking: W CURIOUS, EMPATHETIC, OPINIONATED I’m a 42-y/o widowed guy in Shelburne who’s looking to start living and having fun again. I’m not here looking for a support system — I have one of those, and it’s fantastic. I’m looking for someone to spend some time with, maybe have a couple drinks and a couple laughs, and make life a little bit more exciting. MissileVolante, 42, seeking: W, l FUN-LOVING, ROMANTIC, AFFECTIONATE MAN Honest businessman now flipping houses. Missing that someone special — last and only love. lovetocuddle, 63, seeking: W, l

SITTIN’ ON TOP That’s me in the corner, looking for a conversation. I don’t mind waiting because I already have myself. The rest is wavy gravy. WonderFull, 64, seeking: W

TRANS WOMEN seeking... GENEROUS, OPEN, EASYGOING Warm, giving trans female with an abundance of yum to share (and already sharing it with lovers) seeks ecstatic connection for playtimes, connections, copulations, exploration and generally wonderful occasional times together. Clear communication, a willingness to venture into the whole self of you is wanted. Possibilities are wide-ranging: three, four, explorations, dreaming up an adventure are on the list! DoubleUp, 63, seeking: M, Cp, l

GENDERQUEER PEOPLE seeking... LONELY AND WAITING FOR YOU Lonely Carolina immigrant looking for an amazing woman. I love to cook, clean and generally make my partner as happy as possible. I’m comfortable both with my full beard and burly coat, or with my pretty pink lacy dresses and blond curls, whichever makes you happiest. I value trust above all else. Oh, and I give killer foot rubs! Neneveh, 24, seeking: W, l

COUPLES seeking... LOOKING FOR COUPLE OR PERSON We want to meet others in the mood to open themselves to another couple for whatever happens. Cpl4fun, 32, seeking: Cp, Gp CUTE COUPLE LOOKING FOR FUN 33-y/o couple looking for female friend or couple. Mojovt, 33, seeking: W, Cp, l

OUTDOORSY, FUNNY I’m kind, funny, caring, honest, respectful, easygoing, hardworking. I have a high sex drive. I like outdoor activities — kayaking, camping, fishing — and watching a movie. Looking for someone like-minded who enjoys spending time together. Maybe go for a drive to nowhere, go for a moonlit walk or to a beach, cooking a meal together. funoutdoors, 54, seeking: W, l

HELP US BRANCH OUT We are a couple of over 30 years. We love to spend time together, enjoying good food, good beer/wine and good company. We enjoy the outdoors, camping, hiking, skiing. Looking for other couples to become friends with that can help us explore and branch out. We love each other very deeply and want to share that love with others. CentralVTCpl, 54, seeking: Cp, Gp

OUTDOORSY MEN Friends with benefits. Sno1080, 26, seeking: M

COUPLE SEEKING WOMAN. We are very open and honest. Clean, safe and totally discreet. We are looking for a woman who wants to try new adult things with a couple. We want to role-play and try some kink. Newboytoyvt, 50, seeking: W, l

LOYAL, KINDHEARTED AND HONEST I am a 56-y/o man who loves to travel, play music, hike, camp and other activities, as well as travel around to national parks and explore. I’m an easygoing and very laid-back kind of guy. I’m in search of a lady who wants to be my companion and best friend. I enjoy fishing, hiking, having fun. simple_mam_64, 56, seeking: W, l

OPEN-MINDED ROLE-PLAY We are an open-minded couple looking for others. Must be discreet. Please let us know your interests. If you are a male replying, you must be bi or bicurious. VTroleplaying, 47, seeking: W

i SPY

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

dating.sevendaysvt.com

CITY MARKET, TWO BEEF STICKS In front of the prepared food cooler, the woman in the silver puffy jacket gesticulated in our direction. At the checkout, I asked, “That’s it?” looking at the two Vermont beef sticks in your hand. I just wanted a snack. You said good night to everyone before driving off in your Bolt, your kindness unmasked. When: Sunday, November 8, 2020. Where: City Market, downtown Burlington. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915180 BREAK LIGHTS, BREAK LIGHTS Break lights near the barn you have spied. It’s too bad it’s still dark out. Be nice to see your smile. When: Friday, November 6, 2020. Where: ???. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915179 HOPEFULHEART You have been spied! Tag, you’re it! When: Tuesday, November 3, 2020. Where: Seven Days. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915178 LOOKING GOOD IN THOSE JEANS. Looking right. Hella tight. Would love to take you out for a night. As long as you wear those jeans, anything is possible. K, if you’re waiting for a sign, this is it. Just give me the signal, and I will send her to the airport with a one-way ticket to Santa Fe. With us, we could be magic. When: Wednesday, November 4, 2020. Where: Main St. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915177 SOPHIE AT WALGREENS, ESSEX Saw you while you helped me with a cellphone last week. I pointed out the color cloud burst. You caught my eye as you were helping me. We also saw each other in the parking lot. I’m older than you but figured I’d take a shot in the dark here and try to meet up with you. Interested? When: Friday, October 30, 2020. Where: Walgreens, Essex. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915176

COLLIN AT COSTCO Saw you this morning in passing while running errands. Curious what’s under the mask. Caught a glimpse of your name badge as you passed by me a second time: Collin. Figured I’d take a shot in the dark here. When: Saturday, October 31, 2020. Where: Costco. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915175 BLUE TOYOTA TACOMA To the Blue Toyota Tacoma: Almost every morning I’m heading south and you are heading north. Would be nice to catch up sometime. You have been spied back. When: Saturday, October 31, 2020. Where: Route ???. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915174 CUTE BIKE PATH DOG DAD You and your cute shepherd passed me, my roommate and our dogs in front of the sailing center. Your pup walked over to say hello, and I wish you had, too. Your smile was to die for. Meet at the dog park one day? When: Tuesday, October 27, 2020. Where: Burlington bike path. You: Man. Me: Man. #915173 BOBBIE I found your profile very interesting, and I am looking for a way to communicate with you. Here works for me. When: Thursday, October 29, 2020. Where: Match. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915172 BIRTHDAY GIRL AT GUILTY PLATE 1:45 p.m. Birthday girl with an amazing smile. You were with a friend with black hair. You smiled when I walked in, and we waved to each other as you drove away in your white Subaru. I would love to see you again. Maybe meet for a coffee? Me: black down jacket. When: Wednesday, October 28, 2020. Where: Guilty Plate restaurant, Colchester. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915171

AMAZING OPTIMIST ON MATCH I like all of your lessons from this year. I’m proud to vote blue. And I think you have an amazing smile. I’m not on Match, but maybe we could start our connection here. Have a great day. When: Monday, October 26, 2020. Where: on Match. com. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915170 LOOKING FOR SKUNK HILL? You: dark-haired, attractive woman driving a silver pickup truck looking for Skunk Hill Road. You knocked on my door asking for directions. I think you’re very attractive, and I’d love to see you again. Please knock on my door again or reply to this ad. I’d love to get to know you. When: Saturday, October 24, 2020. Where: Skunk Hill Rd., Georgia, Vt. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915169 GORGEOUS BLONDE AT M32 You changed my life 12 years ago, and I am so grateful. I couldn’t ask for a better woman to spend my life with. I may have lost sight of what I’ve had, but I never will again. You’re my best friend and the love of my life. I’m more in love with you today than ever. I love you always. When: Sunday, October 25, 2020. Where: Market 32. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915168 ADVENTURE AT SALLY’S I walked in with my good friend. He was carrying Andrew Jr. Upon entering Sally’s, we went toward the hair dye. You came out from behind the scenes. We were discussing which shade of red to get. We were flipping through the options. I said I liked blood; you said you did, too. Would you like to talk sometime? When: Thursday, October 22, 2020. Where: Dorset St. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915167 WHITE ACURA To the white Acura almost every morning I’m heading north and you are heading south: Would be nice to catch up sometime. You have been spied. When: Monday, October 19, 2020. Where: Route ???. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915165 HARDWICK GAS STATION, SUNDAY 10/11 You were a lovely blond woman. I asked you if I had cut in front of you in line. You were nice and said “no,” and we smiled outside again outside. I wish I had said more but would like a rain check. You drove off in your Subaru while I leaned up against my car. When: Sunday, October 11, 2020. Where: Hardwick convenience store. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915164

Ask REVEREND Dear Split Stress,

HNGRMTNCOOPQT You: cute human with rad hair and red-buckle Dr. Martens. First noticed you stocking in produce. You complimented my cherry blossom Docs in the tea aisle. Me: fellow Doc-wearing human complete with a dragonfly mask perusing the co-op on a gray day in October. Maybe we’ll meet again? When: Wednesday, October 21, 2020. Where: Hunger Mountain Co-op. You: Woman. Me: Nonbinary person. #915166 SHELBURNE BAY PARK BEACH Me: jeans, black T-shirt, black/white generic Southern rescue pup. You (Josh, was it?) wandered onto the beach, and my pup was immediately intrigued and so was I. Your dog couldn’t have been less interested and had eyes only for the stick you were tossing into the water, but did you look my way twice after our too-short exchange? When: Thursday, August 6, 2020. Where: Shelburne Bay Park beach. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915163 GRAVEL BIKER NEAR HUNGER MOUNTAIN To the gravel biker who said hi to me as I loaded up my dogs in the afternoon today: Let’s go for a ride, and I’ll buy you a beer/coffee! —Lady runner with two pups. When: Sunday, October 11, 2020. Where: Waterbury near Hunger Mountain TH. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915162 OUR DOGS CONNECTED Ozzie loved Sam! If you ever want to go on a hike, I think the three of them would make a great pack! When: Saturday, October 10, 2020. Where: Sucker Brook, Williston. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915161

Irreverent counsel on life’s conundrums

SHORT-HAIRED DOG-WALKING LADY I was sitting in traffic at the light next to the high school. You were walking your black-and-white bulldog with supreme joy and confidence toward Dorset Park. I wanted to say hello, but the light turned green and you walked on by. Let’s get a drink sometime soon. Bring your dog! When: Wednesday, October 7, 2020. Where: Dorset St. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915159

Dear Reverend,

I had a relationship with my father’s first cousin. We had sex often. I broke up with him, but he still insists we should be together. He even wants us to get married without our families knowing. Am I doing the right thing?

Split Stress (female, 21)

Oddly enough, I responded to a similar question around this time last year. Maybe kissing cousins are a November tradition? If you’re asking if I think it’s right that you broke off the relationship, my answer is a resounding “Hell, YES!” And it has nothing to do with the fact that he’s your first cousin once removed. Personally, I would never fool around with someone whom I knew was even remotely related to me, but as long as it’s legal and everybody involved is an adult, I say more power to ya. The problem in your situation is that this person is pressuring you to get back together. That’s never OK. Ever. His thought

WHIPPLE HOLLOW MAN You look like you have a great sense of humor with your concrete banjo. Spied you in Seven Days, and you sparked my interest. We could share a brew and learn more. When: Friday, October 2, 2020. Where: Seven Days. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915157 MOUNT ABE WITH OLLIE I was hiking with a good friend, and you, your buddy and dog Ollie were doing the same. We passed each other at least four times, counting on the road afterward, and exchanged big (masked) smiles. Probably you’re just naturally generous with smiles, but it’s worth asking if you’d like to go on a hike together? When: Saturday, September 26, 2020. Where: Mount Abe. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915155 SCARED AT SAXON HILL You scared me at Saxon Hill. You were walking, and I was on my bike. We joked about you scaring me. I would enjoy joking about this some more. Hope to see you there again. When: Saturday, September 26, 2020. Where: Saxon Hill. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915154 GREAT LEGS ON A SATURDAY You were parked in the VNA parking lot. Had to come around and see those legs again in that black dress. You were getting ready to go to a function. Would love to see those legs again. What function were you going to, and what type of car were you driving? (To know it’s you.) When: Saturday, September 26, 2020. Where: Colchester. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915153

MAGICAL MYSTERY WOMAN You’re the new kid. You have an interesting energy that could be gorgeously confident or quietly arrogant. Care to elaborate? When: Friday, October 2, 2020. Where: VGS. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915160

the

LADY153 ISPYW/MYLTLI We seem to have a lot in common. Please let me know what your thoughts are. I have a few thoughts and ideas. Would love to discuss them with you. When: Sunday, October 4, 2020. Where: Seven Days. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915158

JIM AND HIS HARLEY DAVIDSON Over six years ago, closeness developed between you and me at our church on Williston Road. Ironically, we see each other again years later in Cumberland Farms on Riverside (you were working at U-Haul at that time) — only to cross paths again in front of the bank. Did God answer you this time? When: Saturday, June 20, 2020. Where: on his motorcycle. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915152

that the two of you should get married without telling your families … well, that’s just plain next-level nuts. I can’t even begin to imagine the hot mess that could turn into. This man’s behavior sounds borderline abusive, and you should follow your instincts and stay away. Keep your distance during family gatherings. Block his number so he can’t call or text you. If he keeps bothering you and you need support to stick to your guns, hopefully you have a close friend you can turn to. If not, I suggest you contact the National Domestic Violence Hotline at thehotline.org or 800-799SAFE. Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend

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Send it to asktherev@sevendaysvt.com. SEVEN DAYS NOVEMBER 11-18, 2020

I don’t live in Vermont anymore, but I’m here semiregularly. I’m a 39-y/o lady friend seeking men, but anyone for friends to write to, maybe more. Hike, ski, lounge, eat, drink, converse. It’s COVID; I’m bored/lonely. What about you? #L1454 SWM, 60s, seeking woman around 58 to 68. Handyman. Enjoy skiing, cooking, weekend getaways. Tired of quarantine. Are you? NEK. #L1453 SF, 42, living in Chittenden County seeks SM for potential LTR. I’m a nerdy gamer, morning person, coffee drinker, nonsmoker. Kind, industrious. Seeking similar. The world is our opportunity! #L1452 I’m a white man, 68 y/o, seeking a white woman 55 to 65. I’m a nice, mellow man. I enjoy good music. I don’t drink, but I do smoke weed. Enjoy the outdoors, fishing or just working. 5’11, 160, blonde/blue. Want a woman who wants me. LTR. #L1459 I’m a male (65) seeking a female (50 to 65). Fit, friendly, frolicsome fella favors fanciful female for fabulous fall friendship. I’m vegetarian, healthy, humorous, reflective and highly educated. Interests are hiking, gardening, dogs, creativity, Scrabble and pillowtalk. #L1455

I’m here now, and you knew me as Yourdaddy921, etc. and Boomer2012, etc. Contact me via mail, please. #L1458 49-y/o SWM seeking female for friendship with benefits. I am feminine, fit, mostly vegan. I enjoy yoga, hiking and biking, books, some cooking, and cuddling to a good movie. Seeking romantic lady for friendship. #L1457 I’m a 34-y/o male seeking 18- to 45-y/o female. I’m smart, artistic, funny and open-minded. Love music, books, movies and looking at the cosmos. A cat guy, but like all animals. Looking for love and friendship. #L1456

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53-y/o discreet SWM, 5’10, 156 pounds. Brown and blue. Seeking any guys 18 to 60 who like to receive oral and who are a good top. Well hung guys a plus. Chittenden County and around. No computer. Phone only, but can text or call. #L1451 SWF seeks conservative male age 62 to 72, Addison/ Burlington area only. Turnons: har cut, shave, outdoorsy, hunter, camper. Turn-offs: smoker, drugs, tattoos. Me: 5’8, average build, blue/brown, glasses, enjoy nature, have a Shelty, birds, old Jeep, farm raised. Need phone number, please. #L1450

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Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness letters. DETAILS BELOW. I’m a bicurious 41-y/o male seeking bicurious married or single men, 18 to 45, for some very discreet fun. Good hygiene, hung and H&W proportional a must. Let’s text discreetly and have some DL NSA fun. #L1449 Attractive SWM, 51, living around the Burlington area. Seeking a curvaceous female for some casual fun with no strings attached. All it takes is some good chemistry... #L1447 I’m a mid-aged male seeking a M or F any age or gender. Wonderful youth, caring person. Male, 5’9, 147. Older mid-aged loves long-distance running, writing, literature, poetry, drawing, folk and jazz. Looking for a great friendship for hikes, walks, talks. Best to all. #L1446 I’m a single female, mid60s, seeking a male for companionship and adventure. Retired educator who loves kayaking, swimming, skiing and travel. Well read. Life is short; let’s have fun. #L1445

Staff researcher at UVM on biostatistics. 29-y/o Chinese male. INFJ personality. Seeking a female of similar age for longterm relationship. Love is kind. Love is patient. May we all stay healthy and be happy. #L1444 SWF, 37, seeking M for some casual fun, no strings attached. I just got out of an LTR, and I’ve forgotten how it feels to be physically and sexually alive. Can you remind me? Creative meetups and play a must. #L1443 Very unique lady in early 70s seeks male. I’m a people person and very active. Love to cook, garden, read and watch good movies. Very friendly with a lot of empathy. I love to walk and the outdoors. Looking for someone who enjoys the same. #L1442 I’m a GM, 62, seeking a GM 45 to 65. Bright, bearish build with bookish interests. Still growing spiritually. Love to walk, hike, write — always learning. Looking for pen pals. Please write and share your passions in life. #L1439

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Seasons Change… But Vermont’s appetite for local food and drink is still hearty.

As the days get colder and Vermonters go back inside, let Good To-Go Vermont be your guide. This digital directory, compiled by Seven Days, lists local eateries by region, offering takeout, delivery, curbside pickup and on-site dining options during the coronavirus pandemic.