Seven Days, October 19, 2022

ABORTION IS HEALTH CARE. ABORTION IS A RIGHT.

Important medical decisions should be guided by a person’s health and wellbeing, not by a politician’s beliefs. Now that Roe v. Wade has been overturned by the Supreme Court, state-level protections are more vital than ever to safeguarding our reproductive autonomy.

In Vermont, that means passing Article 22, the Reproductive Liberty Amendment, to explicitly enshrine the right to reproductive healthcare in our state constitution.

most innovative companies will be looking for employees at this rockin’ career and tech

You can learn a lot about a company, or a job candidate, online. But there’s no substitute for face-to-face interaction. At the Vermont Tech Jam, you’ll meet recruiters from legit companies and other tech professionals living and working locally.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS

Evade the algorithms! Make connections with real, live human beings.

Learn about the collaboration between John Abele, cofounder of medical device company Boston Scientific and Sarah Kalil, CEO of Vermont-based CoreMap, which is developing new tools to help doctors treat atrial fibrillation.

MEET COMPANIES LIKE THESE:

Accessible Web

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Benchmark Space Systems

Beta Technologies Biocogniv Burlington Telecom Bytes.co

Hack Club Health Plans, Inc.

Marvel Mascoma Bank

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Northern Digital Inc. (NDI) Norwich University One Tree Planted

POWERED BY

C2, A Xerox Business Solutions Company CarShare Vermont Champlain Cable Corporation Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman Creative Micro Data Innovations Dynapower EnergyHub Fab-Tech FreshAir Sensor Galen Healthcare Solutions Generator MakerSpace GlobalFoundries Gravel & Shea Greensea

POWERED BY:

OnLogic Parker LORD Quorum Resonant Link Revision Military

The Source & Recruit Company

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The partners behind the long-stalled CityPlace Burlington announced at a city council meeting on Monday night that they hope to break ground on the project in early November.

That’s when the developers want to start laying the foundation for the south tower, which will face Bank Street. Construction would then continue clockwise around the plot, according to Dave Farrington, one of the project partners. The developers expect to “go verti cal” by June or July 2023 and to complete the entire project, including a north tower, by November 2025.

“All I can say is, it’s about time,” Farrington said.

The news comes after years of delays involving the site, which locals have nicknamed “the Pit.” In 2014, former owner Don Sinex pitched redeveloping the Burlington Town Center mall into 14-story towers. Sinex tore down most of the mall in 2017, leaving a gaping dirt hole in the middle of the city.

The project is now led by three local businesspeople: Farrington of Farrington Construction, Al Senecal of Omega Electric Construction and Scott Ireland of S.D. Ireland. Their “phase one” plans include two towers of about 10 stories that would hold some 430 housing units, including 85 affordable apartments, as well as 45,000 square feet of ground-level retail space, 420 parking spaces, and a rooftop restaurant and observation deck.

In September, the developers submitted a request to use $275,000 in federal grant money to build an eightstory affordable housing project in partnership with Champlain Housing Trust.

“This is a unique and great opportunity to build affordable housing in downtown Burlington,” Michael Monte, the trust’s CEO, said at Monday’s council meet ing.

Earlier on Monday, the developers submitted a building permit application for the project’s foundation, according to Farrington. But before construction starts, the council must review and amend the city’s agree ment with the developers. That deal was made when Sinex was still in the picture and reflects old dates and deadlines, some of which have passed.

The city has long demanded that the project include restoration of sections of Pine and St. Paul streets that were severed when the mall was built in the 1960s. The development agreement says the builders will construct the streets and the city will reimburse them with $21.8 million in tax increment financing dollars, a funding plan that voters approved in November 2016. The debt would be repaid with the additional tax revenue gener ated by the project itself.

Read Rachel Hellman’s full story and keep up with developments at sevendaysvt.com.

A BATTER WORLD

The inaugural Pancakes for the People might not have been whipped up in 2019 if founder/or ganizer Poa Mutino hadn’t climbed a Montpelier lamppost. Mutino had permission to operate the free Sunday morning breakfast pop-up out side city hall, but the griddle required electricity, and the building was closed for the weekend.

“So I scaled the pole with the power cord in my hand,” Mutino, 32, said. “I made sure it wasn’t going to trip the circuit, then I plugged it in and had power.”

Since that electrifying start, Pancakes for the People has offered free breakfasts to the community in Montpelier and Barre. The gatherings have morphed from weekly, socially

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AFFORDABLE HOUSING

A pod village for homeless people has been erected in Burlington’s Old North End, with 30 units that can house up to 40 people. It’s expected to open next month.

CUT DOWN

A Brattleboro man led police on a slowspeed chase after he allegedly stole a lawn mower in New Hampshire and tried to drive it back to Vermont. D’oh.

POWER PLAY Hydro-Québec is buying Great River Hydro, which operates 16 powergenerating stations and reservoirs in and around Vermont. Water, water everywhere.

MONEY MISCUE

A Hannaford in Essex Town was mistakenly charging shoppers a 1 percent local option tax that applies only to Essex Junction businesses, according to the Essex Reporter Spoils of the split.

That’s the age, in years, of a ginseng root discovered in Vermont that could fetch thousands of dollars at auction, NBC5 reported.

TOPFIVE

MOST POPULAR ITEMS ON SEVENDAYSVT.COM

1. “Lured by Social Media, Sleepy Hollow Farm Leaf Peepers Now Require Crowd Control” by Kirk Kardashian. Flatlanders are flocking to Pomfret to snap photos of the hilly hollow.

2. “WCAX Deletes Story About Transgender Student in Randolph” by Alison Novak. The station said it took down its locker-room story “to prevent others from using our reporting to attack people in the transgender community.”

3. “Meth Use Is Growing Around Burlington — and Could Portend More Problems for Vermont” by Colin Flanders. Use of the devastating and highly addictive drug is growing in parts of the state.

4. “Off the Rails at One Federal to Open in St. Albans” by Jordan Barry. This will be the first solo eatery for chef-owner Shawn Careau when it starts serving on October 27.

5. “Burlington Educators Sue Monsanto Over PCB Contamination at High School” by Sasha Goldstein. Two former staffers are taking the company to court over ailments they claim are linked to their workplace exposure to PCBs.

tweet of the week

@vermonthistory

October is the month for spookiness and the macabre. This week, we’re going to have some fun with it with what we’re calling #CreepyDollWeek! We have a ton of dolls in our collection, and we’ll be showcasing them all week. We want your help finding the creepiest!

distanced outdoor meals during winter 2021 to catering for social justice events and, now, monthly indoor pop-ups with a diner-style menu at Montpelier’s Woodbelly Pizza.

On the third Sunday of every month, from 8 to 11 a.m., Pancakes for the People takes over Woodbelly and turns up to two gallons of batter into piping hot breakfasts. The group hopes to add a second indoor location in Barre this winter.

“It’s a really nice next step because a portion of who we serve is the houseless community,” Mutino said. “Rather than serve a meal on the street, we’re giving the dignity of coming indoors, where there’s a clean bathroom and people can sit.”

The program’s signature batter mixes cornmeal, buckwheat flour and brown rice flour

for a naturally gluten-free pancake, based on Mutino’s maternal grandmother’s recipe. They’re available plain or with toppings such as local apples and Cabot cheddar. For customers who can afford to donate, suggested prices are listed for each item (up to $6 for a short stack with toppings). Twice a year, Pancakes for the People donates half of its proceeds to BIPOC-led land or education projects.

“Food is a way of caring for people that I really enjoy,” Mutino said. “It gets people to slow down and pay attention to each other and cre ates affinity across age, race, gender — all of our different identities. Pancakes can be a conduit for that.”

For more information, visit pancakesfor thepeople.com.

JORDAN BARRY

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COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY

Poa Mutino (left) and Dylan Bedford at Woodbelly Pizza

COURTESY OF FREEMAN FRENCH FREEMAN

A rendering of CityPlace Burlington on Cherry Street

THAT’S OUR JAM.

publisher & editor-in-chief Paula Routly deputy publisher Cathy Resmer AssociAte publishers Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

NEWS & POLITICS

editor Matthew Roy deputy editor Sasha Goldstein consulting editors Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page stAff writers Derek Brouwer, Chelsea Edgar, Colin Flanders, Rachel Hellman, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Anne Wallace Allen

ARTS & CULTURE

coeditors Dan Bolles, Elizabeth M. Seyler AssociAte editor Margot Harrison Art editor Pamela Polston consulting editor Mary Ann Lickteig Music editor Chris Farnsworth cAlendAr writer Emily Hamilton speciAlty publicAtions MAnAger Carolyn Fox stAff writers Jordan Barry, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard, Sally Pollak proofreAders Carolyn Fox, Angela Simpson AssistAnt proofreAders Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

DIGITAL & VIDEO digitAl production speciAlist Bryan Parmelee senior MultiMediA producer Eva Sollberger MultiMediA journAlist James Buck

DESIGN creAtive director Don Eggert Art director Rev. Diane Sullivan production MAnAger John James designers Jeff Baron, Kirsten Thompson

SALES & MARKETING director of sAles Colby Roberts senior Account executives Robyn Birgisson, Michael Bradshaw Account executives Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka events & ticKeting MAnAger & world chAMpion equestriAn Katie Hodges legAls, life lines And super reAder coordinAtor Kaitlin Montgomery personAls coordinAtor Jeff Baron

ADMINISTRATION business MAnAger Marcy Carton director of circulAtion & logistics Matt Weiner circulAtion deputy Andy Watts

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jordan Adams, Benjamin Aleshire, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Annie Cutler, Steve Goldstein, Margaret Grayson, Amy Lilly, Bryan Parmelee, Mark Saltveit, Jim Schley, Carolyn Shapiro, Travis Weedon

CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Luke Awtry, James Buck, Daria Bishop, Sarah Cronin, Rob Donnelly, Ben DeFlorio, Thom Glick, Josh Kuckens, Oliver Parini, Andrew Mulhearn, Tim Newcomb

FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly

CIRCULATION: 35,000

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RIGHT UP THERE

I just wanted to reach out and say how much I enjoyed Chris Farnsworth’s article [“UFOMG: From Flying Saucers to Starlink, Vermont Has a Long History of Strange Things in the Sky,” October 5]. I thought it was really interesting and well written. I think it’s important to provide positive feedback when it is due!

Ashten Stringer WILLISTON

who hate any opposition to their narrative or party line.

Welch will not support securing our border as illegals and fentanyl pour across.

Welch said nothing when President Joe Biden looked at his wristwatch as dead American soldiers returned home at Dover Air Force Base. Biden betrayed Americans and loyal allies when we abruptly pulled out of Afghanistan.

Welch condemns U.S. energy indepen dence, yet his family profits from inside trading on energy stocks?

Welch will simply follow the party line! He is not being elected; it’s more of a coronation.

A SKEPTIC’S VIEW

[Re “UFOMG,” October 5]: For the past 20 years, most people have been carrying smartphones capable of shooting incred ibly crisp, clear and detailed still photo graphs and video. YouTube publishes millions of recorded videos of unusual events, people, animals, crimes, etc. Why no genuine pics or videos of any of these so-called UFOs, abductions or other instances of “unexplainable” events?

The absurdity is evident in the 1907 report of the Burlington men exiting a restaurant after dinner to “see” a 6-footlong-by-8-inch-wide object hovering in the sky 300 feet away, with spots and tongues of fire along the sides. Think about it: an object the length of a person, but the thickness of a person’s neck a full football field away, and they saw fiery spots on the side?

Makes you wonder what they had for dinner.

Frank Lamson SOUTH ROYALTON

PREDICTABLE PUT-DOWN

Kevin McCallum’s “Right Flank” [Octo ber 12], on GOP Senate candidate Gerald Malloy, was a direct hit on Malloy’s right groin!

It must have made Democrats smile to read the slant: repeat mentions of the dreaded “Trump” word, no positive comments about Malloy (in liberal Stowe, what a surprise!), misconstruing Malloy’s abortion stand.

As a former Democrat, I cannot vote for U.S. Rep. Peter Welch.

Vermont set the bar high with former U.S. senators George Aiken and Ralph Flanders. The former spoke out against the Vietnam War, and the latter against McCarthyism.

Welch speaks of civility, but he does nothing to condemn those in his own party

Democrats have failed us over these past two years, so who votes for continued failure — unless high inflation and weap onizing the FBI and U.S. Department of Justice are marks of success instead of intimidation?

Robert “Bob” Devost JERICHO

DEFINE ‘AFFORDABLE’

[Re “CityPlace Developers Move Toward Building Affordable Housing on Vacant Site,” September 16, online]: If the project were built consisting of all 88 apartments, for $26.3 million, the project would be deemed “affordable.” “Affordable” seems to mean just under $299,000 each.

Maybe. Are they one-bedroom, twobedroom or four-bedroom apartments? Will they have one bathroom or one per bedroom? Along with the sink, stove and fridge, will there be AC, Wi-Fi and a charging station? Clearly, there is not enough information to know if “afford able” is adequate, designed to shelter a family securely and warmly, or designed to meet today’s expectations. Is “adequate” sustainable? Please define your term of “affordable.”

Joshua Durst NORWICH

HIGH SCHOOL HELP

[Re “The $165,000,000 Question,” Septem ber 21]: High schools across Vermont were built with a combination of local and state funds — mostly in the 1970s and 1980s. Many were renovated or expanded in the 1990s and 2000s with state support.

Burlington High School is one of the first Vermont schools to age out and need replacement — sooner than later — due to PCB exposures.

It troubles me that the state is sitting by to watch Burlington go it alone. As Burlington goes, so might the rest of us, as our own school buildings age and need

renovation or replacement. It is in all of our interests to have decent school build ings across Vermont.

We can’t ignore Burlington and then expect state support for our own school projects. It should be supported in its quest for state support for the new Burl ington High School.

Chuck Lacy JERICHO

Lacy is a member of the Mount Mansfield Union School Board.

CALLING OUT ‘SOCIAL EQUITY’ [Re “Vermonters Celebrate the First Day of Legal Cannabis Sales,” October 1, online]: Your article celebrating the “first day of legal cannabis sales” white washes our state’s attempt to co-opt the “legacy” cannabis market. While the Cannabis Control Board displaces your personal pot dealer with its own, its feigned empathy for communities historically and disproportionately affected by cannabis prohibition needs to be called out.

Is pot legal in Vermont? No, but it’s legally sanctioned under certain condi tions. Read the law. Growing just 13 unlawful cannabis plants carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and/or up to a $500,000 fine. Three ounces of unlaw ful pot can land you up to six months in prison. Our laws are still draconian, albeit much more consumer-friendly.

Recent correspondence with David Scherr, general counsel for the CCB, confirms there have been zero social equity requests granted to non-Black or -Hispanic folks who have not been

previously incarcerated for pot. I am one of those people.

My social equity application was one of those denied with no explanation. Black, Hispanic and any other people incarcer ated for cannabis — those are well-defined communities. I think it is past time the CCB defined the other communities to whom it gives lip service. Are we potheads, Deadheads, hippies, freaks, cannabis activ ists or none of the above?

Having been stigmatized, profiled, held at gunpoint, searched by police, jailed and made to clean city streets — having lost personal treasure and experienced family estrangement for being all of these over my lifetime — I feel that’s the least it can do.

Galen Dively WALDEN

NO ‘OVERDOSING’ ON CANNABIS

[Re “When Legal Cannabis Goes on Sale in Vermont, It Must Be in Recyclable, Nonplastic Containers,” September 28]:

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VOTE YES ON PROPOSAL

RIGHT NOW

in Vermont, slavery and involuntary servitude are actually permitted under the Vermont Constitution.

PROPOSITION 2

PROPOSITION , on November’s ballot, would amend the Vermont Constitution to repeal language stating that persons may be held as servants or slaves “for the payments of debts, damages, fines, costs, or the like.” and would replace it with “slavery and inden-

in any form are

Pledge To Support Vermont’s Constitutional Amendment to Ban Slavery.

From the Publisher Hell Monitor

An expert explains the ways social media fuels hate — and how to stop it Entrepreneur’s Envoy

John Antonucci connects startups and small businesses with funding

Network News

Beta Technologies plans charging stations to power its electric planes

FEATURES 30

Tough AF

CoreMap CEO Sarah Kalil is building a better way to

of Health

Machines With a Mission

More Cookies,

Game On

ARTS+CULTURE 48

Viral Spiral

the Light

presents

the app Ca n n a b Cais n n a b is month

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK

TUESDAY 25

FLAMENCO

FAMOUS

Legendary flamenco superstar Farruquito dances his way through the history of the form at Hopkins Center for the Arts’ Spaulding Auditorium at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The show, Intimo Farruquito an array of world-class dancers and musicians and celebrates centuries of the Spanish style.

THURSDAY 20

Brave and Startling Truth

The Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival kicks off the next installment of its MNFF Selects series at Town Hall Theater with a screening of Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise. The Vermont premiere of this Peabody Awardwinning documentary introduces viewers to previously untold aspects of the legendary poet’s life, from her childhood in the Depression-stricken South to her work with Malcolm X.

OPENS SUNDAY 23

A Hard Day’s Bite

Traveling to Montréal this weekend but don’t want to put your spooky season vibes on hold?

The Segal Centre for Performing Arts has just the ticket: Dracula: A Comedy of Terrors is a silly, satirical spin on classic horror cinema, featuring spine-chilling stage effects and five actors playing everything that goes bump in the night.

FRIDAY 21

Busk ’Til Dawn

Performers of all stripes take over the streets of downtown Montpelier during Moonlight Magic West African drumming group Shidaa Projects, jazz performer Ras Moshe Burnett and his band, and John “the Yo-Yo Guy” Higby are just a few of the acts that entertain folks as they stroll. Meanwhile, many local businesses stay open late and offer discounts.

FRIDAY 21 & SATURDAY 22

Teach the World to Sing

Capital City Concerts brings together a who’s who of local performers for “The Legacy of Larry Gordon,” two concerts celebrating the life of the late choir director. At Burlington’s College Street Congregational Church and the Unitarian Church of Montpelier, the program highlights the musical traditions that Gordon loved, from American shape note to Renaissance to Balkan folk.

SEE

ONGOING

Across the Universe

Art lovers prepare to be scared at “Dark Matter,” the annual group show at Burlington’s S.P.A.C.E. Gallery. Works across multiple mediums highlight all things eerie, mysterious and macabre, while evoking emotions that may be hard to name or speak about.

SUNDAY 23

Spooky Sunday

Goblins and ghouls of all ages don costumes for A Family Halloween at Woodstock’s Billings Farm & Museum. Kids and grown-ups alike won’t know where to turn, between trick-or-treating, costume parades, hayrides, the not-too-spooky Sunflower House, crafts, pumpkin bowling, and sweet treats such as cider doughnuts and pumpkin ice cream.

SEE

SEE

SEE

“Facelift” by Giancarlo Filippi

Tech Beat

I’ve had my share of health problems, as readers of this column well know. But so far I have managed to avoid the most common a iction among my group of friends: atrial fibrillation. Four have experienced A-fib, also known as AF, which manifests as an irregular heartbeat in between 2.7 and 6.1 million American adults, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Because older people are more likely to develop the condition and the U.S. population is aging, that number is expected to reach 12.1 million by 2030. A-fib itself is not fatal but, if untreated, dramatically increases the risk of heart disease and stroke.

To be honest, my 62-year-old ticker beat a little faster when I first heard about an e ort here in Vermont to better diagnose A-fib. University of Vermont Medical Center cardiologist Peter Spector has developed a device that can more accurately locate the problem spot in the heart so it can be targeted with a procedure called ablation. Bringing the innovation to market is Sarah Kalil, a med-tech lawyer who grew up in Burlington, spent most of her career working in Boston and now lives in Stowe.

THE Tech ISSUE

Their startup company, CoreMap, is at a crucial moment: seeking investment, perfecting and testing its product, clearing regulatory hurdles. Despite those pressures, Kalil made time to talk to a Seven Days reporter for a story in this week’s paper (page 30). The catch: The interview was aerobic. To get a word, Chelsea Edgar had to accompany the busy 63-year-old entrepreneur on her daily morning hike up Mount Mansfield.

A sixth-generation Vermonter who graduated from Burlington High School and the University of Vermont, Kalil is a dynamo and one of the keynote presenters at this year’s Vermont Tech Jam. Organized by Seven Days, the annual event takes place on Saturday, October 22, at Hula in Burlington. The job fair/expo runs from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Kalil takes the stage at 4 p.m. alongside one of her mentors: Shelburne resident John Abele, cofounder of medical device company Boston Scientific. Edgar will engage the duo in a conversation about innovation, collaboration and what it takes to compete in the burgeoning realm of health care technology.

A related story in the current issue, “Picture of Health” (page 32),

introduces five other Vermont companies creating amazing devices, apps and AI programs in the med-tech realm. One of them, Biocogniv, is trying to find a way to predict sepsis, a leading cause of hospital death, before it develops. The company is exhibiting at the Tech Jam. Like so many other Vermont enterprises participating on Saturday, it’s hoping to find potential employees among the crowd.

Take a look through the event guide, which lists and describes all the exhibitors, in the center of this week’s paper. Some of them will blow your mind. The annual Tech Jam gives us a reason to research the state’s tech sector and reflect on how technology is changing our culture. This week’s Tech Issue is the result of our collective e orts.

Seven Days was the first local media outlet to break the news in 2018 that Beta Technologies was trying to build an electric plane in a hangar at Burlington International Airport. We’ve since covered the company’s exponential growth and, at the 2021 Tech Jam, introduced its masterminds to the public. In this week’s news section, Kevin McCallum provides an update on one of the company’s biggest challenges: constructing a batterycharging network across the U.S. that will help usher in a future of electric aviation (page 22).

Vermont investors helped get Beta o the ground. That’s partly because lucrative sales of local tech companies such as IDX, Dealer.com, MicroStrain and BioTek Instruments made a number of people here very wealthy. As a result, the state now hosts enough venture capitalists to support several organized funds. John Antonucci is at the helm of the Dudley Fund, which Anne Wallace Allen wrote about in January. Now she’s profiling Antonucci, who once ran the LaunchVT program for aspiring entrepreneurs (page 17).

On the dark side, Derek Brouwer tracked down

the 27-year-old deputy director of Middlebury College’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism for an illuminating Q&A. The headline, “Hell Monitor” (page 16), says it all.

The features, arts and culture team found plenty to write about, too. Chris Farnsworth checked out the new esports facility at Champlain College — and played, of course (page 40). Alison Novak went to Westford to visit a school that excels in teaching kids about robotics (page 36).

Margot Harrison interviewed some of the state’s most successful TikTok content producers (page 48). Some farmers are using the platform, too, to explain agriculture to a wider audience. Look for that story (page 46) in the food section, along with an exploration of how the practice of tipping has changed with the proliferation of pointof-sale systems (page 42).

One inescapable lesson this theme issue touches on year after year: Whether we use it or not, technology is reshaping our state. Mark Saltveit reflects on that truth in a lighthearted essay that rounds out the issue (page 38).

Tech isn’t always a force for good. How it’s used ultimately depends on the people behind it. All the more reason to read up on Vermont’s innovators, then meet some of them in person at Saturday’s Tech Jam.

Paula Routly

WHETHER WE USE IT OR NOT, TECHNOLOGY IS RESHAPING OUR STATE.

MORE

SCHOOL DISTRICT TO SUE MONSANTO

Hell Monitor

BETA CHARGES UP

GlobalFoundries

Lauds Leahy for Latest Infusion of Federal Cash

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM kevin@sevendaysvt.com

Chip manufacturer GlobalFoundries announced on Monday that outgoing U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) had secured $30 million in federal funding to help it develop the next generation of powerful semiconductors.

The company celebrated the award by hosting Leahy and his wife, Marcelle, at its Essex Junction plant and honoring Vermont’s senior senator for his years of federal support as he heads toward retirement. The event came just days after Leahy, 82, spent a night in the hospital in the Washington, D.C., area after reporting that he didn’t feel well.

GlobalFoundries CEO Thomas Caulfield said the latest federal invest ments will allow the company to perfect and ramp up production of new kinds of semiconductors that will be a “game changer” in the industry. Instead of being manufactured directly on thin sili con wafers, the new chips would contain a layer of gallium nitride, or GaN, that can handle the higher power needed for a range of electronic applications.

“The resulting chips will enable bat teries that will be smaller, charge faster and lose less power,” Caulfield told a crowd of employees, public officials and members of the media who gathered for the announcement. “They will be used in automobiles, phones, cell towers and industrial robots around the world.”

A Middlebury College expert explains the ways social media fuels hate — and how to stop it

BY DEREK BROUWER • derek@sevendaysvt.com

The web has become an incubator for extremism. What can tech compa nies do about it?

To answer that, some have sought advice from Middlebury College’s Center on Terrorism, Extremism and Counterterrorism. The outfit, which operates from the college’s satellite campus in Monterey, Calif., blends data analysis with social science expertise to research political violence.

CTEC researchers have increasingly focused on online extremism and tech platforms, accord ing to the center’s deputy director, Alex Newhouse. The center produces public reports on extremist trends and consults with social media companies that are trying to combat them.

Newhouse, 27, studies how internet users become radicalized and looks at the evolving ways that extremist networks have organized. He’s particu larly interested in some of the most viru lent corners of the internet, where white supremacists fantasize about and plot violent acts that they hope will stoke revolution. This strain of extremist thought, known as “acceleration ism,” has proliferated online in plain sight.

Newhouse, 27, brings to his academic work some experience in the private sector. He previously worked on data privacy compliance for PlayStation and at Uber, where he analyzed and contributed to the company’s responses to natural disasters and terrorist attacks. But his

interest in how online communities are “supercharging” extremism began as an undergrad at Middlebury, he says. Intern ing as a journalist for a video game maga zine, he saw female colleagues become targets of misogynist “Gamergate” harassment campaigns, and he became intrigued by the movement’s connection to the far right.

“I just really quickly realized that my passion is trying to figure out what’s going on,” he says. “How is the far right using the internet? How are they wielding it as a weapon? And then how can we actually disrupt it?”

Newhouse spoke to Seven Days from his home in Colorado. The interview has been condensed and edited for clarity.

The company, Vermont’s largest pri vate employer, has already developed prototypes of the large eight-inch-wide wafers — the first company in the world to do so, according to Caulfield. Other chip manufacturers are using GaN technology, but only on smaller wafers.

Caulfield applauded Leahy’s contin ued support, in the form of the recent federal appropriation of $30 million, as well as the $52 billion bill President Joe Biden signed in August to strengthen the domestic semiconductor industry.

Semiconductors are “vital to the world economy and society at large,” but only 12 percent are produced in the U.S., Caulfield said. The federal act will allow GlobalFoundries — and other domestic chip makers — to apply for grants to help it purchase tools and equipment to make the 65-year-old plant more competitive, he said.

“We value the partnership of GlobalFoundries. It’s an important part of our state,” Leahy said.

The event was the latest of several to fête Leahy as he approaches retirement in January. The University of Vermont, which Leahy attended, surprised him last week with an announcement that its newest Lake Champlain research vessel, Marcelle, would be named for his wife. m

Entrepreneur’s Envoy

John Antonucci connects startups and small businesses with funding — and the right people

BY ANNE WALLACE ALLEN • anne@sevendaysvt.com

Sorting tomatoes, teaching social studies and coaching soccer: John Antonucci has done those jobs and many more on his way to becoming the managing part ner at the Dudley Fund, one of Vermont’s newest equity investment firms.

Antonucci, 40, manages the day-to-day operations at the fund, which he, private equity investor Jim Crook and three others launched in January with the goal of injecting $12.5 million into fledgling Vermont companies. The fund has invested $1 million collectively in eight companies so far this year and will probably invest in another two by 2023, Antonucci said.

some cases, sold their businesses, with accountants and lawyers and market ers, talented people looking for jobs, other founders, other investors,” he said. “Bringing people together is the difference-maker for a small ecosystem like ours.”

Antonucci grew up in Gloversville, N.Y., a small city about 50 miles north west of Albany, that was once the center of the country’s glove-making industry. His father runs a food distribution busi ness there, and Antonucci and his three brothers worked for him from an early age.

The work — sorting tomatoes or driving a forklift — didn’t inspire Antonucci. “The sooner I got through the boxes of tomatoes, the sooner I could go play soccer; that’s what I thought about,” he said.

But working for the family business — and watching his dad help employees when they were struggling with debt and other problems — convinced him that employers play a critical role in the community.

“I believe in the private sector and its ability to solve problems,” Antonucci said.

JOHN ANTONUCCI

Investment activity has soared glob ally over the past few years, and people with business ideas — and money to invest — have been moving to Vermont from other states. During the pandemic, the Burlington area quickly started to catch up with other innovation hubs in terms of venture capital and new compa nies, putting the Dudley Fund in a prime position to help new and small businesses that need capital to grow.

“There are tons of organizations that are specifically trying to help entrepre neurs, and each year it seems like there are more,” Antonucci said. “You’re start ing to see exciting companies get funded, and the story is starting to be, ‘You can do this here.’”

Apart from running the operations of the fund, Antonucci’s primary role is to link entrepreneurs with people who can help them expand their companies.

“We connect them with people who have successfully started, grown and, in

The business world wasn’t an obvious fit for Antonucci when he was a studentathlete at the University of Vermont. He played four years of soccer and majored in accounting and business because he wasn’t really sure what else to do. (“My family was in business, and I thought it would be helpful,” he reasoned).

But he hated accounting and business. He eventually found economics a little more palatable, and, while studying the economics of international development, he started traveling to the Dominican Republic to provide aid for Haitians who work in the rice-growing industry.

Antonucci ultimately made several trips with other UVM students to a region called Batey Libertad. The Americans took health and first aid supplies to Haitians who had been brought to the Dominican Republic to work in the sugarcane fields and were citizens of neither country.

Many of the people Antonucci met had no running water or electricity, and they lived in tin shacks. Antonucci, a soccer

Burlington School District to Sue Monsanto Over PCBs

BY ALISON NOVAK alison@sevendaysvt.com

The Burlington School District intends to sue chemical maker Monsanto after contamination from the company’s PCBs forced the closure of the city high school and tech center in 2020.

The district wants to demolish the contaminated school on Institute Road and build a new one there. But the plan requires Burlington voters to approve a $165 million bond in November.

District officials said at a press conference last Thursday that any money recouped in a lawsuit against Monsanto would help pay for the new building and decrease the burden on city taxpayers.

PCBs

Hell Monitor «

SEVEN DAYS: Why have you focused on the internet’s role in the prolifera tion of extremism?

ALEX NEWHOUSE: When you read academic research on extremism and terrorism from the 1970s and ’80s — when the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan and the Covenant, the Sword and the Arm of the Lord were the big, scary far-right groups in the U.S. — what you discover is the focus was on the use of church groups and afterschool activities and other very geographically proximate spaces to facilitate radicalization and mobilization.

The internet has basically completely upended that entire way of understanding how radicalization works. You can be radi calized by just an amorphous consumption of content and interaction with pseud onymous people online. And, as a result of that, our ability to disrupt those processes has taken a pretty significant hit; it is much harder to disrupt a terrorist attack if that person doesn’t actually interact with any standardized organizational hierarchy.

Alex Newhouse

School board chair Clare Wool said the district does not expect the litiga tion to be “an uncontested and quickly resolved matter.” In fact, she said, it may take “a number of years.”

“Any money recovered from litigation would be used to pay down the bond in future years and reduce the amount taxpayers would be required to pay on debt,” Wool said.

She urged Burlingtonians to vote yes on the bond as school district officials work to lower the financial burden on voters by exploring different funding opportunities for the project.

If the bond were approved, district officials would want to begin demoli tion in December and build a new school by August 2025. More than $20 million would go to remediating soil and removing building materials contaminated by PCBs, which the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has labeled a probable carcinogen.

Monsanto, which was acquired by Bayer AG in 2018, was the sole producer of PCBs in the U.S. from 1935 to 1977. The chemicals were found in common building materials such as caulking, tile adhesive and fluorescent light ballasts.

Superintendent Tom Flanagan said the district has hired three law firms that have agreed to work on a “contingency fee basis.” That means the district would have no financial obliga tion for the cost of litigation unless it were awarded monetary damages in court. If that happened, the legal team would recover its expenses based on the percentage of money recovered.

“We believe, and our board believes, that this is a win-win situation for our school district and for the City of Burlington,” Flanagan said. m

The flip side of this is that the internet also provides us with a stunning amount of data about how extremists interact. So we’re able to track the evolution of extremist language and identification in a much more granular and extensive way than we were in the past.

SD: One manifestation of this kind of radicalization has been the mass shooting, which is often seen as a sort of American phenomenon. Is online extremism also distinctly American in some way?

AN: It’s much bigger than that. The United States still operates as a center of gravity, in large part because our very strict freedom for expression protects a lot of the types of speech that would actually facilitate investigations in other countries. But transnational connections have become a very important part of extremism and far-right extremism in particular. The type of extremism I specialize in most, which is accelerationist violence — it’s a very, very violent subset of far-right extremism — we’ve identified that in 35 to 40 countries. The resulting social media channels of these types of organizations are very multilingual, even if English is still the lingua franca for a lot of it.

SD: So this world of online extremism is very decentralized, and there’s also a spectrum, as you just alluded to. Can you help chart us a path through this complicated landscape?

AN: One of the ways that we talk about this is that there are recruitment processes and mobilization processes — going from being

a keyboard warrior to taking some sort of physical action, whether that’s vandalism or violence.

When they’re first getting recruited into an extremist frame of mind, conspiratorial thinking is a very common first cut. They’ll start posting or consuming content that talks about why we should doubt all jour nalists, why we should reject the standard narratives given to us by the [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] or what ever it might be. From that conspiratorial framework, then you enter into, “OK, we believe that there’s this grand conspiracy to basically mislead the populace: Who is doing that?” The answer to that question, if you’re far enough down, is usually Jewish people or Black people, or wherever the ‘enemy’ is. That is extremism.

Once you’re there, it’s a relatively small step to say, “OK, there’s this existential threat; our livelihoods are at stake. We are literally facing extinction. The next step is to take violent action to defend ourselves.”

SD: You also look at the people who consume this sort of content, such as the 18-year-old man who killed 10 people and wounded three at a Buffalo, N.Y., supermarket shooting this year. He was immersed in extrem ist channels and specifically targeted Black people.

AN: Social science research has found pretty compelling evidence that there’s a difference between those who are consuming the content and then carrying out action and the people who are producing

the content and posting it. Oftentimes, the producers of the content are the least violent people in these networks. This separation of labor is a really fascinating development and a really worrying one, especially in the United States legal context. It has allowed the contemporary far right to become particularly persistent and resilient to law enforcement pressure.

SD: Looming over these issues of violent extremism is the political movement that led to the January 6 insurrection, which seems to have been mobilized in part by these online communities. Can we understand January 6 through the frameworks that you study?

AN: There have been a couple of GOP politicians — I’m thinking of Rep. Paul Gosar [R-Ariz.] and Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene [R-Ga.] — that have actually reposted memes or used songs or other types of visual indicators in social media posts that are highly, highly indicative of being at least obliquely familiar with communities like Terrorgram [a collection of neofascist channels on the social media platform Telegram]. Large sections of QAnon have pretty much fully embraced promoting civil war, undertaking a second American revolution, using political violence for their own ends. That desensitization of political violence is exactly the same type of framework. Its percolation down to the bigger movements is what drove January 6 and what might drive additional political violence in the near future.

SD: Is this an inevitable consequence of living in a world with social media? Is it bound to be fuel for extremist organizing?

AN: There are some parts of the internet that are always destined to be organizing places. Encrypted messaging apps are useful for a whole number of reasons. Just part of the intrinsic nature of them is that they’re useful for terrorist organization.

On the radicalization side, the entire concept of raising advertising revenue based on engagement with content is intrinsically vulnerable to facilitating increasing amounts of consumption of radical, conspiratorial, emotionally intense content.

I do not personally think we just have to throw in the towel and accept it. My hope is that, for instance, the expansion of privacy rules and anti-algorithmic adver tising laws over in Europe will hopefully

against and slowly, slowly, slowly, slowly changing.

SD: I would imagine the center’s research into the origins and mutations of online extremism is important in helping these platforms to know what to look out for.

AN: Most tech companies can hire some subject matter experts, but ultimately we at CTEC are the ones who spend our days staring at this stuff and understanding the trends and how they evolve. We have done a lot of work to try to explain to companies and governments that the QAnon conspiracy theory about elite families cannibalizing children is a repackaging of a 700-year-old antisemitic conspiracy theory. A content moderator at Google or Facebook, more likely than not, is not going to understand that entire historical context. It’s a lot of training and education work that we end up doing. It’s why we exist.

SD: Has your research found anything to indicate whether banning users from a social media platform, a measure known as deplatforming, is effective?

AN: The question is still fairly open. What we can say for certain is that the influencers need their audience. They need the access to those massive platforms, and deplatforming does take the wind out of their sails, absolutely.

expand to the U.S. and help crack down on the algorithmic, systemic radicaliza tion pipelines. I also have hope that social media companies will continue to get better at content moderation, at network construction and at preventing extremist exploitation.

SD: Tech companies have obviously been slow to address these issues. At this point, does the industry under stand the magnitude of the problem?

AN: There has been a massive sea change in the awareness around the risks of especially far-right extremism and terrorism on social media. One of the problems we’re still facing is that even though that awareness has rapidly changed in a lot of cases, social media companies still unnecessarily handcuff themselves to some sort of strange legal interpretation of the First Amendment, even though they don’t have to follow it in the same way the government does.

The motives there are understandable and probably admirable, but ultimately it makes social media platforms extremely inflexible to deal with developing trends in extremism and terrorism. There’s still this black-and-white thinking that is just a product of a long history of doing things a certain way that we are fighting

SD: Are there other steps these companies can take, beyond content moderation, that can reduce the risks here?

AN: I think so. Facebook, YouTube and Twitter all have been instituting various automated flags on different types of content, for instance on posts about election integrity. There is some initial evidence to suggest that that type of action does help.

But outside of the platforms’ poli cies, civil society resilience programs, like increasing education around media coverage, misinformation, disinforma tion, conspiracy theories — all those things are really important, as well. And the answer to countering radicalization in all of its forms is to counter loneliness and alienation at the social level. It’s a much, much bigger undertaking, but the single best predictor of radicalization that we have is perceptions of loneliness and alienation. So investing in all the types of social systems that we know to improve social relationships with people are all incredibly important for countering radi calization. m

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

THE INTERNET HAS BASICALLY COMPLETELY UPENDED THAT ENTIRE WAY OF UNDERSTANDING HOW RADICALIZATION WORKS.

fanatic from an early age, noticed he had something in common with these hardscrabble workers.

“They crowded all their living quarters around a big giant clearing; that’s how important soccer was to them,” Antonucci said. Over the seven years he spent visiting the Dominican Republic, he and his fellow students brought uniforms and cleats, built goal posts, and helped pay for transporta tion to games. He coached, played, and sought to defend and encourage a deeply marginalized group that faced widespread discrimination in its adopted country.

At first, he said, the Dominicans refused to play against the Haitians.

“There is so much deep-seated racism against Haitians,” Antonucci said. But after the Haitians started winning games, the Dominican teams recruited them.

“Some of our players were playing in the top professional leagues in the coun try,” he said. “We even created women’s teams, and that was unheard of.”

Antonucci came away impressed with how well the Haitian community worked together. He recalled massive gatherings where teams and their families would throw together “the most elaborate potluck.” It showed him that when people worked together, they could achieve more than when they worked alone.

“In the U.S., we’d create a spreadsheet to manage that; there, it just happened,” he said. “The social capital was very different from anything I had experienced.”

Antonucci completed a bachelor’s degree in economics and sociology, then went straight into a UVM master’s program in education. He also worked as a patient attendant at UVM Medical Center, then called Fletcher Allen Health Care. His job was to make sure patients who were in bed didn’t get out and hurt themselves.

JOHN ANTONUCCI

“I got to talk to people from every single walk of life,” he said. “The really educated, the uneducated, the people who have traveled the world, the people who have never really left Vermont, people who are Republican, Progressive … When your loved one is really sick, that stuff doesn’t matter.”

The experiences at that job led him to his next: teaching social studies at U-32 Middle & High School in Montpelier. “I wanted to give young people the oppor tunity to see the world from multiple viewpoints,” Antonucci said.

He liked the position, partly because he had a lot of leeway to design individual ized projects for his students. He started U-32’s media lab, which purchased video cameras, boom microphones, green screens, computers, editing software and

lighting so students could produce original films about local issues and organizations.

One of his students, he said, had a multimedia story about gay marriage published in the Miami Herald. Anto nucci liked encouraging students to aim high.

“People are capable of doing incred ible things,” he said. “You just need to give them the opportunity to do it.”

Antonucci left U-32 in 2015 and started his own business, a consulting practice where he helped many of his family’s restaurant and food service clients modernize their businesses. In 2016, Antonucci helped create a curriculum on entrepreneurialism for the Governor’s Institutes of Vermont, a residential learn ing program for high school students.

That work “shows a commitment to Vermont in the long term,” said Matt Dunne, who runs the Center on Rural Inno vation, or CORI, a national group that seeks to connect entrepreneurs with money, mentorship and technical assistance.

Though Dunne works in Springfield, he is in close contact with Antonucci as part of a growing equity funding ecosystem in Vermont.

“That’s not doing something in the short term for a quick win; it’s about build ing a system that is committed to innova tion from our young people,” Dunne said of Antonucci.

In 2017, Antonucci landed a job as director of entrepreneurship and head of the LaunchVT business accelerator program at the Lake Champlain Cham ber. The position ensconced Antonucci in Vermont’s nascent startup funding scene. LaunchVT supports early stage, Vermontbased businesses by recruiting cohorts of entrepreneurs into a two-month educa tional program.

The startups chosen get advice and coaching and take part in a contest where winners receive cash prizes and profes sional services. Well-known businesses

such as Vermont Tortilla, Burlington Code Academy, Benchmark Space Systems and Packetized Energy have taken part in recent years.

“John’s background managing LaunchVT was perfect for his new role,” the Dudley Fund’s Crook told Seven Days in an email. “He had spent years helping entrepreneurs get ready to find funding. He does the same thing now with the big difference being the availability of capital to fund entrepreneurs through the Dudley Fund.”

In the past decade, Vermont has begun to gather more of the assets that are criti cal to a thriving startup ecosystem, such as the state’s first business bank, the Bank of Burlington, which opened this year. By Antonucci’s count, there are also 10 equity investment funds in the state, including the Dudley Fund, CORI, Features Capital, the Fund at Hula, FreshTracks Capital and the Vermont Center for Emerging Technologies.

Software company Dealer.com sold for $1 billion in 2014, and some of its found ers stayed around to invest and start other companies. And there are dozens of other success stories: Aviation startup Beta Technologies has raised more than $743 million since May 2021, while Dealer Policy, now known as Polly, raised $110 million last year.

The Dudley Fund’s portfolio includes the whiskey blender Lost Lantern, the aerospace company Benchmark Space Systems, two robotics companies and Accessible Web, a company that makes tools to increase online access. The group looks for companies with a strong plan for rapid growth and a successful sale.

“Those new companies are going to be the next IDXs and Dealer.coms and IBMs and OnLogics,” Antonucci said, ticking off several successful companies with a Vermont presence. “If you ask any of the people who founded those companies if it would it have been nice to have some better support early on, I’m sure they would all tell you yes.” m

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Beta Technologies plans a web of charging stations across the eastern U.S. to power its electric planes

BY KEVIN MCCALLUM • kevin@sevendaysvt.com

The first time Beta Technologies’ allelectric aircraft landed at RutlandSouthern Vermont Regional Airport this May, airport manager Chris Beitzel said he felt he was witnessing history.

The fixed-wing airplane — with rotors allowing it to take off and land vertically — this time touched down on the runway like a regular airplane. It pulled up next to a tall box installed in 2021 beside a patch of lawn. A ground crew from the pioneering South Burlington aviation company pulled a thick black electric charging cord out of the unit and plugged it into the side of the unusual craft known as an Alia.

“It was just like it was pulling up to a gas station,” Beitzel recalled.

The 350-kilowatt charger is nearly twice as powerful as the fastest available to Tesla EV owners. After its batteries recharged for about an hour, the Alia took off for the next leg of its test flight. The company says the craft can recharge completely in 50 minutes.

“It’s just really exciting to see new aviation technology being developed and having Rutland airport be a part of that new frontier,” Beitzel said.

Engineers at Beta Technologies are racing to overcome myriad technical chal lenges to make battery-powered flight a commercial reality. They’re trying to make the Alia as light and streamlined as possi ble so it can achieve its promised range of 250 miles per charge. They’re working to maximize the power per pound delivered by its five lithium-ion battery packs. And they’re hoping to convince regulators that

their novel craft is every bit as safe as its fossil fuel-powered, emissions-spewing cousins.

But none of those innovations will matter if the Alia doesn’t have enough places to quickly and conveniently recharge its depleted batteries. Much like Tesla built its own nationwide network of charging stations to keep its sleek EVs on the road, Beta has been construct ing superpowerful electric chargers at airports from Vermont to Arkansas.

As fast as the company is expanding in Vermont — with a huge manufacturing facility at Burlington International Airport and a new battery plant in St. Albans — its growth outside the state is just as crucial to its success.

Today, its network is modest: just nine chargers for electric airplanes at seven strategically selected regional airports in Vermont, New York, Ohio and Arkansas. But the company has aggressive expan sion plans; it expects to have 15 charging stations online by the end of the year, with 50 more in development.

The near-term goal is to extend the network down the East Coast, loop it back up though the Gulf Coast to the Midwest, and fill in the gaps to allow its electric aircraft to fly anywhere east of the Missis sippi River.

Chip Palombini, who leads the charg ing infrastructure team at Beta, said the company’s ultimate goal is to create a “mesh network” — a web of charging

stations across the eastern U.S. “Then it’s literally you go wherever you want,” he said.

Unlike Tesla, whose chargers are for Tesla owners only, Beta has committed to building an open network for use by its own aircraft and those of its competitors.

Designing its fast chargers to be compatible with the technologies of other electric aircraft manufacturers will allow the network to be more functional and reliable — and cheaper, Palombini said. The company also hopes it will help spark an electrification revolution in aviation that Beta can’t pull off alone.

“Our primary mission is to decarbonize transportation,” Palombini said. “If it’s a closed network that is only available to Alias, that limits how much carbon we can take out.”

That’s why the network includes not only electric aircraft chargers, but char gers for “terrestrial EVs” as well, he said. The company refers to this as a “multi modal charging infrastructure” capable of charging the electric cars, vans and delivery trucks that will carry passengers and goods to their ultimate destination.

Unlike other eVTOL makers focused on the “urban mobility,” or air taxi, market, right now Beta is designing its aircraft to deliver goods rather than people. It has venture capital from United Therapeu tics, a biotechnology company that plans to use the Alia to deliver transplantable organs directly to hospitals. United Parcel Service has contracted to purchase 10 of the company’s aircraft and chargers.

A Beta Technologies charge pad in Ohio

A Beta Technologies charge cube in Burlington

PHOTOS COURTESY OF BETA

Companies that invest in reducing the carbon footprints of their air operations also see the need to electrify their ground fleets, Palombini said.

“You can imagine that when the UPS electric van shows up to put cargo onto Alia, that’s going to need to recharge,” he said.

Fast chargers use direct current, or DC, instead of the alternating current, or AC, used in homes. The pricey chargers are some of the fastest available today and

can recharge a typical electric car to 80 percent in less than an hour.

Beta’s open network will also benefit EV drivers in rural areas that lack fast chargers, a gap that limits the growth of EV sales. For example, soon after Beta installed fast chargers at the airport in the small town of Springfield, Ohio, drivers began lining up to use them, Palombini said.

“You do get into this catch-22 where if there’s no chargers, there’s no EVs, and people say, ‘There are no EVs here. Why would I install an EV charger?’” Palombini said. “In Springfield, we broke that cycle.”

Beta is launching its charging network at regional airports in part because they’re outside heavily populated areas.

“It’s just easier to land [the Alia] where nobody cares,” Beta founder Kyle Clark said during a speech at a conference earlier this year.

Building an EV charging network in out-of-the-way places seems counterin tuitive. It’s the opposite of what Tesla and other networks such as ChargePoint are doing, which is to focus on building capac ity in the highest-traffic areas.

But Beta sees regional airports as underutilized assets. The company notes that most Americans live within 16 minutes of an airport, making them ideal charging locations for EV owners.

“A charging network that supports the transition to electric across all forms of transportation is good for us, while also

being good for other electric vehicle companies,” Clark said in a statement. “Ultimately, we see this approach as a faster way to move the needle and promote adoption of this new technology that will make a huge difference for our planet.”

To make the EV charging option conve nient, the company last month launched an app showing pilots and drivers where its chargers are located and whether they are available, and also enabling them to purchase a recharge. Costs vary by location, but the Alia costs are less than $20 per hour to operate, compared to $375 per hour for a similarly sized Cessna using $6.59 per gallon jet fuel, the company estimates.

In May, the company carried out a proof-of-flight test by placing chargers at spots between Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Bentonville, Ark., the site of an aviation conference called UP.Summit.

The Alia made seven stops along the 1,403-mile route over the course of a week; poor weather made the trip longer than expected. A chase team towed a diesel generator to recharge the Alia’s batteries at the three stopovers where no chargers were available — underscoring the need for more chargers.

The team learned a good deal about its network on the trip, including the importance of making charging as smooth and user-friendly as possible. That informed the design of the compa ny’s new cube-shaped chargers. Outside Beta’s headquarters at Burlington Inter national Airport last week, as helicopters whirred overhead and Beta pilots taxied across the tarmac, Palombini opened the cube and unfurled the motorized power cord from its weatherproof housing.

The simple design eliminates the need for a touch screen or credit card reader, allowing a pilot to plug in an electric aircraft and complete the transaction on Beta’s app, he said. The cube chargers are all that’s really needed to recharge an Alia at a regional airport.

But for other locations, such as hospi tals or cargo distribution centers, the company has a more elaborate solution. It’s called a charge pad, or “vertiport.” The idea is to have a place where pilots can land an Alia vertically and then rest or even sleep overnight while the aircraft recharges from a bank of batteries — not unlike the portable battery packs used to jump-start a car. This will allow fast recharging in remote areas where the grid is weak. After the Alia gets juiced up and takes off, the port’s batteries will

slowly recharge off the grid for the next quick-charge.

The customizable pads made of shipping containers can be outfitted with modern kitchens, sleeping areas with all the amenities of a small hotel room, and workshop or maintenance space.

These pads are not yet in opera tion but will likely be part of private networks built for use by Beta’s clients, such as UPS and United Therapeutics. There are two prototypes: one in South Burlington outside the company’s head quarters, the other in Springfield, Ohio. The company has not disclosed the cost of either type of charging platform, though the charge pads are clearly expensive affairs.

So the company’s aircraft charging network will essentially be two networks, one public and one private. How quickly they come online and how much they overlap or interconnect with each other remain to be seen.

Richard Aboulafia,the managing direc tor at Michigan-based AeroDynamic Advisory, an aerospace and defense management firm, said Beta’s success will come down to whether it can deliver people and products more cost-effectively than ground transportation. The efficiency and effectiveness of its charging network are crucial.

“It’s absolutely a hurdle that needs to be addressed, and it sounds like they are on it,” Aboulafia said. m

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Beta Technologies will be recruiting — and giving people the chance to try its flight simulator — at the Vermont Tech Jam on Saturday, October 22, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Hula in Burlington. Hands-on exhibits geared toward students will explain more about how Beta’s planes work. To attend the free event, register at techjamvt.com.

Chip Palombini

lifelines

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES

Charles Wesley Rook Jr.

AUGUST 30, 1938JANUARY 19, 2022

BURLINGTON, VT.

We celebrate the remarkable life of Charles Wesley Rook Jr., who died on January 19, 2022, of heart failure at his Tucson winter home, with his loving family by his side.

Born on August 30, 1938, in Denver, Colo., Charley was raised In Nebraska and chose to come east to join the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s class of 1960. During eight terms on the dean’s list, he served on the East Campus House Committee and Senior House Committee and chaired the Judicial Dormitory Council. He received the prestigious Beaver Key; was awarded membership in the Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi and Sigma Xi honor societies; participated in “T” Club, the Tech, WTBS radio, crew, track, swimming and NROTC; and courted Jean Barclay, his future wife. Active in the Outing Club, mountain hiking, spelunking, rock climbing and skiing, he also played rugby and drank beer with the MIT, Boston and Washington, D.C., clubs.

Upon graduating MIT with BS, MS and doctor of science degrees in electrical engineering, Charley was commissioned into the U.S. Navy. Assigned to the Bureau of Ships and the Naval Electronic Systems Command in Washington, D.C., he did research and managed projects before serving for nine years in the U.S. Naval Reserves. After Navy duty, he joined the staff at MIT’s Lincoln Lab in 1966, contributing to advanced research projects for 35 years.

He was honest, eventempered, fair, kind and reserved, with a dry humor — a Renaissance man. Charley

loved opera, London theater, cycling, playing rugby, learning languages and quoting Shakespeare. Addicted to the daily New York Times crossword puzzle, he scored 2,781/97.4 percent of puzzles solved, with his longest streak of 655 interrupted by travels to seven continents.

Another deep interest was classical music. He enjoyed singing bass with the Concord Chorus in Massachusetts and several community choruses. A great delight was singing at Carnegie Hall’s Centennial Celebration. He framed his backstage pass. Every week, he listened to NPR’s “Joyful Noise” choral music and “Says

You,” and watched “Wheel of Fortune” and “Jeopardy!”

Running was part of his daily routine. He finished the Boston Marathon and ran many weekend races. Longdistance cycling became his passion, which led to cycling vacations in Europe, Canada and the U.S. In his later years, he rose to the challenges of New England century rides.

After living in Chelmsford, Mass., for 34 years and restoring a 200-year-old house, he and his wife retired to Burlington, Vt. eir home overlooking Lake Champlain became “base camp” for two decades of travel. Upon learning that non-native Vermonters were called “flatlanders,” Charley said he’d have to dig down 4,800 feet from where he was born in the mile-high mountains of Colorado in order to get to Vermont! He loved Vermont.

He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Jean (Barclay) Rook; his daughters, Rebecca Rook (Douglas Smith) of California and Jennifer Atkins (David Atkins) of Massachusetts; his grandchildren, Shay, Jason and Marshall Atkins; and his sisters, Barbara Clausen and Martha Rook of Oregon.

Constance Loso

FEBRUARY 23, 1945-SEPTEMBER 20, 2022 WINOOSKI, VT.

Constance “Connie” Alma (Niquette) Loso, 77, of Orlando, Fla., passed away peacefully in the late evening hours of Tuesday, September 20, 2022, after battling ongoing health issues.

Connie leaves behind her son, Christopher Loso, and his wife, Rebecca Stone, of Baltimore, Md.; daughter, Jacqueline Loso Hongladarom, and her husband, Bob, of Fulton, Md., and their child (her grandchild) Benjamin; sister, Carol Izzo, and her husband, Louis Izzo, of Williston, Vt.; and sisterin-law, Sharon Niquette, of Jeffersonville, Vt.; as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins and extended family. She was predeceased by her brother, Richard Niquette, of Burlington, Vt., in 2017.

Connie was born on February 23, 1945, at Fanny Allen Hospital to parents eodore and Gertrude (Marcotte) Niquette of Winooski, who predeceased her. She attended St. Francis Xavier School in Winooski, Vt., through the eighth grade. She then attended Rice Memorial High School in South Burlington, Vt., and graduated in 1962.

During high school, Connie worked for her parents, who were the proprietors of the former landmark restaurant Ted & Gert’s Fine Food on Main Street in Winooski. She also worked in the mail room and as a switchboard operator at Saint Michael’s College during high school. She loved working there and befriended many college students from around the world.

Sasha Torrens-Sperry

JULY 16, 1993-JULY 24, 2022

NEW YORK, N.Y.

Sasha Torrens-Sperry passed away unexpectedly on July 24, 2022, in New York City. Her beauty, kindness and music profoundly touched us all.

Sasha was born in New York City on July 16, 1993, and grew up in Shelburne, Vt.

From an early age, she expressed her soul through music, at first on piano and trumpet and later on guitar, even learning sitar. She made every instrument sing. Music was how she made sense of the world. Sasha went on to graduate from Berklee College of Music with a degree in electronic production

and later moved to New York City, where she taught piano. As a gifted pianist and teacher, she was adored by her students.

Sasha’s striking mane of curly hair was an extension of her bubbly personality and hilarious wit. She truly

embraced all cultures and was proud of her Dominican roots. Despite her own struggles, she always made others feel loved and valued and was ready to listen to anyone’s story at any time. She made every day of our lives a little brighter. She leaves behind a

gaping hole in the hearts of everyone who knew her.

Sasha is survived by her parents, Abigail Sperry and Alejandro Torrens, and her sister, Gabriela Torrens-Sperry. She leaves behind grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins, in both the United States and the Dominican Republic. She is also survived by beloved Mimi the Cat, with whom she shared a mystical connection.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, October 29, 3 p.m., at the First Unitarian Universalist Society, 152 Pearl St., Burlington, VT. It will be a heartfelt, music-filled tribute where all are welcome. If you would like to make a donation in Sasha’s memory, please give to the Partnership to End Addiction in New York City at drugfree.org.

After high school, Connie studied to be a nurse. She graduated from Fanny Allen Memorial School of Practical Nursing in 1964. She was an accomplished pediatric nurse over the years and worked in hospitals in Florida, Vermont and Massachusetts.

Connie was a very generous woman who helped many of her neighbors and friends while living in Orlando, Fla. She baked her legendary pumpkin, banana and zucchini breads for family, friends and neighbors. She also helped many people in need and gave money and gifts to help support them. In her most recent home in Orlando, she was an avid bingo player and enjoyed shopping and socializing with her friends living at Kinneret Senior Living.

Her generosity, kindness and compassionate nature will be greatly missed by all whose lives she touched.

In lieu of flowers, monetary donations can be made in honor of Constance Loso to the Kinneret Council on Aging (kinneretliving.org/donate) and to the American Diabetes Association (diabetes.org).

A memorial to be held in Vermont will be scheduled for spring 2023. Anyone who would like to receive further information pertaining to the memorial service, please email Christopher Loso at closo97@yahoo.com. He will provide you with the finalized date and time for the memorial service.

Paul Rumley

NOVEMBER 16, 1946OCTOBER 10, 2022 MONTPELIER, VT.

Paul T. Rumley, 75, of Montpelier, died peacefully at his home in the early morning of October 10, 2022, seven years after receiving a termi nal cancer diagnosis.

Born in Boston on November 16, 1946, to Thomas J. Rumley and Claire A. Lane, Paul grew up in Medford, Mass. He was the eldest of four siblings: Thomas (Maxine Weed) Rumley, Mary (Doug) Fagone and Joan (Paul Giamo) Stearns. Paul earned a bachelor’s degree from Merrimack College and served in the U.S. Coast Guard, an experience that deepened his lifelong love for the water.

In 1968, he came to Stowe to ski. One winter turned into another, and Paul became a permanent Vermont resident.

In the early 1970s, Paul started working at the Thrush Tavern in downtown Montpelier. He was in his element, amassing a large network of friends and offering a place of retreat for those working in and around the Statehouse. He con vinced his brother, Thomas, to join him in Vermont, and the two soon bought the business which they ran together for three decades.

Alongside the Thrush, Paul had an extensive career in the food service industry, running kitchens and catering operations at the Barre Country Club, the Vermont Statehouse, Meals on Wheels and Capitol Grounds Café, among others. Throughout his life and on his various adventures, Paul made many wonderful friends. He was a loving and devoted uncle to his nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews, and a surrogate “Uncle Paul” to countless others.

In his later years, Paul indulged his love of photography, reading and telling stories. He had a knack for finding joy and humor in humdrum moments.

Above all else, Paul loved his children: Katherine Rumley of East Montpelier and Kelsey Rumley of Burlington. They, however, have long claimed to love him even more.

Friends and family are invited to celebrate Paul’s life at the Capital City Grange in Berlin on Friday, October 28, from 3 to 6 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the American Red Cross or the Vermont Foodbank.

Bryan Anderson

FEBRUARY 21, 1962OCTOBER 12, 2022 MILTON, VT.

Bryan Harold Anderson, 60, passed away on October 12, 2022, at his home in Milton, Vt., sur rounded by his loved ones. Bryan was born on February 21, 1962, in Waterbury, Conn., as the son of Harold Anderson and Doran (Snyder) Anderson. He bravely battled rectal and liver cancer for five years and carried that fighting spirit with him when he passed Bryan was a self-employed painter (Fluid Motion Painting) for the majority of his working life. Known for his tireless work ethic and attention to detail, he contin ued painting into his final months of life and was often heard saying, “It takes a lot to do a little.”

Bryan was a natural athlete. Growing up, he excelled in com petitive swimming and diving, skiing, and tennis. He attended Vermont Academy in Saxtons

Gerard Malavenda

OCTOBER 20, 1956OCTOBER 15, 2022 WILLISTON, VT.

Gerard Malavenda, 65, tragically passed away on October 15, 2022. An accomplished and seasoned bicyclist, Gerry had set out on a glorious Vermont day for a ride that would unfortunately be his last.

River, where he fell in love with the outdoors. After graduating from Vermont Academy, he attended the University of Vermont, where he met his future wife. Before settling down, Bryan moved west to Squaw Valley, Calif., to pursue his passion: skiing. He skied all the extreme lines and chutes with the best skiers of the day. A photo of Bryan launching into the chutes of the Palisades in perfect form will live on forever.

Upon returning to Vermont and raising a family, Bryan would never pass up an opportunity to get out on the golf course with his sons, take his family waterskiing on the family boat or crack open a beer with his dearest friends. In his last months, he loved watching his favorite shows with his partner, Tanya, and spending time with his loved ones.

Bryan is survived by his mother, Doran Anderson, of Williston; Brook Anderson and his wife, Laura McNally, of Essex; his two sons, Jared of East Northport, N.Y., and Teagan of South Burlington; his partner, Tanya Lavery, of Colchester; and all those who love him. He is predeceased by his father, Harold Anderson.

A celebration of life will be held at a future date. Contributions in Bryan’s name can be made to the American Cancer Society (cancer.org). Arrangements are being handled by Minor Funeral and Cremation Center of Milton (minorfh.com).

Gerry had many lifelong friend ships stemming from high school, college and his career. Those who knew him well would tell you that you could always count on Gerry to be irreverent! As a devout Catholic, Gerry found peace in at tending Mass. Gerry was predeceased by his parents, Russell and Catherine

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Malavenda, and his brother, Russell Malavenda Jr. Left to cherish his memory are his many friends, notably Beth, with whom he spoke daily. Survivors include Maureen and Harry Locker of Williston, Jack Locker of Burlington, and many cousins and extended family members. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the Holy Family Parish in Essex Junction, 11 a.m., on Tuesday October 25, 2022.

In lieu of flowers, donations in Gerry’s name may be made to the Richard Tom Foundation, an organization that promotes safe cycling and driving (richardtom foundation.com/donate).

lifelines

Post your obituary or in memoriam online and in print at sevendaysvt.com/lifelines Or contact us at lifelines@sevendaysvt.com or 865-1020 ext. 142.

I feel it is incredibly important to under stand how powerful our language can be. We should never use the word “overdose” when it comes to cannabis, as that has quite the negative connotation and can add to stigma and bias.

“Overconsume,” absolutely. But “over dose” should not be used in this context.

We have many cannabinoid receptors in our brain, but not in our brain stem, hence why overdosing on cannabis is not possible. Many definitions and public understand ing include death from overdose, so the word has to be used very carefully.

I am unsure if they were Kyle Harris’ words or the newspaper’s, but I wanted to clarify and would love to see an update to change this.

“Eating a small amount of raw canna bis doesn’t pose an overdose risk. That’s because THC, the psychoactive chemical in pot, is only created when cannabis is heated through a process called decar boxylation. This can be achieved through smoking, vaping or — in the case of edibles — baking the cannabis. Without it, pot is essentially inert, Harris said.”

Jessilyn Dolan RICHMOND

boat operators and other users sometimes act like there are no rules and anything goes. Simple respect and cordiality by boaters are important but not enough. Lapses in attentiveness or atti tude can result in boat crashes or swimmers being run over. Further, the unique nature and intent of wake boats — to produce outsize, enhanced wakes — pose special issues for preser vation of the quality of inland lakes and the coordinated use of the water by kayakers, paddlers, sailors, swimmers, anglers, water skiers, tubers and others.

The petition process is a long road. Our proposal will wend its way through the appropriate steps. I hope we can have good discussions of the issues.

Daniel Sharpe HINESBURG

at Dollar General, I saw a couple of young sters buying frozen “sliders” and processed garbage, thinking that if they could get to Troy General, for the same price they could have bought a pound of burger, a whole loaf of bread and condiments!

a toxicologist. I have two young kids, and we use fluoride toothpaste.

But fluoride is not benign. Among other things, fluoride is a neurotoxin, and dozens of studies have consistently found reduced IQ in association with naturally or artificially fluoridated water. These include studies in Canada, where fluoride levels are similar to ours.

Fluoride can help reduce cavities, but it’s important to consider how it works. The effect is topical, on the surface of teeth, after they erupt from the gums. There is no benefit from swallowed fluoride and no benefit to infants from drinking fluoridated water. Toothpaste is a good way to adminis ter fluoride. Drinking water is probably not.

LAKE STAKE

[“Water Wars,” August 24], regarding the proposed rule to manage wake boats and wake sports in Vermont’s inland lakes, was a fair, accurate and informative piece of reporting. Good job. It is my hope that the debate on this subject would be based primarily on the scientific evidence, principles of environmental conservation and preservation, and reasonable rules to manage our public use of waters in Vermont.

The reality is that dealing with the proposal made by our group, Responsible Wakes for Vermont Lakes, is a political and social process. Because of the lack of lines, lanes and signs on public waters,

DOLLAR FOOLISH

[Re “Royalton’s Two Cents,” September 28]: I wish good luck to the good folks in Royalton fighting to keep out yet another Dollar General, especially with one just 15 miles away. This is about market saturation and wringing every penny from the locals by selling crappy, processed junk — nothing fresh.

Here in North Troy, we warned zoning that a Dollar General would kill the local market, and, in less than a year, it did. Now one must travel 16 miles round trip for real produce and meat at Troy General Store, a gathering place where people know each other and converse, with added snark from owner Tony, who took over the business from his dad.

Recently, while forced to buy motor oil

Royalton needs to stop these corporate leeches. Sure, the “prices” may be low at Dollar General, but the costs to the community are high, especially consider ing its junk “food” and slave wages, etc. It drives business away from local stores with its weaselly ways.

Steve Merrill NORTH TROY

THE RIGHT CALL FOR RICHMOND [Re “Richmond Learns a Town Official Lowered the Fluoride Level in Its Water for Years,” September 28, online; “Richmond Vows to Return to ‘Full Fluoride’ Levels,” October 3, online; “Richmond Seeks to Restore Public Confidence After Employee Slashed Fluoride Levels,” October 5]: I’m concerned that Kendall Chamberlin is getting a bad rap. Reducing fluoride exposure was the right thing to do for Richmond kids.

Earlier in my career, I spent two years studying fluoride toxicity for the Maine Department of Health, where I worked as

Recent studies show that the difference between fluoridated and non-fluoridated communities is on the order of 0.3 fewer cavities in permanent teeth per child. Is that modest benefit worth the risk of neurological damage?

Abel Russ ST. GEORGE

SOME REVIEW

[On Screen: “Currently Playing,” October 5] In all fairness to the film The Good House, I would like to suggest that this review missed the mark. I watched this movie. Yes, Sigour ney Weaver plays a real estate agent. And, yes, she reunites with an old flame played by Kevin Kline. The movie is a realistic portrayal of someone whose life bottoms out before she can accept help for her alcohol ism. I don’t know how this review missed the central theme of this movie. It makes me wonder what other reviews miss.

Johanna Nichols MONTPELIER

Editor’s note: The writer is referring to the one-sentence capsule summary Margot Harrison wrote for the film section — it’s not an actual movie review.

BEN DEFLORIO

holding

sign opposing

Wanna be on the

list?

vocal about gifting local!

Starting October 24 tell us where you’re shopping locally in person or online for the holidays, and you’ll be entered to win a $500 gift card to the Vermont reta iler of your choice!

The shops with the most vocal support will be featured in the Seven Days Holiday Gift Guide on November 23. Stay tuned for more details next week or check sevendaysvt.com this Monday.

Tough AF

CoreMap CEO Sarah Kalil is building a better way to treat atrial fibrillation

BY CHELSEA EDGAR • chelsea@sevendaysvt.com

Sarah Kalil likes to start each day by climbing a mountain. One of her preferred summer and fall routes is a two-mile sweatfest that begins in a glade near Stowe Moun tain Resort’s Midway Lodge and ends, 2,000 unrelenting vertical feet later, at the top of the gondola lift below the Mount Mansfield ridgeline. On a good day, she said during one of her recent pilgrimages, she can reach the gondola in an hour.

“It’s a massively effi cient workout,” Kalil said, not panting very much. Her two golden retrievers, Lucy and Scout, lolloped ahead. “I’ve already accom plished something, and it’s barely 10 a.m. You can’t take that away.” In the interest of efficiency and joint health, she rides the gondola down.

To some people, this regimen might sound like a small slice of hell. For Kalil, 63, it’s a necessary act of exhaustion before the daily sprint of running a medical technology startup, CoreMap, which she joined in 2017 with cofounder Peter Spec tor, a University of Vermont cardiologist. Using technology that Spector developed at the UVM Medical Center, CoreMap is seeking to achieve a breakthrough in the detection of atrial fibrillation, or AF, a heart arrhythmia that affects some 37 million people worldwide.

AF is triggered by electrical distur bances in cardiac tissue that throw the heart’s normal beat off-kilter, elevating the risk of heart failure and stroke by as much as fivefold. AF is more common among older adults, though it can affect otherwise healthy people of any age. John Fetterman, the 53-year-old Carhartt-clad lieutenant governor of Pennsylvania who is running for the U.S. Senate, had a stroke in May that was likely caused by his AF; last month, J.J. Watt, a 33-year-old defensive lineman for the NFL’s Arizona

Cardinals, had his heart shocked back into rhythm after an AF flare-up. Because the long-term consequences of AF often require medical treatment, the health care costs associated with the disease are considerable — nearly $26 billion per year in the U.S., according to some estimates.

The most effective treatment for AF is a procedure called ablation, in which surgeons insert a catheter into a major blood vessel and zap the cardiac tissue that’s sending faulty signals to the rest of the heart.

But ablations, accord ing to Spector, are often a shot in the dark.

“We basically stumbled into an approach that works for reasons that we didn’t really understand and, therefore, we couldn’t modify to fit everybody,” he said.

The electrodes on today’s catheters aren’t sophisticated enough to capture the chaotic trajectory of the electrical glitches that cause AF, Spector explained. As many as half of all AF patients who get an ablation have to undergo more than one procedure.

Using Spector’s technology, CoreMap aims to develop a solution to the longstanding challenge of providing indi vidualized treatment for AF — a catheter, tipped with tiny electrodes, that can detect abnormal electrical activity and feed the data into a mapping system that generates high-resolution 3D images of the heart. With those detailed visuals, Kalil said, surgeons will be able to zero in on the source of an erratic rhythm, increasing the chances of a successful ablation.

Even in the best-case scenario,

CoreMap is still several years away from bringing its diagnostic system to the growing AF medical device market, which analysts predict could be worth nearly $18 billion within the next decade. Kalil said CoreMap has conducted some promising early studies at the Liryc Electrophysi ology and Heart Modeling Institute, a research center in Bordeaux, France,

Successful companies become incuba tors for talent, said Jenny Barba, whose venture firm, Features Capital, invests in medical technology startups. Once a company such as CoreMap becomes well established, she explained, its employees can go on to launch their own businesses.

“Quite frankly, there’s a lot of pressure for CoreMap to win,” observed Barba, who lives in Norwich. “It’s as if the whole ecosystem is a little bit dependent upon them to show that this is possible.”

JENNY BARBA

focused on heart rhythm disorders, and the company plans to begin clinical trials outside the U.S. by early next year.

If CoreMap can secure Food & Drug Administration approval, and prove that Spector’s technology works as well as the preclinical studies seem to suggest, Kalil believes that their system will open up treatment possibilities for the hundreds of thousands of AF patients whose arrythmias elude the devices currently on the market. And if CoreMap can deliver on its goals, other companies might try to replicate their success in the Green Mountain State, where the medical technology industry has been steadily gaining momentum. (See “Picture of Health,” page 32.)

A native of Burlington, Kalil has spent the last three decades steering fledgling medical technology companies through the rigors of product development and regulatory approval. She lived and worked mostly in the Boston area until 2016, when she and Spector met through a mutual acquaintance, Deb Estabrook. At the time, Spector had already patented his catheter design, and Estabrook thought Kalil might have the expertise to help him turn his ideas into a viable enterprise.

“Sarah is great at making connections very quickly,” said Estabrook, a retired equity trader who lives in Shelburne. “She’s smart, she’s warm, and she’s very, very hardworking. She’s kind of like the Energizer bunny.”

After Estabrook introduced them, Spector periodically called Kalil for advice. One day, he asked her to come to Vermont to meet a candidate he was considering for a role at the company. While Kalil and Spector were waiting in line for sand wiches in Winooski after their meeting, Kalil said, Spector asked her if she would be interested in becoming his CEO. Right there in the sandwich line, Kalil agreed.

“It’s pretty unusual that two people can agree to work together under those circumstances,” Kalil said. “But it set the tone for the company that we were able to arrive at that level of trust so quickly.”

The startup world is replete with these kinds of origin stories — the road almost not taken, the chance meeting in the coffee shop that turns into a daylong ideation bonanza — and Kalil, a doer in the extreme,

Chelsea Edgar will conduct a live interview with Sarah Kalil and John Abele about their collaboration — and what it takes to turn a great idea into a successful business — during the keynote presentation at the Vermont Tech Jam on Saturday, October 22, 4 p.m., at Hula in Burlington. Talk with other local med-tech companies at the Jam from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. To attend the free event, register at techjamvt.com

I WOULD GUESS THAT SARAH PROBABLY WORKS HARDER THAN MANY CEOS IN THIS SPACE, JUST BEING IN VERMONT AND BEING A FEMALE.

is both a pragmatist and an embracer of the unknown.

“I love velocity. I love change. And in early stage companies, the goal is to constantly be changing,” Kalil said.

In the early ’90s, she was one of the first 10 employees at a startup that developed a 3D surgical endoscope. Kalil was five months pregnant when she was hired, and there were no other women on the team. After her son, Sean, was born, her coworkers bought her a crib for her office. Sean came to work with her for the next year and a half, until Kalil, who was by then pregnant with her daughter, Maura, decided to start her own consulting busi ness so she could spend more time with her children. (Sean now works for Core Map as an engineer.)

Kalil grew up in the New North End of Burlington. Her mother, one of 11 children raised on a dairy and maple sugar farm in Fairfield during the Great Depression, worked as a teacher at C.P. Smith Elemen tary School. Kalil’s father, a former fighter pilot, sold insurance.

Kalil, the youngest of four, was athletic — she was on the field hockey, tennis and downhill ski teams at Burlington High School — and excelled in math and science. At UVM, she majored in engineering, where she could count her female peers on one hand. “There were professors who made me feel that I was taking a spot from a man,” Kalil recalled. “Well, I was not leaving.”

When she first entered the maledominated world of medical technology, Kalil said, she thought that she could perform her way out of discrimination based on her gender. “I just always said that I was going to be better than the person on the right or the person on the left, that I would work harder and work smarter and be better,” she said.

In 2018, Kalil went back to school for a degree in pharmaceutical and medical device law from Seton Hall University. There, she took a course on constitutional law that covered affirmative action, which changed her view of her own situation.

Now, she believes that success isn’t simply a matter of individual achievement: “It’s easy for me to take that position because someone read me a bedtime story, checked my math homework, fed me meals, made sure I went to school.” As the CEO of a growing company, she said she feels an obligation to ensure that the people she

hires have the support they need to do their best work.

The gender gap in the medical tech nology sector remains stubbornly wide. Only 15 percent of executives at venturebacked medical technology companies are women, according to a 2021 survey by the trade publication MedTech Pulse, and women-led startups receive just 2.3 percent of all venture capital funding. “I would guess that Sarah probably works harder than many CEOs in this space, just being in Vermont and being a female,” said Barba of Features Capital.

Of CoreMap’s 26 employees, 10 are women, including Kalil. The majority of the team works at CoreMap’s facility in Burlington, Mass., where the company

is developing its catheter and mapping software; Kalil, who lives in Stowe, splits her time between the Massachusetts plant and CoreMap’s local headquarters at Hula, in the South End of Burlington.

Kalil said she’d like to hire more Vermonters — CoreMap currently employs four — but the applicant pool is small, particularly for technical roles. “This domain is so complex and special ized, and it’s just not here,” she said. “It’s in California, in Minneapolis, in Boston.”

Since 2017, CoreMap has raised a little over $33 million. One of its first investors was Boston Scientific cofounder John Abele, who has given away much of his considerable fortune to philanthropic causes; his net worth, according to Forbes,

is now some $640 million, down from $1.5 billion in the mid-2000s.

Abele knows AF on both a personal and a professional level. Boston Scientific has manufactured ablation catheters since the 1980s, and Abele’s wife, Mary, used to be one of Spector’s patients at UVM Medical Center. At 85, Abele still likes to keep one toe in the next frontier. Part of the reason he placed a bet on CoreMap, he explained, was his confidence in Kalil’s ability to translate Spector’s research into real-world technology.

“Sarah has always appeared to me as an amazingly practical, can-do type of person,” said Abele, who meets with Kalil at least once every few months to talk about strategy. “To be an entrepreneur, you don’t survive unless you cross borders, because you need to be broad in order to understand all the things that are going to be necessary to accomplish a project. And that’s exactly what she does.”

Other companies have tried to do what CoreMap has set out to accomplish, Abele noted, and one of Kalil’s challenges will be to dispel the lingering skepticism from the failures of her predecessors.

“When a field has been through a lot of broken glass, then people say the next thing is also going to be broken glass,” Abele said. “But I think that’s absolutely surmountable.”

In fact, Kalil has faced much more harrowing trials. In 2011, she was diag nosed with aggressive metastatic breast cancer, which required 10 surgeries, 32 chemotherapy sessions, and a month and a half of radiation.

When she first learned that she had cancer, Kalil said, she fixated on whether she’d live to see her children get married. As it happened, her daughter got married last month, and Kalil was there to zip up her wedding dress. “The whole time, I was thinking that it could have been somebody else, and it got to be me,” she said. Her son is planning to get married in June.

Kalil no longer gets routine cancer screenings; instead, her doctors have advised her to wait for symptoms. “I wouldn’t know a symptom if it hit me on the head,” she said. “I’m too busy.”

So she gets up each morning, climbs a mountain and goes to work, hoping that all of her effort will mean that, someday, one more person might live to see her children grow up. m

Sarah Kalil with her canine hiking companions in Stowe

COURTESY OF SARAH KALIL

Picture of Health

Vermont’s health tech sector is booming. Several new companies are riding the wave.

BY COLIN FLANDERS • colin@sevendaysvt.com

Vermont earned a pushpin on the global health technology industry map decades ago when homegrown entrepre neurs founded BioTek Instruments, the Winooski life science instruments company now known as Agilent, and IDX Systems, the South Burlington health information technology firm. While those businesses have since been sold to bigger, out-of-state companies, Vermont has been incubating a new generation of cuttingedge health tech enterprises.

Investors have poured millions of dollars into these companies in hopes of getting in on the ground floor of the next game-changing software, medical device or biological product. A new venture fund, Features Capital, has even popped up to invest in health tech startups.

People with ties to IDX and BioTek continue to serve as investors and mentors for the new wave of companies. The region’s two major academic medi cal centers — the University of Vermont Medical Center and Dartmouth-Hitch cock Medical Center — are helping staff spin ideas into commercial ventures. Established entrepreneurs still choose to launch companies in Vermont because of the lifestyle it offers. And the state’s one degree of separation continues to breed collaborations.

Combine all this with a global demand for health technology that’s only grown during the pandemic, and you’ve got a prescription for success.

Since it can be hard to know whom to pay attention to in a world as fast-evolving as tech, Seven Days spoke to the leaders of five Vermont companies in various stages of growth. (Read about a sixth company, CoreMap, and its cofounder and CEO, Sarah Kalil, on page 30).

These companies, whose products range from artificial intelligence programs that can predict deadly diseases to a device that can offer a more humane way to keep intubated patients safe, represent the vast diversity of the state’s tech industry — and its potential to help shape health care’s future.

VERNAL BIOSCIENCES

When Seven Days visited Vernal Biosciences last summer, the months-old company was just adjusting to life as a startup. Its eight full-time employees were crammed into its Colchester lab space, while expensive

equipment sat bubble-wrapped on pallets waiting to be set up.

A year later, much has changed.

The company — which manufactures messenger ribonucleic acid, or mRNA, the genetic script that carries instructions to the protein-producing machinery of cells — raked in $21 million in investment funds this summer, allowing it to go on a hiring spree that shows no signs of slowing down. Forty people now work at Vernal, while the company’s website has nearly a dozen job postings; it plans to move into a bigger space in the near future.

The boom is a testament to the everexpanding market for high-purity mRNA, which, in an industry filled with promises of the next hot thing, may very well be the hottest. A main ingredient of COVID-19 vaccines, mRNA has also been used to create some cancer treatments and is being tested in what would be the firstever HIV vaccine.

While large pharmaceutical compa nies manufacture mRNA to use them selves, small and midsize biotech drug researchers are now clamoring for the type of mRNA that Vernal specializes in making.

Vernal’s founder, Christian Cobaugh, has a PhD in cell and molecular biol ogy and a long history in life sciences manufacturing, including years spent working for companies based in the Boston-area health tech hub. He was overseeing mRNA manufacturing for a company there when, in 2020, he and his family spent a month in Vermont on a whim. A month turned into two until, eventually, Cobaugh decided to relocate to Stowe permanently — and launch his own company in the process.

Among his motivations, Cobaugh said, was the work-life balance Vermont offers. That doesn’t mean he’s working less than he was before; on the contrary, life as the CEO of a tech startup can be hectic even on the best days.

“But if you have to work on a Saturday or an evening, it’s not too hard to mix in a killer hike, a bike ride or a tour around the neighborhood on skis,” he said.

PANICMECHANIC

Smartphones and anxiety usually go together like hot dogs and heart disease, but there are some exceptions.

PanicMechanic is one of them. The app, created by UVM professors Ryan and Ellen McGinnis, is meant for people who suffer from regular panic attacks — a group that includes many of the more than 40 million Americans with diagnosed anxiety disorders.

The app is built around the concept of biofeedback, a promising treatment method that involves charting the physi ological changes brought on by panic attacks while they’re happening.

THE COMPANIES REPRESENT THE VAST DIVERSITY OF THE STATE’S TECH INDUSTRY — AND ITS POTENTIAL TO HELP SHAPE HEALTH CARE’S FUTURE.

From left: John Evans, Peter Roy, Christian Cobaugh, Elias Joslin, Lynda Menard and Hana Kibe-Chartie of Vernal Biosciences

FILE: BEAR CIERI

Users put their finger over their smartphone camera with the light on, and the app records a video that tracks and displays their heart rate in real time. The app also asks people to rate the severity of the attack and document what might have led to it, from changes in sleep patterns and exercise to diet and alcohol consump tion. This helps users understand their triggers and provides something to focus on during the attack.

“Our studies suggest the process of doing that helps you confront this feel ing of being out of control and break the positive feedback loop of panic,” Ryan McGinnis said.

The spark for PanicMechanic has personal roots: Ellen McGinnis used to suffer from panic attacks herself. In grad school, she would often expe rience debilitating episodes twice a week. Then, in 2012, during the second year of her PhD program, she learned about biofeedback. She began charting her pulse rate whenever a panic attack began. After three weeks, the attacks stopped — for good.

The McGinnises, who live in Shelburne, launched the app in April 2020 with the help of the college’s tech transfer program,

UVM Innovations, which provides guidance and technical assistance to researchers who want to take their ideas commercial. A “rotating cast” of students, faculty collaborators and outside consul tants also helped out, they said.

With full-time jobs and two kids, the couple haven’t had much time to market PanicMechanic to a broader audience, something they hope to soon change. Even so, the free app has been down loaded between 5,000 and 10,000 times, according to Ryan McGinnis, confirming the need.

“They just searched for something until they found us,” he said of the app’s users.

BIOCOGNIV

Artificial intelligence is used to guess your streaming preferences, teach students algebra, and even get ahead of deadly storms and wildfires. Why not use it to predict when people might get sick?

One Vermont company is trying to do just that — and hopes to eventually help prevent one of the leading causes of hospi tal deaths in the U.S.

Ellen and Ryan McGinnis of PanicMechanic

LUKE

PICTURE OF HEALTH

Biocogniv, a Burlington company, has created an AI program that can sift through basic hospital blood tests to predict the likelihood that patients will come down with certain illnesses within hours of arriving at the emer gency department, much faster than the current standard of care. The firm is working on a handful of detection tools, including one that can predict when people might develop sepsis, a life-threatening immune response to infection that kills more than 250,000 adults in the U.S. each year.

“We’re doing so with a high level of accuracy — and earlier than most similar products in the market can,” said Jabez Boyd, Biocogniv’s chief operating officer.

Biocogniv was founded in 2019 by Artur Adib, a former Twitter engineer and faculty member at the National Institutes of Health who lives in South Burlington. His new company announced a $6 million round of investments earlier this year, including from Boston Scientific cofounder John Abele of Shelburne and IBM’s former CEO, Sam Palmisano.

While the company’s detection tools are still in the testing phases, it has already made a difference.

This summer, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston released the findings of a 13-month pilot in which it used Biocogniv’s “laboratory intelligence platform,” known as clinOS, to help process more than 325,000 COVID-19 tests. Using PCR and antibody testing, patient vitals, and medical history, the program helped make personalized treatment recom mendations that resulted in lower rates of intensive care treatment, reduced mortal ity rates and a near doubling of efficiency, the hospital reported.

The Galveston medical center has since expanded the use of Biocogniv’s platform and, in a recent press release, said it continues to be impressed with the results.

VOI

One of Rick Johnson’s responsibilities as chief of staff of the Marine Corps Reserve was to investigate the suicides of Marines and sailors. He would talk to their friends and families to see what, if anything, could have been done to prevent their deaths.

“It was devastating,” he said, recalling many such conversations.

He vowed to do what he could to reduce suicides upon his retirement. While working at Dartmouth College in 2012, he met professor Bill Hudenko, a renowned mental health expert. Five years

later, the pair launched Voi, a technology company based in Springfield that’s trying to better identify and support people at risk of suicide. (Hudenko, who served as the company’s first CEO, has since stepped down but remains a board member, John son said).

The company has two flagship prod ucts, starting with Voi Detect, an app that uses an algorithm-based questionnaire developed by a team of UVM researchers to quickly screen people for suicide risk.

The app first poses some basic ques tions, such as “How are you coping” and “How upset are you?” Based on the

responses, it then decides whether to advance users to a second set of more probing inquiries: about their will to live and whether they’ve recently considered suicide. A confidential assessment score visible only to the person who is admin istering the questionnaire then indicates whether someone is at high risk of harm ing themselves within the next 72 hours.

The app is designed to replicate the expert judgment of a psychiatrist, requires no specialized training, takes only two minutes and can be administered on a tablet — making it ideal for screening a lot of people in a short amount of time.

“You can do universal screening and then focus your very expensive, very scarce resources on those people who [most] need the help,” Johnson said.

Dozens of hospitals contract with Voi to use the app, as does the Virginia prison system. Johnson is also in discussion with National Guard units and said he hopes eventually to market it to college and university health services.

The company’s second product, Voi Reach, is a mobile messaging app for people struggling with suicidal ideas and other mental health issues. Users will be connected to a remote coach who

From left: Jabez Boyd, Artur Adib and Kylin Willis of Biocogniv

Dr. Marie Pavini showing off Healthy Design’s Exersides Refraint System

Rick Johnson of Voi

LUKE AWTRY

will help them identify three people in their lives who can support them. The coach can then communicate directly with the person’s support team and offer guidance and resources, including interactive modules, on how to best help the person.

Johnson, who lives in Hanover, N.H., is currently Voi’s only full-time employee but said he is trying to raise $3 million in capi tal so that he can hire some people to help him keep pace with a growing demand for the company’s products.

He’s preparing to sign contracts with the Arizona, Rhode Island and Penn sylvania National Guards to outfit them with the Voi Detect app and said he’s talking with a number of groups working to reduce suicides among veterans and Native Americans.

He suspects the stress of the pandemic, coupled with the 8-month-old war in Ukraine, has contributed to the growing interest in Voi’s products. But as staff ing shortages continue to plague many sectors, large organizations are also looking for ways to stretch their existing mental health resources, he said.

Johnson hopes eventually to begin actively marketing his apps, instead of just

scrambling to respond to the unsolicited emails he has been receiving. For now, though, word of mouth seems to be doing the trick: The Arizona National Guard, for instance, contacted Johnson after hearing about Voi Detect from its counterpart in Vermont.

That tells Johnson the products have started to make a difference. “They’re hearing the success stories,” he said.

HEALTHY DESIGN

Intubated hospital patients will sometimes be tied to their beds to prevent them from ripping out their breathing tubes when they regain consciousness. Some become so agitated by the restraints that they need to be sedated, which can cause its own problems, from delirium to healing delays.

Dr. Marie Pavini, a critical care special ist, always hated watching this unfold during her shifts in the Rutland Regional Medical Center intensive care unit: “Every time I would walk out of a [restrained] patient’s room, I would have this awful, guilty feeling,” she said.

So she did something about it. After work one day in 2015, she went to Home

Depot, bought some metal and plastic and started constructing what would later become the flagship product of her budding technology company, Healthy Design.

Known as the Exersides Refraint System, the device makes it nearly impos sible for ventilated patients to dislodge any tubes, whether on purpose or by accident, while still allowing them to safely move their arms.

It achieves this by placing their hands in a pair of clear tubes that are connected to a plastic rod that runs the length of their arms and allows some range of motion.

While the device still provides a way to fully restrain agitated patients when necessary, most don’t need it, Pavini said. The freedom to move their arms is often enough to keep them calm.

Pavini refined the device over several years based on feedback from doctors, nurses and patients. A mix of research funding and grants, meanwhile — includ ing one from NIH meant to help compa nies bring promising products to market — allowed her to hire nearly a dozen employees who now work out of the old Rutland Herald building.

Pavini, who founded Healthy Design in

2016, left her hospital job last year to focus on the company full time. She’s waiting to receive what she expects will be promis ing clinical data from a three-year trial performed at the UVM Medical Center, Johns Hopkins Hospital in Maryland and the University of California, San Diego Medical Center. She can already sell the device commercially but said she hopes the trial data will help her market the product.

In the meantime, she’s bouncing around the U.S. on a tour to pitch her device to a broader audience. She will attend two conferences in Texas and a third in Washington, D.C., this week alone.

It’s a hectic schedule, but one that she’s glad to have, she said, knowing that she could one day help change the way ventilated patients are treated in hospi tals nationwide. “If I could leave that as a legacy, I’ll have done my job,” she said. m

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Talk with representatives from Biocogniv and see a dashboard of real-time hospital data at the Vermont Tech Jam, Saturday, October 22, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Hula in Burlington. To attend the free event, register at techjamvt.com.

Machines With a Mission

FIRST Robotics prepares to extend its reach to more Vermont students

BY ALISON NOVAK • alison@sevendaysvt.com

Aglass case in the lobby of Westford School displays shiny statuettes that celebrate its students’ wins in basketball and soccer competitions. On the top shelf, though, stands a row of more unusuallooking trophies, fashioned from bright yellow LEGO pieces.

Elementary and middle schoolers earned these blocky honors in FIRST LEGO League robotics tournaments, which require the same hard work, coop eration and determination as traditional athletics.

Over the past decade, robotics has been woven into the fabric of the small Chit tenden County public school, thanks to a group of devoted volunteers, most of them parents, who run an afterschool club and occasionally teach tech-themed lessons in classrooms. One of the volunteers, Mark Drapa — a father of three and an electrical engineer at the semiconductor company GlobalFoundries — said he’s proud of the techy culture that’s taken root in the community.

As many Westford students participate in robotics as play soccer, Drapa said. Not to mention, “It’s totally cool to wear your robotics shirt to school.”

Westford’s enthusiasm for robotics sets it apart. Many Vermont schools — espe cially in less-populated, under-resourced parts of the state — don’t even offer the activity. But that’s likely to change, thanks to a three-year, $375,000 grant from the Argosy Foun dation, which was founded by John Abele, an entrepre neur and philanthropist who lives in Shelburne.

The money is meant to help eliminate some of the barriers to starting robotics programs by providing finan cial support and technical assistance to new teams. And it will enable FIRST in Vermont, a nonprofit started last year to support robotics programming for youth, to hire a state coordinator to increase awareness about FIRST programs, recruit and train coaches, and foster collaboration among robotics teams.

THE Tech ISSUE

25 years ago in Manchester, N.H., by engi neer and entrepreneur Dean Kamen, who is best known for inventing the Segway and an electric wheelchair called the iBOT.

Kamen and his collaborator Woodie Flowers, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology professor, wanted to bring the excitement of sports competitions to science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM. So, they designed a program with a gamelike atmosphere that features robots competing in a ring, along with human referees in black-and-whitestriped jerseys and cheering real-life spec tators. FIRST calls itself a “coopertition” rather than a competition, because teams work in alliances and must help each other in order to succeed. More than 600,000 students in 110 countries now participate.

Vermont’s first team formed in 2002, and the program has grown slowly but steadily since, with around 30 FIRST LEGO League teams, 18 FIRST Tech Challenge teams and a handful of FIRST Robotics Competition teams now around the state. Not all are based in schools; some are run through 4-H clubs, homeschool groups, churches and makerspaces. The University of Vermont’s College of Engi neering and Mathematical Sciences and extension programs help organize FIRST Tech Challenge’s competitions, while Norwich University hosts the FIRST LEGO League state champi onship each year.

INEZ MEDICK

But Vermont still lags behind much of the country, including New Hampshire and Massachu setts, said John Cohn, a FIRST in Vermont board member and IBM Fellow emeritus. The goal of the Argosy grant is to raise the participation rate of Vermont students above the national average and keep it there.

On a Tuesday evening in early October, that ingenuity was on display in Westford. Eight fifth graders — members of one of the school’s five FIRST LEGO League teams — gathered around a long tabletop game board dotted with 15 colorful LEGO contraptions. The team members, who call themselves the Interplanetary Pizza Pandas, meet twice weekly from Septem ber to January to build and create code for a robot that can complete a series of tasks that involve pushing, pulling, lifting, drag ging and flipping the LEGO structures. Each successfully completed task is worth a specific number of points.

In February, the Westford teams will go to the statewide competition, where they’ll put their bot to the test alongside teams from around Vermont. The team that takes top honors will move on to the World Championship in Houston, a Super Bowl-like event where competitors don costumes and throngs of supporters typi cally turn out to cheer players on.

Westford students are encouraged to try out different tasks throughout the season. At this practice, fifth grader Owen Mellion used Scratch, a drag-and-drop coding language, to program a robot to carry out a series of actions, while teammates Davide McElvany and Keith Collins tended to the machine — which LEGO calls an “intel ligent brick” with a motor and wheels. The students had fastened a square attachment that they’d built to the front of the robot to enable it to carry out some of the tasks. But when they attempted to get the robot to perform, it veered in the wrong direction. The students went back to their laptop to troubleshoot.

Learning from missteps is a key part of FIRST Robotics, Drapa said as he watched. “If it doesn’t work, move on and find out what does work,” he said. “Any type of experimentation is a win.”

Across the table, Inez Medick and Maeve LaBossiere, fresh from soccer prac tice, worked to program a separate robot.

“It’s really fun to make models and to code,” Medick said. When her older brother participated in FIRST LEGO League years ago, she went along to his competitions.

“I saw the [game] board and the proj ects and stuff, and … I wanted to do it,” she said.

FIRST, which stands for “For Inspira tion and Recognition of Science and Tech nology,” has three strands: a FIRST LEGO League for elementary and middle school students, and FIRST Tech Challenge and FIRST Robotics Competition, both for high schoolers. The program was started

Cohn — who has been known to dress up in light-up glasses, silly head gear and tie-dye garb for competitions — thinks Vermont’s “funkiness” makes it ripe for an expansion of robotics programming. “There’s this long tradition of Yankee inge nuity and open-ended, practical problem solving,” he said.

Both Medick and LaBossiere hope to continue to participate in robotics when they’re older. And because of the continuum of programming in their school district, they’ll have that opportunity.

At Essex High School, science teacher Joseph Chase started one of the FIRST Tech Challenge teams in the state 15 years ago. This year, close to 20 students — members of the high school’s HiveMind Robotics team — meet three times a week at

IT’S REALLY FUN TO MAKE MODELS AND TO CODE.

From left: Davide McElvany, Inez Medick, Keith Collins and Owen Mellion at Westford School’s robotics club

DARIA

BISHOP

the school to build and code robots using CAD software and 3D-printed parts.

At this point in the season, the Essex students are still in the prototyping phase, trying to figure out the best design for this year’s particular challenge, which involves having a robot place cones on poles of different heights. Challenges change from year to year, but the game always takes place on a 12-foot square game board bordered by foot-high walls.

Sophomores Max Drapa (son of the Westford coach), Mason Meirs, Cheru Berhanu and junior Matthew Corneau are all in their second year of FIRST Tech Challenge. In early September, their team gathered at U-32 Middle & High School in Montpelier with three other high school groups — including last year’s state champs, the Champlain Valley Union High School RoboHawks — to watch the video reveal of this year’s challenge, the cones-on-poles drill. Then, over pizza, the teams brainstormed ideas for how to approach the task. Collaborating with other teams is part of the “gracious professionalism” that FIRST Robotics says is a centerpiece of its programs. “When you’re in a competition, it’s not like, ‘Oh, you lost,’” Max Drapa said. “You actually learn from it and meet other teams and see what they’ve done.”

“You end up making really good connections with competitors,” Berhanu added.

Their coach also sees the program as a workforce development initiative.

Chase connects his students with local busi nesses during the season, in the hope that they’ll forge connections that may lead to internships or jobs.

“One of the finest exports from the state of Vermont is our children. They get a great educa tion here, and then they leave,” Chase said. But, he added, local companies such as Beta Technologies and GlobalFoundries are looking for young people who have the tech skills that FIRST develops.

Cohn, who now works for Beta, can back that up. He recently took an infor mal poll of fellow staffers and found that 17 of them had taken part in FIRST programs growing up.

Students can unlock higher ed opportunities by participating, as well. Colleges, including MIT and Rensselaer Polytech nic Institute, offer more than $80 million in scholarships to high school students who’ve participated in FIRST programs, according to the organization.

Abele, cofounder of Boston Scientific — a medical device company that makes coronary stents, defibrillators and pace makers — is an enthusiastic booster of FIRST. He learned about the program from Kamen decades ago and served as chair of the organization from 2002 to 2010.

“I think it’s really important for all people to be technically literate,” Abele said. “This is a fun way to do the learning. You sort of do it without even knowing you’re doing it.”

Just as importantly, the program culti vates social and emotional skills needed to work well with others, he said.

To Max Drapa, that teamwork is one of the best things about FIRST.

“In class, you have maybe a couple of group projects,” he said. But FIRST Tech Challenge is “one big group project.”

Added teammate Corneau, “I think we’ve become pretty good friends from this.” m

WANT TO KNOW MORE?

Talk with representatives from Vermont’s FIRST teams — and find out how to start, join or support one — at the Vermont Tech Jam on Saturday, October 22, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., at Hula in Burlington. Hear the keynote presentation with John Abele and Sarah Kalil at 4 p.m. To attend the free event, register at techjamvt.com.

Trapping season in Vermont starts on October 22nd. Baited leghold and kill traps are set on our public lands with no warning or setbacks off of trails. Don’t let your pet be next.

Rowan Stockwell (right)

Ava Menut at Westford School’s robotics club

FIRST LEGO League scrimmage at Westford

DARIA BISHOP

COURTESY

MARK DRAPA

No More Cookies, Grandma!

Essay: Frank talks to the robots 2.0 • BY MARK SALTVEIT • saltveit@sevendaysvt.com

I’m not a paranoid kind of person, not by modern standards, anyway. But I feel like I’m being watched a lot. Not by master manipulators from the CIA or the New World Order (which seems pretty chaotic, TBH); this is more like a well-meaning grandma who reads the computer screen over my shoulder and keeps interrupting me with clueless suggestions.

“Would you like to see Kim Kardashi an’s kitchen? A monkey riding a pig? How about Roblox? That’s a fun game. Did you mean New England Parrots?”

No, MeeMaw. I’m fine! Leave me alone, I know what I’m doing!

The thing about this invisible weird grandma who lives in my computer — I’m not crazy, I tell you — is that she has a bit of an edge. She knows all about the most sordid scandals and loves videos of people fistfighting and getting injured. If I read a satisfyingly righteous rant about politics, she offers me an even angrier one.

Plus, she gets inappropriately (and inaccurately) personal real quick. Do I have spider veins? Hemorrhoids? Erec tile dysfunction? FUNGUS UNDER MY TOENAILS?!?!?!?

No! I don’t … think I do. Let’s just pull a sock off and … Eww! What the hell is that? Dammit! See?

With a printed newspaper or a regular TV show, I know some of the ads are for other people, so I don’t take them personally. But when you’re being tracked by cookies and databases, and the computer serves up ads for you personally, every suggestion is kind of an accusation.

Sometimes the computer algorithms just seem to be toying with me. I’ll google something really obscure, like “Sasanian coinage.” (Don’t ask.) And it won’t find anything, but then it asks, “Did you mean ‘Sassy koinonia’?” So I click that, and it says, “I never heard of that either.” So why did you suggest it if you’ve never heard of it?

Is computer-grandma getting dotty?

It creeps me out sometimes, this feeling of being watched all the time, so I checked in with my buddy Frank. He’s not a super big computer guy, and he’s on the older side, but he’s still pretty sharp. The last time we talked (“NiFTy but Cryptic,” March 30, 2022), he explained why he didn’t trust cryptocurrency and NFTs. They tanked about a week later.

Frank isn’t against technology, exactly. He has a ham radio setup in his attic, uses a regular smartphone, follows Front Porch Forum and replies to emails sometimes — without ever using ALL CAPS. But he’s never going to be the first to buy some new gadget. Way too expensive, for one thing.

“You can’t avoid computers for some things,” he told me.

“But for opinions about movies and politics and stuff, I ask my neighbors ’cause I know who I can trust. I figure a lot of these websites are for city folks who don’t know who to ask.”

That made me laugh. “I think people in big cities have a lot more neighbors than we do,” I replied.

Frank shook his head.

“Naw, they just live near a lot of people. If you don’t talk to someone, they’re not really your neighbor, are they? I hear you on those stupid suggestions, though. Why would I wanna hear some gossip about BTS? That’s this Korean music group,” he explained.

“Yeah, I know who BTS is, thanks. K-pop’s not your kind of music, huh?” I teased. (Frank listens to a lot of bluegrass.)

“Actually, I kind of like that band,” he said. “My granddaughter’s crazy about ’em, so I have to hear it a lot. But I could give a rat’s ass what Jungkook had for breakfast. Even if he is the cutest.” There was an awkward pause. “So I hear.”

Frank surprises me sometimes. He continued.

“I don’t mind the dumb suggestions ’cause I see what they’re trying to do. What I worry about is the good suggestions I didn’t notice, and the things I never see at all.”

I was confused. “What do you mean?”

“Did you hear about this new Buddhist ‘end-of-the-world’ ska music?” Frank asked. He pronounced “ska” like “scat” but without the T.

“No! What? Is that real?”

“I dunno, made it up. But it could be. We’ll never know ’cause it’s not for us.”

He’s right about that. I think ska’s really

boring. I thought about Dan, a MAGA guy I know. He’s always talking about weirdsounding news stories that I’ve never heard a peep about and using them as “evidence.” I don’t know how to respond. Is he sheltered from reality? Or am I? Or both of us?

Frank brought up a discussion we’ve had before, about how stupid I was to get my Alexa smart speaker. I don’t really see it that way, but he’s got an argument.

“If the government tried to put a microphone in everybody’s house, we’d have a revolution,” Frank said. “But call it convenient, and people pay their own goddamned money to install a bug in their own goddamned house!”

“Look,” I said, “I really don’t think they could be listening in to everybody’s home without permission.”

“They have to be listening all the time. How else could it know when you say ‘Alexa’?”

“OK, but they can’t just make a database of everything you say, can they? Seems like that would be illegal.”

“Unless you agreed to it to ‘assure qual ity control’ or whatnot,” Frank said. “Bet you 50 bucks you didn’t read all that fine print when you installed it.”

No bet.

“Computers are OK,” Frank went on, “but I like to get outside, touch dirt and plant some things and kill some other plants. It keeps me grounded.”

Me, not so much. I figure we’re all going to get grounded — permanently — soon enough. But that gave me a weird thought.

“You ever think about how weeds are like those bad computer suggestions, except nature sends them to us?”

Frank did not seem impressed. “You been to one of them new pot stores, ain’t you?”

“No, I’m like that naturally. So, OK, what’s your big solution to keeping nosy computers out of our lives?”

Frank just shrugged and invited me over to play some old songs on his porch. It sounded horrible, like a fight between a feral cat and a sickly raccoon, what with us yowling and slapping away at our cheap guitars, but it was fun anyhow. And best of all, no one else was listening, man or machine. m

INFO

Mark Saltveit is the editor of the Palindromist Magazine, as well as a standup comedian and an author. He is based in Middlebury.

FOR OPINIONS ABOUT MOVIES AND POLITICS AND STUFF, I ASK MY NEIGHBORS ’CAUSE I KNOW WHO I CAN TRUST.

FRANK THE Tech ISSUE

SARAH CRONIN

Game On

Champlain College’s esports program launches a new era of school athletics

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH • farnsworth@sevendaysvt.com A

ndrew Campanella’s eyes narrowed in concentration as he stared at the computer monitor where the competition was growing fierce. His fingers flew across the keyboard, the keys clacking rhythmically as he engaged in a tense round of Rocket League, a multiplayer video game made for anyone who’s ever wondered what it would be like to play soccer in a car you can barely control.

On the screen before him, Campanella’s vehicle careened wildly across a futuristic soccer pitch before smash ing into a massive ball and slamming it into the goal. A blaze of energy enveloped the goal as Campanella’s vehicle pulled away, flipping in the air. The screen exploded with reports of his victory.

The Champlain College first-year student and member of the school’s new esports program smiled widely and shot his arms in the air. “Yes!” he exclaimed, sitting bolt upright in his padded gaming chair and celebrating his victory as fellow classmates watched, together with Chris tian Konczal, the director of esports at Champlain.

It was only an exhibition match played for the benefit of a reporter, but the

collective excitement around esports was hard to miss on the Champlain campus in Burlington. The school’s two esports teams are the first varsity teams of any kind at Champlain since the school discontinued its athletics program more than two decades ago.

THE Tech ISSUE

And student-athletes such as Campanella, a member of the school’s esports club teams, have a new, state-of-the-art esports arena in which to train and compete.

“There isn’t really anything like this arena in Vermont,” Konczal, 32, said during a tour of the facility, which opened its doors to students in September.

Located at the school’s Miller Center at the Lakeside Campus, the arena is home to the college’s varsity esports teams as well as numerous esports clubs. It features more than 25 PC gaming stations, a full suite for broadcasting — or, in the parlance of esports, “shoutcasting” — a training room stacked with even more gaming stations and a digital media lab.

The new space isn’t just a hub for gamers. It’s a statement of intent from a school that can see the coming wave of esports and is looking toward the future.

The term “esports” refers to competitive video gaming played for spectators, often by professional gamers, in person or online. It most often involves multiplayer games.

Esports have exploded in popularity in recent years, with growing numbers of both players and spectators. According to data research company Statista, esports generated $243 million in revenue in the U.S. in 2021 and approximately $360 million in China.

More than 73 million TV or online viewers watched the 2021 League of Legends World Championship finals in Reykjavík, Iceland. For context, the 2021 Super Bowl pulled in 96.4 million viewers.

“This is the next generation’s football,” Konczal said of esports.

He pointed to a number of factors in the cultural rise of esports and gaming in general. For one, many of Konczal’s current students spent their final years of high school stuck at home during the pandemic. Between earning their diplo mas digitally and relying on the internet for socializing, kids spent a lot of time on computers, phones and consoles.

“During the pandemic, kids’ only outlet was gaming,” said Kip Steele, a Williston-based software engineer with a long history in the gaming world. “So

they got good at them really quick. Not just [by] playing them but [by] watching other kids and pros play the games. What Champlain has done is adapted to this new reality, centered around gaming, and they’re recruiting kids from all over the country to participate.”

Champlain has a history of success with gaming programs. Its video game develop ment program was among the first in the country when it launched in 2004. The school boasts an 85 percent hiring rate for graduates in the increasingly booming gaming industry. According to the 2022 Global Entertainment & Media Outlook report from accounting firm Pricewater houseCoopers, the global gaming industry is projected to be worth more than $320 billion by 2026.

But Konczal sees benefits to the school’s esports arena beyond game (or job) training.

“Digital spaces have become such a part of the culture for younger people,” Konczal said. “This is where they socialize, to a large degree.”

“That’s the other part of what we’re trying to do,” he went on. “We want this to not just be a place for competition but also a place where students can come and relax and hang out.”

Konczal recalled his own experience as a first-year at Johnson State College (now Northern Vermont University) in 2007. Uninterested in partying, he largely kept to his dorm room, playing online games with his high school friends. He soon transferred to the University of Vermont, where he joined a League of Legends club. The team-based battle game connected Konczal with like-minded students.

“I didn’t put any social roots down at Johnson,” Konczal said. “But here was a group of people I felt comfortable with at UVM. I joined, and to this day, I still play games with some of the friends I met there. That’s the sort of environment we’re creat ing here. We view this program as a student resource, not just an athletic pursuit.”

In addition to playing for the club team, Campanella is a work-study employee at the arena. The 19-year-old spoke of the social connections that students make when they play team games in person instead of online.

“It’s a very different atmosphere,” he explained. “Online, it feels like you’re encountering a bunch of strangers because, well, you are.”

In high school, Campanella managed his own esports team and learned that socializing with teammates not only forges social bonds but sparks competitive fire.

“You want to win more because you know these people,” he said. “You feel like you’re part of a team, and it will definitely show.”

Andrew Campanella

THIS IS THE NEXT GENERATION’S FOOTBALL.

CHRISTIAN KONCZAL

Champlain is already seeing a return on its investment in esports. It launched the varsity program in the spring semes ter of 2022 and joined the New England Collegiate Conference; the school’s esports teams have placed second overall in Valorant and third in Rocket League. Champlain club teams have posted impressive results, as well, with the Overwatch team being crowned the 2022 NECC National Champions in its division.

“It’s amazing to see the excitement and camaraderie that our esports club and varsity teams are bringing to the college,” Champlain College president Alex Hernandez wrote in an email. He added that the program and the arena represent a natural evolution for the school.

“We now have one of the country’s most comprehensive game experiences,” Hernandez said, noting that the college has more than 150 courses available to students seeking a career in gaming.

Despite their growing popularity, esports haven’t achieved the mainstream acceptance of more traditional sports, such as football, baseball or basketball. Before helming esports at Champlain, Konczal ran a similar program at the much larger Missouri Western State University. He recalled being amused by the skeptical reactions that the program drew from some alumni and parents — such as the ones who told him they wanted their child to be a quarterback rather than play something like Rocket League.

“It’s funny — in Missouri, the fight was to legitimize kids playing esports,” he said. “At Champlain, everyone gets the value of games, but it’s the school having an athletic program that some folks have needed convincing of.”

The program has put to rest any fears that esports would detract from students’ studies. Konczal pointed out that the varsity team’s average GPA in its first semester was a 3.53, and all teams have mandatory study labs. The school commu nity has rallied behind the new athletic program, he said, with staff and students wearing the team’s jerseys around campus.

Konczal believes it’s only a matter of time before the National Collegiate Athletic Association creates its own esports league, as the National Junior College Athletic Association did in 2019.

“Right now, colleges and institutions are coming to terms with the fact that kids have been running leagues for years without their involvement,” he said. After speaking to a number of athletic directors around the country, he believes the NCAA will inevitably step in to “get their piece of the esports pie.”

If that’s the case, few programs are ready for the big time like Champlain College. With a first-rate facility and a roster of talented student-athletes, the future of the esports program looks bright.

“When I graduated from Champlain seven years ago, there were two collegiate programs in the country,” Konczal said. “Now, there’s something like 270, and that’s only going to keep getting bigger. More and more kids are going into esports, and we want Champlain to be a destination.” m

INFO

Learn more about Champlain College esports at esports.champlain.edu.

We are seeking a BlueCross BlueShield of Vermont (BCBSVT) consumer representative to serve on our board of managers. Must have BCBSVT insurance through a fully insured employer plan or purchased through Vermont Health Connect. Learn more at: onecarevt.org/careers

food+drink Pro Tip

Counter customers confront the new status quo of tech that pushes them to pay a gratuity

BY CAROLYN SHAPIRO • shapiro@sevendaysvt.com

When Kevin Martins takes customers’ elec tronic payments for their drink orders at Onyx Tonics in Burlington, he makes quick mention of the final step in the digital trans action but doesn’t emphasize it.

“There’s a prompt here if you need it,” Martins, a barista at the College Street coffee shop, says in a dismis sive tone before swiveling the iPad checkout screen in the customer’s direction.

The “prompt” is the screen in the Square Stand pointof-sale system that suggests possible gratuity amounts. Once they’ve swiped their credit card in the reader, customers must decide whether to tip $1, $2 or $3 on a coffee that typically costs between $3 and $7. They can also choose a custom amount or skip the tip entirely.

Transaction technology has turned tipping into a default — at cafés, bakeries, restaurant takeout coun ters, ice cream windows and food trucks. In big cities, even some dry cleaners and movie theaters include a gratuity screen at checkout. Some merchants’ systems suggest an additional 15, 20 or 25 percent instead of dollar amounts.

Physical tip jars were never so confrontational, sitting passively to the side at the point of sale. In Martins’ view, the new technology makes tipping seem mandatory when it shouldn’t be. “When you show someone that screen, it’s like, ‘Are you going to make the right choice?’” he said.

Some consumers find the automated ask for a hand out downright irksome, if angry posts on social media are any indication. As a barista, Martins said, he doesn’t tailor his service just to get a tip, so he takes an equally low-key approach to the gratuity screen. He’d prefer to down play the moral prodding of the technology and allow his customers to make the choice to tip freely, particularly as more of them are struggling with tight budgets. “People come from different walks of life,” he said.

Already widespread before COVID-19, pointof-sale platforms that include tipping prompts became ubiquitous during the pandemic. Some holdouts finally adopted

LOVER?

the technology as a low-contact alternative to handling customers’ cash or credit cards themselves. Others installed the systems to process online sales when the lockdown closed their brick-and-mortar shops.

John Rovnak, an Onyx Tonics regular, added a tip when he bought his usual Americano earlier this month. “Now I feel like everybody wants a tip,” the 47-year-old Essex resident said. “It’s always asked of you through the technology.”

Across the Burlington area, many consumers said they have adjusted to the technology, and some even embrace it.

“It’s very normalized at this point, and I always tip,” Stephanie Baer, 35, said as she walked down College Street with a chai latte from Leunig’s Petit Bijou Kiosk.

“It’s nice that it gives you amounts, because I don’t do math,” she added.

When the screen pops up, she usually hits the 20 percent option to acknowledge the service. “I know that, at the end of the day, that’s a human being that’s doing a job,” she said.

STEPHANIE BAER

But he doesn’t mind, he said. Since the pandemic, he has added a gratuity more often, even for takeout orders of pizza or Chinese food that he wouldn’t have tipped on in the past. The technology, he said, reflects a societal shift in tipping habits.

Before, “if I paid cash, I would leave whatever change I had,” Rovnak said. “I feel like I’m more likely to tip now than when I was just paying with cash.”

Questions about tipping technology invariably lead people to disclose their tipping philosophies. Those who are unbothered by the digital prod for generosity, or who even appreciate it, say they tend to tip consistently in most circumstances. Those who dislike the prompt cite a more traditional view of tips as a recognition reserved for exceptional service.

“It really stresses us out when we are prompted to tip,”

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I KNOW THAT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, THAT’S A HUMAN BEING THAT’S DOING A JOB.

THOM GLICK

PRO

SIDEdishes SERVING UP FOOD NEWS

Folino’s to Open Seasonal Spot in South Hero

FOLINO’S is heading to the Champlain Islands next summer — and it won’t just be serving pizza.

The popular Chittenden County wood-fired pizza biz will operate a yet-to-be-named seasonal food truck and bar at South Hero’s Keeler Bay Marina in 2023, Folino’s chief operat ing officer SETH DESROCHERS told Seven Days. The truck will host pizza nights once or twice a week using Folino’s mobile oven, but it will otherwise offer a different menu from the Shelburne, Burlington and Williston locations.

“We’re thinking tacos, a good burger, maybe a lobster roll,” Desrochers said. “We want to do a variety, where you can go multiple times a week and always have some thing different.”

The Folino’s team plans to add a roof to the large marina-view deck, which housed BLUE PADDLE BISTRO’s seasonal outpost, Blue Paddle on the Bay, in 2020 and 2021. The bar will

pour craft beer from local breweries, including longtime Folino’s partner FIDDLEHEAD BREWING and South Hero’s TWO HEROES BREWERY, as well as wine and canned cocktails.

Folino’s will have four dedicated boat slips for customers in the marina, which is owned by Michele and Mike Gammal. Desrochers expects to open when boaters hit the water in May, though the seasonal spot has permis sion to operate from April 1 through October 31. In peak summer, it will be open daily, with live music on the weekends.

The varied menu will give Folino’s team members a chance to be creative, Desrochers said, and augment the islands’ busy seasonal dining scene with an array of new options.

“We want to have fun with it,” Desrochers said. “There’s a lot of good food up there, and we want to add to it.”

Mark BBQ Leaves Essex Junction for Colchester

The team at MARK BBQ slung its final heaping plates of Texas-style barbecue at the Essex Junction restaurant on Friday, almost four years to the day after it opened.

Chef and co-owner DARRELL LANGWORTHY said Mark BBQ will reopen in Colchester in December, next door to the GUILTY PLATE DINER , which he and his wife, SARAH , run at 164 Porters Point Road. Until then, Langworthy said fans can satisfy their ’cue cravings at the diner,

which will temporarily add a full range of barbecue to its menu.

The Langworthys’ second Essex Junction restaurant, HEART N SOUL BY MARK BBQ, has closed permanently. It will become the group’s catering arm, offering everything from Italian to Brazilian food from a new prep kitchen in Colchester.

Mark BBQ’s move was driven partly by the availability of a large suite beside

Jordan Barry

Folino's setup for Weekend in the Islands at Keeler Bay in early October

YouCook

Burlington restaurateur Ahmed Omar builds an online following with healthy recipe videos

BY MELISSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

Since early 2021, chef-owner Ahmed Omar of Burlington’s Kismayo Kitchen has made more than two dozen short cooking videos and posted them on his YouTube channel, Chef Kismayo.

In the well-paced tutorials created with local photographer Oliver Parini, the camera focuses mostly on Omar’s torso and hands as he chops, blends, air-fries and sautés. Like the menu at his restaurant, the recipes are multicultural, to use Omar’s word. They range from mainstream American offerings, such as a chickenand-chopped-salad wrap, to oven-baked sambusas, the Somali version of samosas.

On YouTube, culinary how-to heavy weights such as British chef Jamie Oliver and Babish Culinary Universe (which was born on the platform) boast close to 6 million and 10 million subscribers, respec tively. In comparison, Omar’s following of nearly 8,400 is small potatoes — but he has big plans.

Before he opened his restaurant in 2019, Omar, 34, worked as a personal trainer and offered online health coaching. His Snapchat account, Ahmed-kismayo, has 53,000 subscribers, and he is working on encouraging those fans to migrate to YouTube and his TikTok account, chef_kismayo2020.

“I want to go over the whole world,” he said on a recent Tuesday afternoon, sitting down for a rare moment when Kismayo Kitchen was closed.

Omar recognizes that he may need to make some minor changes to accomplish that goal; namely, he is considering adding English subtitles to expand his audience.

In his current library of videos, Omar delivers a constant patter of explanation in his native Somali, peppered with occasional English words and phrases: “The secret is…” “Look at that color. Gorgeous, beautiful!” “My point is…”

“It’s how I’m talking to my kids, how I talk to my family,” Omar said of the mix of languages.

Even for those who don’t speak Somali, Omar’s energy and enthusiasm need no translation. The finer points of a recipe may be a little harder to ascertain.

A fan named Nazia commented on the sambusa video: “I’m not Somalian and I don’t understand the video, but I truly support everything you do … I love how passionate [you are] and the effort and care you take in everything you do.”

Omar said his original aim was to help fellow Somali cook healthier food. A competitive bodybuilder, he believes in the power of a diet of lean protein and vegetables with minimal simple carbohydrates.

In Somalia, he said, “It is tradition to eat more carbohydrates. That food can sometimes make you sick.” For Somali who now live in the U.S., he said, “It’s worse because companies make junk food.

“I just want to show them how to cook healthy stuff,” Omar said. “When God gives you skills, you’re gonna share with your people. I just want to teach them. In 10 minutes, I can help save their life.”

Omar’s immediate goal, he said, is to reach 50,000 to 100,000 subscribers, at which point he’ll be able to generate meaningful revenue from his YouTube channel.

To that end, he already makes sure to close every video with a sign-off in English: “Please share, like, comment. I love you guys.” m

said Lizzie Post, the great-great-grand daughter of etiquette expert Emily Post and copresident of the Emily Post Institute, now based in Vermont.

“When you have to select a tip and self-select the amount, we get really judgy about our own behavior, and we feel these eyes looking at us,” she contin ued. “It’s this connection to the idea that If I don’t tip or I don’t tip enough, I’m going to be seen as cheap and ungener ous and bad .”

The problem is not just the prompt to tip but the suggested amounts, in Post’s view.

“Most places are inflating the suggested tip amounts,” she said. “It’s not 10 percent for your coffee. It’s not, you know, ‘Just add an extra dollar for a tip to the order.’ It’s not ‘Would you like to put your change into the tip jar?’ It’s ‘Wanna pay 20 percent, 25 percent or 30 percent extra to your order as a tip?’ That’s ridiculous. Most of these places are already starting their tipping amounts beyond the standard recom mended amounts for the service or for the item.”

Business owners counter that the ulti mate choice remains with the customer.

Onyx Tonics has been using the Square system since it opened in 2016. Café owner Jason Gonza lez initially set it to suggest tips of 15, 18 or 20 percent of the transaction total, he said. Since resuming in-person service in 2021 after a pandemic closure, he has switched to the “smart tip” setting of dollar amounts, which Square allows on transactions of less than $10.

Only a few customers have complained about the robotic request, Gonzalez said.

“They’re saying it’s a lot to ask for a $2 or $3 tip on a drip coffee, which is true, but I’m not asking for that,” he said. “I do not expect people to tip a dollar on a drip coffee that’s $3.33 after tax.”

He heard more complaints during the café’s pandemic closure, he noted, because Square added an automatic 20 percent tip and a processing fee to online orders, though customers could opt out of the gratuity. For customers who just wanted a drip coffee, it was a lot of hassle.

At the end of each day, the Square system calculates the total tips, and Gonzalez distributes that amount among

INFO Learn more at Chef Kismayo on YouTube.

Ahmed Omar of Kismayo Kitchen

Ahmed Omar mixing a salad in a YouTube cooking video

Still from a Chef Kismayo cooking video of Somali beef with dates and cardamom and anjero bread

FILE: GLENN RUSSELL

IMAGES COURTESY OF OLIVER PARINI

his employees based on the hours they worked, he said.

He said he would prefer to forgo tips and incorporate tax and a little extra for his staff into his beverage prices. But he fears his custom ers would balk at the higher cost when they’re already paying a premium for his product. Consum ers today are more sensi tive to price increases than they are to tipping prompts, Gonzalez said. He suspects that customers tip more with the prompt than they did with the tip jar but has no data to verify it.

Dario Zarrabian examined how elec tronic tip sugges tions influence consumer behavior in a 2019 study for his honors thesis in applied math ematics at Harvard University. He found that when a system changed the lowest tip suggestion on a $10 purchase from $1 to 15 percent, or $1.50, the average tip rose by 7 cents, which amounted to a 12 percent increase.

Many customers ask to tip anyway, Harbour said, and she obliges them.

The tipping prompt sometimes star tles customers who are making a retail purchase — for instance, buying a bag of Onyx Tonics beans to take home and brew themselves.

Square doesn’t give merchants the ability to apply the auto mated tip recommendation to certain transactions and not others, Gonzalez said. It’s all or nothing.

LIZZIE POST

At Mirabelles Bakery in South Burlington, all custom ers — even those who buy a single muffin — are asked whether they want to tip. That prompt comes from a more advanced Square Register system, which includes a shiny black card reader that takes payment while staff process the transaction behind a monitor.

“Almost everyone has adjusted to it,” Andrew Silva, Mirabelles’ co-owner, said of the automated tip prompt. “If they want to, they can. And if they don’t want to, they don’t have to.”

“It does make me feel pressured at times,” Joanne Beaubien said of the tipping prompts. The Fairfax resident recently started using Apple Pay on her phone. “If I’m spending $7 for a coffee or something, I don’t always feel like tipping,” she said, “because that’s expen sive to begin with.”

Nunyuns Bakery & Café in Burl ington’s Old North End is one local establishment where the technol ogy won’t automatically prod credit card customers to tip. That’s because the 15-yearold business has no internet service, which is required for a Square-type system, explained Kristine Harbour, who co-owns Nunyuns with her husband, Paul Bonelli. The cafe’s older point-ofsale system connects to a small card reader on the counter via the phone line. Once customers insert their cards to pay, Harbour has to bring up the screen on the reader for the customer to choose a tip of 15, 18 or 25 percent or a custom amount.

“I just bypass it because it’s easier for me,” she said of the tip screen as she rang up her final lunch order on an early October afternoon. “I also don’t feel like people should feel compelled.”

Craig Pepin doesn’t mind the “nudge,” the Burlington resident said as he left Mirabelles with a special-order cake for his wife’s birthday. “There are situations where a tip is called for, and it’s OK to be reminded,” said Pepin, 56, who tipped on the price of the cake.

Unlike sit-down restaurants, cafés and takeout places are still a “gray area” for tipping, in his view. “It’s sup posed to prompt you when you’re not thinking” about a gratuity, he said of the auto mated tip screen.

Diana Carlisle, a Burlington resident who gave her age as “above 70,” said she has grown comfortable with the checkout technology. But she doesn’t always agree with the automated suggestions, partic ularly when her transaction is small. “I don’t want to give 15 percent on two and a half bucks.”

In those cases, she wants to give more, she said. So she bypasses the prompt screen and throws a dollar bill in the tip jar. m

IT REALLY STRESSES US OUT WHEN WE ARE PROMPTED TO TIP.

ILLUSTRATIONS:

THOM GLICK

Moo-ving Pictures

A young dairy farmer showcases her cows and life through TikTok

BY REBECCA WHITE

For Kirbie Nichols, co-owner of Speedwell Farms in Lyndonville, the average workday starts in the barn at 3:30 in the morning, PopTart in hand. It takes her an hour to get the milking units affixed to the first eight of 107 milking cows on the dairy operation she runs with her father, Brian Nichols, and family friend Herbie Bennett.

Between her daily chores of milking, breeding, calving and moving cows, the 20-year-old also finds time to create TikTok videos.

Nichols is one of a few Vermont farmers to consistently post farmrelated content on the short-form video app.

She began posting videos solely about the farm in January 2021, when she made a TikTok of herself prepping to milk the cows. The clip, set to the song “Thank a Farmer” by James Wesley, received more than 900 likes. She realized people could engage with and learn from her posts.

Her first video to go viral, “Manure Happens,” got half a million views. It was about accidentally sending milk to the milk tank from a cow being treated with antibiotics. Normally, while cows are receiving medication, their milk is thrown away. After a prescribed withholding period, their milk is safe to drink again. Nichols made the video to cope with the disappointment of having to dump the entire tank she acciden tally tainted.

“That’s the worst thing that could happen ... to put a treated cow in the tank,” Nichols said. In a recent video, she filmed herself draining a tank of contaminated milk to show her audi ence what farmers do when this occurs.

Showcasing her life as a young woman in agriculture for her 6,236 TikTok followers has become a passion for Nichols. In one of her latest videos, she lists the cows she would have as bridesmaids to the song “Bridesmaids” by Kylie Morgan. Pinky, one of her favorite cows, got her through high school, she explains in the video. Barb would post her bail.

“She’s nuts. She’s crazy. She’s funny. And if she were a person, I’d probably party with Barb,” Nichols said of the cow, whose name is

short for Barbados, one of many Speedwell cows with notable monikers. While scratch ing chins and getting sloppy, purple-tongued kisses, Nichols recited more: Shania Twain, Wreck-It Ralph and All Night Long.

“I like to go into the barn and actually know who I’m looking at,” Nichols said. “I can go into the barn right now and tell you exactly who she is just by the ear tag or based on her udder.”

Nichols is the second-youngest of seven siblings and the only one to work on the farm.

SIDEdishes

the Guilty Plate Diner, Langworthy said. The couple took over the diner’s lease this summer from the Alvanos family, who opened it in 2013. Mark BBQ will gain about 500 square feet of space in its new spot, for a total of 45 to 50 seats.

Langworthy said the new proximity of the two restaurants will also help with staffing shortages. “It’s not looking like it’s going to get any better soon,” he said of the current labor challenges in the restaurant sector.

“With all our staff in one area, we can borrow people from the barbecue

“She just loves it,” her aunt Kathleen Nichols said. “It’s almost like getting bitten by a bug or something, and she’s got that bug.”

Several other Vermont farmers who have been bitten by the same bug share their experiences on TikTok. The most popular is Gold Shaw Farm’s Morgan Gold, who has 2.1 million followers. (See “Viral Spiral” on page 48.) Others include Plymouth organic vegetable, herb and flower grower Fiddlers Green Farm (nearly 9,400 followers) and Swanton-based farm pet Nelson the Donkey (1.1 million followers). The videos of Nelson’s loud, whiny bray and conversations with his human mom often go viral.

While Nichols’ dad doesn’t mind her sharing videos about the farm on TikTok, he does have some hesitations. “Our whole family has farmed since forever,” Brian said. “And we got all these people out there trying to tell us how to do it.”

Though the TikTok videos haven’t impacted the farm directly, Nichols sometimes receives questions about farm practices, and she responds by explaining why they do what they do. She wants to incorporate more education in her videos while continuing to show how much she loves her cows. She plans to carry on the Speedwell legacy once her dad retires.

“She’s farming like an old man but doing it like a 20-year-old girl — with a TikTok,” Kathleen said. m

INFO

[spot] when the diner is slammed and the other way around,” he said. “We can get it all done without straining our staff.”

Essex Junction fans of Langworthy’s fare should take note that the bar becue will be back in town for the summer season, starting in May 2023. Langworthy has already rented the parking lot at 19 Park Street for his SKREET DOGGS hot dog truck and Mark BBQ trailer.

Melissa Pasanen

CONNECT

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On Instagram: Seven Days: @7deatsvt; Jordan Barry: @jordankbarry; Melissa Pasanen: @mpasanen.

Follow Kirbie Nichols on TikTok at Farmerkirb.

Kirbie Nichols’ TikTok page

Darrell Langworthy

culture

Viral Spiral

Local

BY MARGOT HARRISON • margot@sevendaysvt.com

About six months ago, I briefly went viral. A 25-second humor video in which I impersonated my mother, encapsulating her unique brand of feminism, reached 2.1 million views on TikTok.

It was exciting, and then it was overwhelming. Hundreds of comments flooded in — some calling my mom an icon, others calling her a hypocrite. I found myself dreading opening the app. Because of a video I created in 15 minutes in my bedroom, I felt pressured to respond, to represent, to perform.

Everyone who uses social media experiences those pressures to some degree, whether they’re trying to be an influencer or sell a product or just connect. For advice on maintaining an active presence in the rapidly evolving virtual-scape, I spoke to two local creators whose followings make mine look minuscule. How do they stay engaged, I asked them, without sacrificing their privacy and their peace of mind?

Morgan Gold is known to his followers — 2.1 million on TikTok, 709,000 on YouTube, 1.5 million on Facebook and 67,000 on Instagram — as the face of Gold Shaw Farm, a small, diversified operation in Peacham. He draws tens of thousands of likes and comments by chronicling the daily adventures of his cattle, poultry, barn cats and watch dogs, accompanied by information

about the farming lifestyle that he and his wife, Allison Ebrahimi Gold, adopted in 2016.

In January, Gold quit his job in insurance to become a full-time farmer and social media storyteller. The latter involves a lot more than just producing and posting videos.

In the physical world, by contrast, he’s learned to set boundaries. A few months ago, Gold posted a YouTube video called “Please DON’T Visit Our Farm.” Since Memorial Day, he explained to Seven Days, he’d been getting 10 to 20 uninvited visitors per week. “They’re fans. They want to meet me. They want to chat.”

But he acknowledges the downsides. “Every time you have a video that gets more than a million views, you get overwhelmed with all the notifications,” he said. “Dealing with the good and bad of it all, the negative comments — honestly, that’s one of the harder parts.”

In a recent video, for instance, Gold discussed attending a YouTube climate crisis conference and drew the ire of climate change deniers. He has detractors who have posted their own videos critiquing the way he trains his dogs or runs his farm. “That can be a little frustrating,” he said. “They’re just trying to gain some clout by going after you.”

Negative commenters range from those who “disagree with you philosophically” to those who “attack you for physical traits,” Gold said. If he doesn’t set boundaries, the comments can “create this super negative feedback loop that I think is just so detrimental to your mental health,” he added. “It took me a couple of years to learn that.”

Sometimes he does the “little mental trick” of ignoring negative comments until he’s responded to every positive one. And “sometimes I’ll actually troll back,” Gold said, “which may be not the healthiest thing to do, but it’s a little bit fun.” For instance, he might deploy the “pin of shame” — pinning a negative or ignorant comment to the top of the comment section to let other viewers respond as they see fit.

But in the end, Gold said, it’s usually wisest not to engage. “I don’t think anybody has ever successfully convinced other strangers that their opinion is wrong over the internet.”

MORGAN GOLD

Every day, 42-year-old Gold said in a phone interview, he spends about an hour consuming other people’s content — “TikTok, I’ve found, is the most addictive.” He also devotes about a half hour to responding to viewer comments, of which he receives as many as 1,000 in one day over various platforms. “I don’t get to all of them. I don’t get to probably even half of them,” he said.

Many influencers use assistants to help them handle the flood of engagement. But Gold sees social media as a “two-way street.” “I want people who interact with my account to know that they’re interacting with me as a person,” he said.

Which Gold did — only to realize that “Gosh, I’m dedicating five, 10, 15 hours per week to just talking to people who show up in the middle of the day,” he said. The visits were cutting into his farmwork hours and putting a strain on his wife.

Gold’s viewers have responded “surprisingly well” to his request to keep their distance, he said. Since that video, his drop-ins have dwindled to one or two per week.

Gold said he doesn’t find online engagement a burden because he feels “insanely lucky” to be able to live the life he does. “If I were to win the lottery, I would pretty much be doing the same exact thing.”

Even convincing people of established scientific fact can be a challenge, Greg Wolf has discovered. Recently retired after 30 years of teaching science at Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School in South Burlington, Wolf, 56, posts entertaining videos that demonstrate basic principles of his discipline. In his 15 months as an online science guru, he’s amassed more than 320,000 followers on TikTok and growing followings on YouTube and Instagram.

“There’s absolutely no predicting” what will go viral, Wolf said by phone. His demonstration of Bernoulli’s principle, which soared to 4.5 million views? “I thought that video was going to be a dud.”

There’s also no predicting viewers’ reactions. “We live in a world where science has come under attack recently,” Wolf lamented. When he posted a video on how a drinking straw works, “all kinds

I DON’T THINK ANYBODY HAS EVER SUCCESSFULLY CONVINCED OTHER STRANGERS THAT THEIR OPINION IS WRONG OVER THE INTERNET.

won’t “eat you alive”

Morgan Gold filming ducks at his farm

EVA SOLLBERGER

of people jumped in” to contradict his explanation.

Like Gold, Wolf responds to comments himself, and he values the exchange as an opportunity to educate. “One of the things I determined early on,” he said, “was that the ‘wow’ factor of videos was kind of cool, but people were really craving the ‘Why does this work?’ So, when they asked questions, I really wanted to reply with the science behind the topic.”

Criticism, especially when it comes from a distrust of science, “really does go to the heart,” he said. “That’s one of the hardest parts of the whole creator thing.”

A big concern for Wolf is balancing education with engagement. Sometimes he’ll see critiques of his videos on Reddit that take him to task for not fully explaining the science, he said. But, to win the favor of the TikTok algorithm, he generally has to keep his posts to about a minute.

“I could make longer videos that go more into the science, but then those videos would never be seen,” he said.

Wolf has been posting less often lately because of his retirement and a recent move to Connecticut, but he plans to return to a pattern of spending one or two hours a day on his videos. “If you’re not posting regularly, you risk losing followers,” he said.

Like Gold, he found himself “definitely spending too much time [watching] the platform” at first, but his self-regulation has improved. “Now I’ll just get on and answer questions and get out.”

Given the time commitment, Wolf said, social media creators need to ask themselves whether it’s “more of a nuisance than a worthwhile endeavor to be posting.” Though Wolf receives money from TikTok’s Creator Fund, he said he doesn’t count social media as a major income source. He’s done some sponsored posts, but he’s ambivalent about the practice “because I don’t want to be seen as an advertiser. I just want to teach science.”

While some people do make a living from social media, many more use the various platforms to support or promote another endeavor — an educational mission, an artistic practice, a business, a farm. (I’m on BookTok hoping to find a few more readers for the novels I write.)

When people ask Gold which platform to jump on, he said, he tells them to “think about where your strengths are.”

A writer might thrive on Substack or Medium; an interviewer could start a podcast; a photographer could find new eyes in the virtual gallery of Instagram.

Gold is glad to have found platforms that suit his own strengths — and they’ve opened up other opportunities, he said, such as the chance to pen a novel about his livestock dog, Toby.

Wolf has seen fringe benefits from his efforts, too. He believes his viral Bernoulli video was the “spark” that led the Vermont Academy of Science and Engineering to name him Outstanding Science Teacher of the Year for 2022.

“While the money from TikTok will probably never be a career for me, it has opened doors,” he said.

“A lot of folks see creating content and social media as this scary thing,” Gold said.

“But I think, at this stage of the game, it’s one of the primary ways we communicate with other humans.”

He added a caveat that rings true to my limited experience with virality: “If you’re gonna connect with people [online], you gotta figure out how to set your boundaries … Or it can easily eat you alive.”

INFO

Find Gold Shaw Farm on YouTube and Facebook (Gold Shaw Farm) and TikTok and Instagram (@goldshawfarm). Find Greg Wolf on TikTok (@wolf_science), YouTube (Wolf_Science) and Instagram (@wolf.science).

3 DAY ANTIQUE ESTATE SALE

Thursday-Saturday, October 20-21,8am-5pm 10 Green Street, Vergennes

Contents of several local homes including a South Burlington condo, an East Middlebury home, remaining contents of an historic home in Middlebury and numerous other sources.

MAHOGANY FURNITURE INC. ROUND 1839

PHILADELPHIA DINING TABLE, FEDERAL SECRETARY, EMPIRE DRESSERS, SOFAS. ENGLISH FURNITURE INC. SLANT LID DESK, 18TH C DISH DRESSER, 19TH C CORNER CUPBOARD, DRESSERS, BUTLER’S SECRETARY, ETC.

VICTORIAN FURNITURE INC.

OAK DRESSERS, ROLLTOP DESK, BOOKCASE, DINING SET; WALNUT WHAT NOT, PARTNER’S DESK, ARMOIRES, COMMODES, SMALL DRESSER. MCM INC.

LIGNE ROESET DINING SET, HANDSOME WALNUT CABINET, SAARINEN TYPE TABLE, PAIR OF SLING CHAIRS, TEAK COFFEE TABLE, TUCKAWAY TABLE. COUNTRY FURNITURE INC. CUPBOARD ON STAND, SET OF 10 CANED CHAIRS,

CHERRY STEPBACK CUPBOARD. ART INC. SIGNED ETCHINGS BY ETTINGER, BISHOP, CLARKE, KLIEBER, OWEN, GRANT, MACLEAN, CONTEMPORARY AND ANTIQUE OILS + WATERCOLORS, MISC INC. WOOD PENN YAN CANOE AND CAR TOPPER, SCULLING OARS, CANOE PADDLES, DOZENS OF LOCAL AND FACTORY WOODEN DECOYS, FISHING POLES, “AUX STATS UNIS” STEAMER TRUNK AND OTHERS, EMPIRE GIRANDOLES, CHINA, GLASS, LAMPS, UPHOLSTERED FURNITURE, CONTEMPORARY FURNISHINGS AND DECOR, CARPETS, IRON WINE RACK, BOOKCASES, BOOKS, MAPS, CLOTHING AND SO MUCH MORE

Don’t forget to visit your other local dealers at the Champlain Valley Antiques Show Fri 10/21-Sun 10/23, 10-4

STONE BLOCK ANTIQUES

219 Main Street, Vergennes Thu-Fri 10-5, Sat 10-4 802-877-3359

Retired science teacher Greg Wolf, who has more than 320,000 followers on TikTok

Nurture, Slaughter, Feast, Mourn

Book review: Pig Years, Ellyn Gaydos

BY BENJAMIN ALESHIRE

Vegetarians and skeptics of the cloven-hoofed, beware: Ellyn Gaydos’ stellar debut memoir, Pig Years, might have you salivating.

Lovers of sumptuous prose, rejoice. Pig Years delivers an intimate look inside the world of young, semiitinerant farmers in Vermont and upstate New York. Or rather, worlds — because that group, composed of neither children of hardscrabble farm families nor immigrant laborers, is too diverse to be summed up neatly as a subculture. Gaydos and her comrades farm because of their love for meaningful, elemental work and the relative freedom it allows — and because of their unease with society and uncertainty about the future, which simmer just below the surface.

Early in the book, Gaydos sees a “Help Wanted” sign and realizes she could earn more money in the Price Chopper deli than as a farmhand. She swiftly dismisses the possibility, preferring to remain “as answerable to weather or bugs” as to a boss. She acknowledges hers as a privileged choice, writing with a keen (and downright refreshing) awareness of class.

Neither a journalist parachuting into the barnyard nor an upper-cruster cosplaying as a noble peasant, Gaydos was born and raised in Vermont and started working on a beef and vegetable farm at age 18. Since then, in addition to farming, she’s won the Richard J. Margolis Award for writers of social justice journalism and graduated from the Columbia University MFA Writing Program.

Gaydos’ lush descriptions tend toward rhapsody, and her language is fresh, torqued throughout with poetic turns of phrase. After long hours of sausage making, she writes:

My fingers, soft with fat, smell faintly of iron and the crisp oil of lovage and bitter parsley, the diesel of thyme and oregano, so sensual that I unabashedly pass the softened and perfumed palms of my hands over my nose and cheeks, sni ng politely as one who does not deserve that which I am given and that which I have taken away.

Her tone can turn blunt, though, when detailing the inherent violence of farming. “Once, I slaughtered some unwanted rooster for a farmer and didn’t realize till hours later my face was splattered in dried blood,” she writes. The book began as notes the author jotted down while working, and it brims with devotion. Gaydos’ eye drinks deep of everything she encounters, filling with earnestness, love and wonder. Into the narrative she weaves threads of her personal life, obscure bits of pig wisdom (such as an equation for calculating a pig’s weight without a scale), and a constant awareness of how the cyclical realities of nature, its “attendant bloom and rot,” extend beyond a farm’s property line.

The result is a memoir that sizzles with immediacy, composed mostly in present tense and structured chronologically as a journal. The chapter titles announce seasonal shifts and the author’s moves from farm to farm. She follows a combination of instinct and financial

BOOKS

FROM PIG YEARS

In the heart of the summer, Diana, Lee, Sam, Bet, Chris, and I are dwarfed by the farm, the sheer life force of it, pulled by the demands of plants and animals, pressed like blunt objects into the ground, buried in the work we have wrought. A dairy farmer told me cows — meaning milking cows twice a day every day — can either turn a person mean or make them nice. I believe this is true. You either like a cow’s touch, are quick to recognize the good in their temperament, or you dock their tails for swatting your face like a fly, hate the smell of your own sweat, as if it were their manure. With vegetables, perhaps either you go into the earth and are softened by it, or you come out like thistle. It is labor that is either heart opening or hateful, but sometimes unavoidably both.

necessity, traveling mostly among farms in Barre, Vt., and New Lebanon, N.Y. The grit and struggle of both of those towns, with their peeling Victorian houses and o -track gambling bars, contrast vividly with the sumptuous fertility of springtime planting, the dizzying bounty of fall and the urgency of preparing for winter.

The book’s main personal strands are established early on. Gaydos describes the thrill of falling for Graham, her somewhat less earthy but loving partner, while making

it clear that farming will always come first for her. “How could you trade the sky, the water, or the mountains for a single heart?” she asks herself. As the book unfolds, however, the author’s nurturing spirit (not to mention all the animal husbandry going on) sparks a growing desire for motherhood.

A revolving cast of farmhands populates Gaydos’ world and occasionally blends together, never fully entering into the narrative. The book tracks the author’s deepening romance with Graham, who comes in and out of her farming life, but as a character he remains fairly opaque, absent or at the fringes of the story. Family members also make appearances and provide a window into the author’s upbringing, though that window never opens particularly wide.

Perhaps these limits are for the best. The real engine of the book is the author’s own mind: restless, observant and almost extrasensorially empathic. The creatures she nurtures and befriends she also renders, both on the page and with a very sharp knife. A sacred, funereal air haunts the slaughtering scenes, especially when they follow a description of Gaydos baking the pigs’ cakes for their last meal, which she serves to them with a 40-ounce of malt liquor.

The chapter called “Luke” introduces the book’s most complex character: a fellow farmhand who’s always down on his luck. We are given to understand that Luke, a struggling yet tender soul, is addicted to alcohol and pain medication and conflicted about his gender. He was recently fired for stealing money from the farm’s co ers.

This portrait generates a juicy tension, which Gaydos cuts short by folding Luke’s character into the book’s elemental ruminations on abundance and loss, crops ruined by insects and the slaughter of beloved pigs. There’s an inherent lack of sentimentality in Mother Nature, with whom Gaydos is becoming more and more intimately acquainted — but Luke’s fate rattles her in a di erent way.

The rhapsodic descriptions of nature’s vitality in the first section give way to profound meditations on loss and destruction as the book continues. Gaydos finds intriguing and original entry points for her musings: nursing pigs through illness, watching Gov. Phil Scott race at Thunder Road in Barre, reading journal entries of the doomed Shaker community on whose former property she’s farming. Ultimately, she herself experiences nature’s brutal impassivity in wrenching, personal ways.

The prose in Pig Years crackles all the way through. At once an insider’s look at the scrappy world of small farming and the story of a young writer’s restless devotion and grief, Gaydos’ debut announces her as a major new voice in nonfiction. You might find yourself devouring the book in one sitting, as this reviewer did. Just don’t try it on an empty stomach.

INFO

Pig Years, by Ellyn Gaydos, Knopf, 212 pages. $27.

COURTESY

0F SHANE LAVALETTE

CULTURE

Lured by Social Media, Sleepy Hollow Farm’s Seasonal Visitors Now Require Crowd Control

BY KIRK KARDASHIAN

“I’m literally going to Vermont because of a picture i [sic] saw on social media!”

So said “lissette” in a 2019 comment on a Yankee magazine story about Pomfret’s Sleepy Hollow Farm, one of the most photographed places in the state.

Judging by the dozens of people who were streaming up Cloudland Road at 9 a.m. on a recent Wednesday to see Sleepy Hollow for themselves, lissette’s path to this wrinkle in the hills north of Woodstock has become well worn. Instagram has more than 4,000 posts tagged #sleepyhollowfarm, and TikTok is awash in videos by influencers strutting and posing in front of the painfully quaint homestead, typically presented with a soundtrack of warm, acoustic café rock.

When I visited, cars with license plates from near and far lined the road. People were using smartphones and expensive-looking cameras to shoot the scene: a long, curvaceous driveway leading down to a pond, a Cape-style house and two barns, all situated among green pastures beneath a ridge on which hardwoods glowed orange and red.

A couple from Miami were snapping pictures. ey said they came because they found Sleepy Hollow while researching things to see in Vermont.

An older man from New Jersey was there with his wife for the second time. “If you came at seven this morning, you would have seen a lot more people, and it would have been hard to find a place to park,” he said.

A family of five, including three young children, had come from Delaware. e father was a pilot with Southwest Airlines, and they’d gotten a free flight to Albany, N.Y., and driven the rest of the way. ey learned about Sleepy Hollow on Pinterest.

“We’re going to do some maple stuff later,” the pilot said enthusiastically.

Texans, Californians, Pennsylvanians, New Yorkers — they’d all convened to grab a bucket-list shot of a property so famous it has become almost a cliché of Vermontyness.

Two middle-aged women from Plympton, Mass., voiced reservations about joining

the scrum of shutterbugs pointing their cameras right at a private home. But they snapped their shots anyway. “I just think you gotta do it with respect,” one said.

Not everyone was following that dictum. As I watched, a man from Connecticut flew a drone over the property and lost control of it. e drone landed on the other side of the road, where he retrieved it after climbing over a stone wall and a fence.

A woman walked around the gate at the top of the driveway and smiled for a shot with the property behind her. e “Private Property, Keep Out” signs along the edge of the road appeared to be just suggestions to her.

Mike Doten grew up as Sleepy Hollow’s neighbor and now lives across the street at Elm Grove Farm. He said he’s collected two bags of trash along the road in the past two weeks.

“It’s a little disappointing,” he said. “ ey’re out in a beautiful spot because it’s

beautiful, and then they throw trash. I don’t get it.”

Still, Doten didn’t seem too bothered by the crowds, which he said show up only during the few weeks before and after Indigenous Peoples’ Day — peak foliage season. “Most people are considerate,” he said.

Doten isn’t certain how Sleepy Hollow Farm became such an icon of Vermont, but he knows it’s not a new development. He remembers visiting EPCOT at Walt Disney World Resort more than 30 years ago and seeing a picture of the property at one of the exhibits.

For a long time, Doten said, Sleepy Hollow was famous only among hard-core photographers, who would show up before dawn to set up tripods and wait for the sun to rise over the hill behind the house. With the advent of digital photography and social media, however, the property’s popularity has grown.

And “in the last four to five years, it’s mushroomed,” Doten said.

is year, the Pomfret Selectboard decided to manage the crowds a little more proactively than in the past. e town’s highway department put up signs along the road indicating that traffic could only travel one way (uphill) and routing people down another road to get back to Woodstock. On recent weekends, the town paid the Windsor County Sheriff’s Department to enforce the rule, according to selectboard vice chair John Peters Jr.

“We toyed with the idea of closing the road except for local traffic,” Peters said, “but we figured it would exacerbate the problem and cause people to park at either end and try to walk in.”

One-way traffic at the height of foliage season helped alleviate congestion and make Cloudland Road more accessible to emergency vehicles, Peters said. e road has since returned to its normal two-way flow.

For about 15 years, the visual allure of Sleepy Hollow Farm was enhanced by the public knowledge that it had a celebrity owner: Joe Perry of Aerosmith.

Perry sold Sleepy Hollow in 2020 for $2.2 million, and the 115-acre property changed hands again in August, at a selling price of $4.25 million. e current owner is listed in the Pomfret land records as LaChopera, LLC, a corporation registered in Vermont.

What’s it like to own a piece of property identified as a tourist destination on Google Maps? I put that question to the owner’s attorney, Brooke Hague Trottier of Norwich, who responded that her clients “are very private folks and have declined” to be interviewed.

Perhaps the throngs of visitors during foliage season are a mere temporary inconvenience that comes with the privilege of possessing such a picture-perfect estate. Plenty of people might take that deal if they could.

A young woman walking with her dad on Cloudland Road put it another way: “I’d be OK if you bought that property,” she said. “I think Mom would be, too.”

Seasonal visitors at Sleepy Hollow Farm

KIRK KARDASHIAN

culture

The Vermont International Film Festival aims to bring the world to Vermont through film. Produced by the Vermont International Film Foundation, this year’s festival promises movies not only from across the globe but also from across time. There will be lost films, forgotten gems and new releases that have waited patiently on the shelf for just this moment.

VTIFF runs from Friday, October 21, through Sunday, October 30, at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington and the Savoy Theater in Montpelier. Ten films will also be available online through VTIFF Virtual Cinema.

Due to the pandemic, many filmmakers with 2020 premiere dates chose to delay their releases until this season, when festivals could more safely fill theaters.

VTIFF executive director Orly Yadin said this wealth of films made programming decisions harder. As a result, the festival will present a record number of films, but most will only screen once.

After two years of virtual cinema and reduced-capacity screenings, VTIFF plans to bring viewers back to theaters. “We’re back to normal, with close to 50 films,” Yadin told Seven Days. “We decided to go back to how we used to be, and we hope the audience will come.”

The program includes films from more than 30 countries. It will transport viewers to a 19th-century Viennese palace in Corsage (2022), the streets of Paris during COVID-19 lockdown in Roaring ’20s (Années 20) (2021), a Japanese monastery in Crows Are White (2022) and the floor of the Texas state capitol in Shouting Down Midnight (2022).

Highlights include opening film Broker, which won two awards at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival: Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, which honors feature-length films that illustrate spiritual or Christian ideals, and Best Actor for Song Kang-ho’s performance. Audiences will remember Song from Parasite (2019), which won an Academy Award for Best Picture. Directed by acclaimed Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda, Broker is a heartwarming drama about a pair of law-breaking, do-gooder misfits who seek a home for an abandoned baby.

India’s Payal Kapadia won the 2021 Golden Eye award for best documentary at Cannes for A Night of Knowing Nothing, which juxtaposes fact and fiction, art and politics, and dreams and life.

Numerous other award-winning films from around the world pepper the program, and many address the environment. Utama, winner of the 2022 World Cinema Dramatic Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, takes viewers 13,000 feet above sea level to the Bolivian highlands. The

Into the Light

Vermont International Film Festival screens long-shelved gems and pandemic-paused releases

BY COLLEEN GOODHUE

FILM

film stars nonprofessional actors and reallife elderly couple José Calcina and Luisa Quispe, who play a Quechua couple whose lives are impacted by drought conditions in their community. Director Alejandro Loayza Grisi said Calcina and Quispe are a peaceful couple in real life, so they had to be taught to act and convinced to argue on camera, reported pop culture podcast “But Why Tho?” Utama, which means “our home” in Quechua, is a love story about family, community and nature, racked by climate change.

Young audiences may connect with the protagonist of “A Juddering” (2022), portrayed by Vermont actor Oscar Williams. This short film tells the story of a teenager experiencing deep climate anxiety and trying to express its urgency to their indi erent grandfather. Environmentalist Bill McKibben says, “Kids are — literally — feeling more of the danger of this moment than the rest of us. This film makes clear the desire to communicate,” according to the film’s website. Directed by Vermont’s James Lantz, “A Juddering” is one of three shorts in the Feeling Nature screenings on Saturday afternoon.

WE’RE BACK TO NORMAL, WITH CLOSE TO 50 FILMS.

ORLY YADIN

Another theme reflected in “the zeitgeist of filmmakers’ concerns from around the world,” Yadin explained, is women’s stories. Full Time (À Plein Temps) (2021) by director Éric Gravel tells an everyday drama — a single mother raising her children and working full time while trying to get a better job — with the intensity that real-life stories deserve.

Happening ( L’évènement ) (2021) is based on recent Nobel Prize winner Annie Ernaux’s autobiography of the same name. In the film, Annie seeks an abortion in France in 1963 when the practice was illegal, a story that is all too relevant today.

Comedy-drama Alma’s Rainbow (1994), by trailblazing filmmaker Ayoka Chenzira, is a coming-of-age story about mothers and daughters and Black womanhood. Selma director Ava DuVernay called Alma’s Rainbow “a gorgeous clarion call for our young Black girls, heralding the community, creativity and confidence that is the pride of our culture,” according to distributor Milestone Films.

A special program called Experiments in Queer Cinema, curated by University of Vermont associate professor Angelo Madsen Minax, presents five experimental shorts. Produced in Canada, Germany, the

Alma’s Rainbow Corsage

Dead Ringer

U.S. and the UK, they explore everything from magic and medicine to pop culture and nationalism.

This year, VTIFF will give Los Ange les-based Charles Burnett its inaugural Award for Outstanding Contribution to American Cinema. A MacArthur Fellow ship recipient and the first African American to win the National Society of Film Critics’ best screenplay award (To Sleep With Anger, 1990), he may be best known for his thesis film, Killer of Sheep, which he produced on week ends for under $10,000 while finishing his master’s degree at the University of Califor nia, Los Angeles. The film is a meditation on the daily life of a slaugh terhouse worker and his wife and premiered at New York City’s Whitney Museum of American Art in 1978. Unfortunately, it was quickly embroiled in music licensing issues and was not commercially released until 2007 — though it retained its legend ary status while shelved. Killer of Sheep was inducted into the U.S. National Film Registry in 1990.

Burnett will attend the festival and participate in a Q&A following the screen ings of Killer of Sheep and To Sleep With Anger. Yadin says Burnett was chosen for the award not because he was underrated — cinephiles and film students hold him in high esteem — but to raise his profile among casual filmgoers.

“We thought it was time his reputa tion became wider among our audience,” Yadin explained. “I think it’ll be an eyeopener for people.”

The closing film will be Allan Nich olls’ Dead Ringer (1982), a comical look at singer-songwriter Meat Loaf’s life as the ’80s rock star prepares for a world tour and navigates having a doppelgänger. Legal issues kept the film from screening

for nearly 40 years, but Nicholls will show his own newly digitized copy at VTIFF and partake in a Q&A after the screening. Meat Loaf died in January.

Viewers don’t have to be Meat Loaf fans to appreciate the film, Yadin said: “It’s very funny, and it’s very moving. I can tell you there’s some really serious undertones with the concept of who this doppelgänger is.”

The Vermont Production Collective will host the filmmaker’s reception on the festival’s final night. Montpelierbased filmmaker Chad Ervin cofounded the organization in 2021 to connect film and video producers across the state. Such events are “an excuse to get together and talk about creative film and video and art stuff with people who get it,” he told Seven Days

A substantial number of filmmak ers have moved to Vermont during the pandemic, Ervin explained, and he hopes these gatherings can help foster connec tion among them.

Yadin appreciates film’s accessibil ity. “It’s very democratic in terms of the cost of tickets compared to live performances,” she said. “Film is one of the most exciting and impactful artistic mediums there is. You can come out of a screening of a really good film feeling emotionally touched and intellectually more open.” m

INFO

Vermont International Film Festival, Friday, October 21, through Sunday, October 30, at the Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington, the Savoy Theater in Montpelier and online. $6-30 for individual tickets; $95 for 10-pack in-person screenings in Burlington; $150 for an individual pass; $250 for a dual pass. Learn more at vtiff.org.

Charles Burnett

art

Consumer City

Clark Russell’s installation at the Flynn questions the meaning of stuff

BY AMY LILLY • lilly@sevendaysvt.com

REVIEW

The Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn has been largely empty since the start of the pandemic. Now, the space is so full that it draws gaping passersby to its large windows facing Burlington’s Main Street. What’s there? “Riddleville,” a solo show by local artist Clark Russell.

The installation resembles a crowded city of towers, pilasters and wall panels bearing hundreds of individual arrangements of cast-off figurines, old toys, junk and scraps. The work contains so much stuff, in fact, that it may be more useful to ask what’s not there.

Parts of circuit boards, old phone key pads, towel racks, electrical plates, door hinges, faucets, sink drains and every imag inable piece of hardware line the lumber posts that form the 105-inch-tall towers

and 96-inch-tall pilasters. Abstract paintings form the variably sized panels’ backgrounds. Scrap-metal bases anchor the freestanding towers.

Metal platforms that resemble branches on the towers and shelves on the panels support intriguing scenarios, each glued in place to a base, or “stage,” as Russell calls it. In one scenario, a small headless model of Auguste Rodin’s sculpture “The Thinker” faces an antique gas mask with punctured glass eye lenses.

Another scene positions two Snow White figurines, one toting a machine gun, opposite two SpongeBob SquarePants toys, as if to discipline the make-believe boys. In yet another, a model train on a track is bisected by a smaller train, while a stranded turtle watches from below.

Some scenarios — such as a plastic cup stuffed with a deflated plastic globe and a plastic straw — clearly function as commen tary on the threatened environment. Indeed, the entire installation captures the

overwhelming reality of consumer culture, which threatens to subsume us. Viewers can literally lose their way in it: Look from one scenario to another, and it’s almost impos sible to find the first again.

Other scenarios are more obscure. What to make of a chorus line of dinosaurs, sharks and porpoises mounted by their mouths on chess pieces? Or the Joseph Cornell-like box made from a metal electrical node box containing a sand dollar, stacked bits of hardware and a tiny male figure toiling atop one stack?

Still more scenarios seem merely to explore abstract relations between objects. Upended glasses or cups are topped with parts of light fixtures or vice versa. The curve of a metal pipe connects a pressure gauge to an elegant finial. A large plastic

WHAT TO MAKE OF A CHORUS LINE OF DINOSAURS, SHARKS AND PORPOISES MOUNTED BY THEIR MOUTHS ON CHESS PIECES?

Details of Clark Russell’s “Riddleville” installation

PHOTOS: LUKE AWTRY

egg dwarfs the tiny Eiffel Tower it tops. And, hang on, is that a Simon Pearce glass sailboat?

“Riddleville” makes clear that, while consumer culture may be hastening the destruction of Earth, we humans can’t help but love our stuff — even, and perhaps espe cially, when it’s rescued from the dump. Those Spiderman figurines that are having so much fun blowing up the world recall and ultimately memorialize childhood’s engrossing games.

Installed by Russell with help from Flynn producer Amy Harting and facili ties manager Andrew Hard, “Riddleville” was still incomplete the morning of its soft opening on October 6. Russell met Seven Days in the gallery that day toting a glue gun: He was planning to make 11

more scenarios after the interview. His studio and apartment, upstairs in a build ing adjacent to the Flynn, are filled with rescued objects from ReSOURCE, friends and dumpsters.

Russell explained that he started making “Riddleville” in the 1980s but created most of the installation in the past three years, when COVID-19 prompted many people to purge items from their homes. Eventually, while moving found objects to his pantry shelves, he realized that the act reminded him of the exodus of city dwellers to the suburbs. Russell grew up in the St. Louis, Mo., suburb of Clayton, one of the 90 municipalities of St. Louis County. For him, the towers represent those suburbs.

NEW THIS WEEK

burlington

f BILL MCDOWELL: “Roxham Road to North Elba,” color photographs that challenge viewers to consider complex ideas around borders, migration, privilege and racism. f VALERIE HIRD: “The Garden of Absolute Truths,” small interactive theaters, hand-drawn animated videos, paintings and drawings by the Burlington artist that utilize familiar childhood stories to examine current power inequities. Reception: Friday, October 21, 5-7 p.m. October 21-January 28. Info, 865-7166. BCA Center in Burlington.

f DANA PIAZZA: “Processing,” acrylic abstract drawings on paper, panel and canvas that follow algorithms conceived by the Massachusetts artist. Reception: Thursday, October 20, 5:30-8 p.m. October 20-December 3. Info, 324-0014. Soapbox Arts in Burlington.

stowe/smuggs

f MFA INVITATIONAL: A student exhibit featuring recent work by MFA candidates. Reception: Thursday, October 27, 3 p.m. October 25-November 18. Info, 635-1469. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Northern Vermont University, in Johnson.

mad river valley/waterbury

f SAM COLT: Recent work in grassello on masonite, using oils, gold leaf, gouache, charcoal, shellac and varnishes. Reception: Friday, November 11, 6-8 p.m. October 26-November 19. Info, 244-7801. Axel’s Frame Shop & Gallery in Waterbury.

f VERMONT WATERCOLOR SOCIETY AWARDS

SHOW: An exhibition of paintings by society mem bers, juried by nationally acclaimed watercolor artist Antonio Mass, president of the American Watercolor Society. Thirteen awards will be presented. Reception and awards presentation: Wednesday, October 26, 1-5 p.m. October 26-December 16. Info, 496-6682. The Gallery at Mad River Valley Arts in Waitsfield.

brattleboro/okemo valley

f ALISON MORITSUGU: “Moons and Internment Stones,” watercolor paintings of rocks gathered by the artist’s grandfather while he was imprisoned at the Santa Fe Internment Camp during World War II paired with oil paintings of the moon. October 22-February

12. f ‘WE FEEL OUR WAY THROUGH WHEN WE DON’T KNOW’: A group exhibition of works by Mariel Capanna, Oscar Rene Cornejo, Cheeny Celebrado-Royer, Vessna Scheff, Gerald Euhon Sheffield II and Lachell Workman, guest-curated by Michael Jevon Demps, that address themes of community, memory, dissonance, displacement, intimacy and loss. October 22-February 12. f JUDITH KLAUSNER: “(De)composed,” sculptures of objects usually considered ruined, meticulously crafted from a child’s modeling medium, expressing a reevaluation of the under-appreciated. October 22-March 4. f MADGE EVERS: “The New Herbarium,” works on paper using mushroom spores and plant matter as artistic mediums. October 22-February 12.

f RENATE ALLER: “The Space Between Memory and Expectation,” an immersive, site-specific installation of large-format landscape photographs of mountains, glaciers, trees, ocean and other natural landscapes, plus an assemblage of lichen-covered rocks from the West Brattleboro home of artists Wolf Kahn and Emily Mason. Brunch reception: Saturday, October 22, 11 a.m. October 22-February 12. Info, 257-0124. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

f ‘THE AMENDMENT XXIX RIGHT TO PRIVACY SHOW’: A collection of artworks signifying artists’ personal expression on a Right to Privacy amend ment to the U.S. Constitution. Artists include: Clare Adams, Nancy Fitz-Rapalje, Corinne Greenhalgh, Yevette Hendler, Marcie Maynard, Roxy Rubell and Jeanette Staley. Reception: Friday, October 21, 5-7 p.m. October 21-December 10. Info, 289-0104. Canal Street Art Gallery in Bellows Falls.

= ONLINE EVENT OR EXHIBIT

CALL TO ARTISTS

ARTS CONNECT AT CATAMOUNT ARTS

JURIED SHOW: Artists are invited to submit up to five works in any medium created within the last five years. Accepted work will be displayed December 14 through March 12 at Catamount Arts in St. Johnsbury. Submission details at catamountarts.org. Online. Through November 13. $35. Info, mstone@catamountarts. org.

BCA ELEVATION GRANT: Burlington City Arts announces a one-year pilot funding opportunity designed to support regional artists and artist groups with grants between $500 and $5,000. The goal is to help address the basic challenges of art making at any stage of the creative process. Find details and application at burlingtoncityarts.org. Deadline: November 15. Online. Info, cstorrs@burlingtoncityarts.org.

CALL FOR EXHIBITORS: Enter your group show, traveling exhibit or new body of work for the 2022-23 season in our community gallery. We seek thought-provoking exhibits that examine the human experience. CAL is an interdisciplinary art center that celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion in all forms. Submit artwork at cal-vt. org. Deadline: December 31. Center for Arts and Learning, Montpelier. Info, 595-5252.

CALL FOR MEMBERS: Become part of a thriving hub for music and art education. CAL is committed to enhancing the cultural life of central Vermont through its founding member organizations, as well as embracing individual artists, musicians and other nonprofits in a collaborative and welcoming community. Register at cal-vt.org. Center for Arts and Learning, Montpelier. Through December 31. $36 annually. Info, 595-5252.

CREATIVE AGING GRANTS: The Vermont Arts Council is offering grants up to $4,000 for organizations to provide skill-based arts instruction and social engagement led by experienced teaching artists for older adults aged 60-plus. Info and application at vermontartscoun cil.org. Online. Through November 1.

CREATIVE FUTURES GRANTS: With $9 million in funding from Vermont’s last legislative session, the Vermont Arts Council is offering up to $200,000 grants to creative sector nonprofits and for-profit entities, including sole

ART EVENTS

BIWEEKLY FIGURE DRAWING SOCIAL: Live model; bring your own beverages and supplies; curated playlist. RSVP at wishbonecollectivevt.com. Wishbone Collective, Winooski, Wednesday, October 19, 6-8 p.m. $15; tickets are limited to 20 seats and are first come, first serve. Info, hello@wishbonecollectivevt.com.

FAMILY ART SATURDAY: A make-and-take art activ ity for kids and their grown-ups that connects with “The Garden of Absolute Truths” exhibition by Valerie Hird. BCA Center, Burlington, Saturday, October 22, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 865-7166.

KIMBERLY PROVOST: Stop in to meet the artist while she paints. Art Works Frame Shop & Gallery, South Burlington, Friday, October 21, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, artworksvt@gmail.com.

OPEN STUDIOS SATURDAY: Artists open their studio doors to visitors to see their work, hear their music and try their art. Shelburne Pond Studios, Saturday, October 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, kastockman@aol.com.

TOUR OF ‘ROCKWELL KENT: PRINTS FROM THE RALF C. NEMEC COLLECTION’: Alice Boone, curator of education and public programs, leads visitors through the exhibition in collaboration with Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. Preregister at learn.

proprietors, that have sustained substantial losses from the pandemic. Find details, application and info about applicant workshops at vermontartscouncil. org. First deadline: November 1. Online. Info, ccrawley@vermontartscouncil.org.

‘TIME OF CHANGE’: All artists and makers in all mediums are invited to create work focusing on the entry into the transitional month of November. Work will be displayed at the gallery. For details and to request an entry form, email melmelts@yahoo.com. Deadline: October 27. The Satellite Gallery, Lyndonville. $20.

VERMONT STUDENT WILDLIFE ART

CONTEST: The Vermont Wildlife Coalition’s Education Fund and Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro invite Vermont students in grades 7 to 12 to submit wildlife art in oil, acrylic, watercolor, pencil, ink or pastel. The top 40 will be exhibited in February; prizes awarded. Details and application at vtwildlifeeducationfund.org. Deadline: December 9. Online. Free. Info, 434-3135.

WELCOME BLANKET PROJECT: The public is invited to submit handmade blankets and welcome notes to gift to refugees and new Americans. Both will be displayed in an upcoming exhibition before distribution. Welcome Blanket was created by Jayna Zweiman, cofounder of the Pussyhat Project. Instructions and drop-off locations at themillmuseum.org. Heritage Winooski Mill Museum. Through November 30. Info, info@themillmuseum.org.

‘WHAT MAKES A LAKE?’: Another Earth is seeking submissions from Vermont artists and current or former residents of photography, cyanotypes, drawings, writing, video stills, field recordings and historical images that are in some way connected to Lake Champlain. Those accepted will be included in a visual guide to what makes a lake, published in spring 2023. Details and submission instructions at another-earth.com. Online. Through January 31. Info, anotherearthsubmissions@gmail.com.

‘WHIR, CLANK, BEEP’: An upcoming show is about machines: simple levers and pulleys, farm equipment, robots, computers and AI. Kinetic sculpture, working machines, 2D and 3D depictions of real and invented machines, and sculptures made from machine parts are all welcome. Deadline: December 10. Info at studioplacearts.com. Studio Place Arts, Barre. $10; free for SPA members. Info, 479-7069.

uvm.edu/olli. Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont, Burlington, Saturday, October 22, 12:30 & 2 p.m. Info, 656-0750.

ONGOING SHOWS

burlington

‘ANYWHERE FROM ANYWHERE’: A collection of drawings by more than 20 artists. Through December 1. Info, hello@thekarmabirdhouse.com. Karma Bird House Gallery in Burlington.

ART AT THE HOSPITAL: Photographs by Greg Nicolai and Caleb Kenna (Main Street Connector, ACC 3); relief monotypes by Erika Lawlor Schmidt (Main Street Connector); acrylic paintings by Sandra Berbeco (McClure 4 and EP2); oil and mixed-media paintings by James Vogler (EP2); and oil paintings by Julia Purinton (BCC). Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through January 23. Info, 865-7296. University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington.

ART HOP JURIED SHOW: Artwork by more than 70 artists submitted for competition in the 30th annual South End Art Hop; juried by David Griffin. Through December 10. Info, 859-9222. The Vaults in Burlington.

VISUAL ART IN SEVEN DAYS: ART LISTINGS AND SPOTLIGHTS ARE WRITTEN BY PAMELA POLSTON. LISTINGS ARE RESTRICTED TO ART SHOWS IN TRULY PUBLIC PLACES.

‘BLACK FREEDOM, BLACK MADONNA & THE BLACK CHILD OF HOPE’: “Black Freedom, Black Madonna, and the Black Child of Hope,” designed by Raphaella Brice and created by Brice and Josie Bunnell, a mural installed for Burlington’s 2022 Juneteenth celebration, featuring a Haitian-inspired image of liberation. Through June 18. Info, 865-7166. ‘WITHIN THIS FOREST’: Photography by the late artist Catrin Rhiannon Steward. Through October 31. Info, 863-3403. Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.

f ‘CALL AND RESPONSE’: Artworks by 16 members of the Howard Arts Collective, each inspired by a piece in the museum’s collections. Reception: Thursday, October 20, 5:30 p.m. ‘DARK GODDESS: AN EXPLORATION OF THE SACRED FEMININE’: Largescale black-and-white photographs by Shanta Lee, based on the inquiry, “Who or what is the Goddess when she is allowed to misbehave?” ROCKWELL KENT: Prints by the iconic American artist (1882-1971) from the Ralf C. Nemec collection. Through December 9. Info, 656-0750. Fleming Museum of Art, University of Vermont, in Burlington.

CLARK RUSSELL: “Riddleville,” an alternate universe featuring thousands of still-life scenes constructed of metal structures and found objects, from family heirlooms to dumpster discards. Through November 19. Info, 652-4500. Amy E. Tarrant Gallery in Burlington.

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

‘DARK MATTER’: An exhibition of artworks in multiple mediums that interpret the known and unknown, the dark and the difficult to talk about. Through October 28. Info, spacegalleryvt@gmail. com. The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Burlington.

‘GUARDIANS OF THE GREAT OUTDOORS’: An exhibition in which young explorers can roam forests, navigate streams and become backyard adventurers while learning to become thoughtful stewards of the land. Through January 15. Info, 864-1848. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington.

KATHARINE MONTSTREAM & CHARLOTTE

DWORSHAK: Winter lake paintings big and small, realistic and abstract, in oil, acrylic and watercolor by the mother-and-daughter artists. Through November 1. Info, 363-9253. Montstream Studio in Burlington.

KELLY O’NEAL: Painterly photographs focused on the beauty of place. Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through October 31. Info, 865-7296. Mascoma Bank in Burlington.

‘MORE THAN A MARKET’: An exhibit celebrating local, immigrant-owned markets in Burlington, South Burlington and Winooski, featuring an installation that re-creates the feel of a busy market, as well as wall panels with archival and contemporary photographs. Third floor. Through December 23. Info, 989-4723, cbarrett@historicnewengland.org. O.N.E. Community Center in Burlington.

‘ROXHAM ROAD’: An exhibition of landscape photographs by Bill McDowell taken along the U.S.-Canada border around an irregular crossing near Champlain, N.Y., with a sound installation by Jenn Karson. Through November 4. Info, 656-0550. Francis Colburn Gallery, University of Vermont, in Burlington.

SAM WYATT: “Writing on the Wall Project,” paintings that explore graffiti as a reflection of this moment in American society and culture, curated by Burlington City Arts. Through December 7. Info, 865-7296. Burlington City Hall.

‘VOICES OF ST. JOSEPH’S ORPHANAGE’: Photographs and stories of abuse and recovery from the Catholic-run Burlington orphanage, which was home to more than 13,000 children from 1854 to 1974. Presented by the St. Joseph’s Orphanage Restorative Inquiry and the Vermont Folklife Center.

GET YOUR ART SHOW LISTED HERE! PROMOTING AN ART EXHIBIT? SUBMIT THE INFO AND IMAGES BY FRIDAY AT NOON AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT OR ART@SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

Through December 16. Info, 656-2138. Billings Library, University of Vermont, in Burlington.

chittenden county

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

BRECCA LOH & KRISTINA PENTEK: Abstracted land scape paintings and color photographs, respectively. Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through February 14. Info, 865-7296. Pierson Library in Shelburne.

‘FINE FEATHERS’: Works by more than 60 artists and poets inspired by birds and feather colors, shapes, patterns and functions. Through October 31. Info, 434-2167. Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington.

JESSICA SCRIVER: “Growth Patterns,” new paintings in mixed media that explore shape, pattern, texture and color. Through October 29. Info, 985-3848. Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne.

MARILYN JAMES: “Old and New Paintings,” landscapes and more by the cofounder of the Essex Art League. Through November 6. Info, 899-3211. Emile A. Gruppe Gallery in Jericho.

MICHELE BRODY: “Papers of Place,” an exhibition of artwork incorporating paper created from local plants, presented in partnership with ecoartspace. Through October 28. Info, bcollier@smcvt.edu. McCarthy Art Gallery, Saint Michael’s College, in Colchester.

‘OUR COLLECTION: ELECTRA HAVEMEYER WEBB, EDITH HALPERT AND FOLK ART’: A virtual exhibition that celebrates the friendship between the museum founder and her longtime art

dealer, featuring archival photographs and ephemera, a voice recording from Halpert, and quotations pulled from the women’s extensive correspondences. Through February 9. Info, 985-3346. Shelburne Museum.

ROB HITZIG & BEAR CIERI: Abstract geometric paintings on birch panels (Skyway) and photographs from the artist’s Quarry Survey (Gates 1-8). Through December 6. Info, 865-7296. Burlington International Airport in South Burlington.

SOUTH BURLINGTON SHOWCASE: An exhibition of more than 60 paintings, photographs and mixedmedia works by local artists Gin Ferrara, Jeffrey Pascoe and Michael Strauss. Through December 13. Info, gallery@southburlingtonvt.gov. South Burlington Public Art Gallery.

barre/montpelier

AXEL STOHLBERG: “House,” collages and sculptures that consider the concepts of dwelling and place. Through December 30. Info, 279-5558. Vermont Supreme Court Gallery in Montpelier.

CRYSTAL STOKES: “Pieces of You,” portraiture in light and dark acrylic paint by the central Vermont artist. Through November 15. Info, 595-5252. Center for Arts and Learning in Montpelier.

EVE JACOBS-CARNAHAN: “Knit Democracy Together,” a five-foot-long sculpture of the Vermont Statehouse constructed from the knitted works of more than 50 crafters. Also on view are the artist’s mixed-media allegorical sculptures of knitted chickens encountering voting challenges. Through October 31. Info, 279-5558. Card Room, Vermont Statehouse, in Montpelier.

LESLIE ROTH & JOHN F. PARKER: Knitted creature sculptures and mixed-media assemblages using found materials, respectively. Through October 31. Info, 613-3182. J. Langdon Antiques & Art in Montpelier.

‘ROCK SOLID XXII’: The annual celebration of stone includes sculptures, assemblages and other works in the main gallery and plaza. RAY BROWN: “Transformative Moves,” a lifetime retrospective of the paintings, drawings, prints and more by the late local artist. Curated by NNEMoCA on the second and third floors and in the Quick Change Gallery, as well as annex locations at AR Market and Morse Block. Through October 29. Info, 479-7069. Studio Place Arts in Barre.

REGIS CUMMINGS: “Retrospect,” paintings in response to the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, by the Montpelier artist. Through October 28. Info, 279-5558. Vermont Statehouse Cafeteria in Montpelier.

SHOW 51: Gallery members exhibit one or two works not shown before: Kate Fetherston, Anne Cogbill-Rose, Kimberly Malloy Backus, Earl Henry Fox, Delia Robinson, Diane Sophrin, Ned Richardson, Glen Coburn Hutcheson, Richard Moore, Monica DiGiovanni, Sam Thurston, Marjorie Kramer, Elizabeth Nelson, James Secor, Kathy Stark and Melora Kennedy. Through October 30. Info, info@ thefrontvt.com. The Front in Montpelier.

‘STORIES FROM RED OCULUS’: In-process video of stories collected from visitors to Calza’s “Red Oculus” installation in 2021 and 2022, plus a new video by Kelly Holt. Through November 19. Info, 224-6827. Susan Calza Gallery in Montpelier.

‘THE WORLD THROUGH THEIR EYES’: Watercolors and drawings by 19th-century Norwich alumni William Brenton Boggs and Truman Seymour depict ing scenes in North and South America, Asia, Europe and Africa. Through December 16. Info, 485-2886. Sullivan Museum & History Center, Norwich University, in Northfield.

stowe/smuggs

‘LAND & LIGHT & WATER & AIR’: An annual exhibition featuring more than 95 works by local and regional artists who paint the Vermont countryside. Through October 30. ‘LET US INTRODUCE YOU’: Paintings by five artists who have not previously exhibited in the gallery: Robin Reynolds, Ellen Hopkins Fountain, Kate Follett, Ella Delyanis and Caroline Loftus. Through October 30. 2022 LEGACY COLLECTION: An exhibit of works by 16 distinguished New England landscape artists plus a selection of works by Alden Bryan and Mary Bryan. Through December 24. Info, 644-5100. Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville.

ALTERNATIVE TAKES GALLERY: An exhibition by Misoo Bang, Richard Britell and Mary Reilly featuring three different perspectives on the world, from the architecture of Western civilization to the natural world, to the individuals navigating both, accom plished with paint, collage and graphite. Through October 31. Info, 760-4634. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort.

‘EXPOSED’: The annual outdoor sculpture show featuring works by nine Vermont artists sited on the Current lawn and downtown. Through October 22. Info, 253-8358. Various Stowe locations.

‘GRACE: 45 YEARS OF CREATIVITY’: An exhibition of works by participants in the Hardwick-based Grassroots Arts and Community Effort, which facilitates art making with seniors and people with disabilities. Through October 21. Info, 635-1469. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Northern Vermont University, in Johnson.

TARANEH MOSADEGH: Paintings by the IranianAmerican artist based in Halifax, Vt., and Brooklyn, N.Y. Through November 30. Info, 635-2727. Vermont Studio Center in Johnson.

STOWE/SMUGGS SHOWS

art

Bonnie Baird

There are landscape paintings — oh, so many of them — and then there are paintings of the land as home. Bonnie Baird’s work falls in the latter camp. A current exhibition at Northern Daughters in Vergennes puts her familiarity with place on display. The title, “Tethered,” is apt: Baird was raised on a 730acre dairy farm in Vermont, gallery text explains, and she and her husband, Robert, are the third generation to manage their dairy and maple farm in North Chittenden. Thus is Baird tied to the land.

“Working in the natural environment every day in every kind of weather allows her to truly feel the horizon; warm or cold, dark or light, intimate or expansive,” reads her website.

Adds gallerist Justine Jackson in a press statement, “[W]e find this knowing so evident in her work.”

And yet Baird is not exactly a plein air artist. Indeed, given the endless demands of a working farm, it’s a wonder she finds any time to sit at an easel. According to Jackson, Baird paints from memory. That is why, Jackson suggests, the works “all feel so alive and show our home through the loving lens of a lifelong Vermonter.”

But Baird’s paintings show something else: isolation. Solitude. Serenity. Her tableaux contain the barest hints of animal or human life. Her palette is subdued — no verdant hillsides or shouty foliage. Ironically, Baird’s canvases scarcely identify Vermont at all. Her open vistas set the horizon line far away, rarely serrated with mountains. She gently pulls our attention to the distance and upward, where we find unexpected seduction in the sky, clouds and light.

STOWE/SMUGGS SHOWS

‘WHEN THE WELL IS DRY: An exhibition featuring 11 artists who explore the interconnection of environ ment, climate change, culture and community. In partnership with Visura. Through December 10. Info, 253-8358. The Current in Stowe.

middlebury area

6X6: A MINI EXHIBITION: An exhibition of 2D artwork with dimensions of six inches square by more than 50 local artists. The theme commemo rates the store turning 6 months old. Through October 29. Info, 989-7225. Sparrow Art Supply in Middlebury.

‘ADDISON COUNTY COLLECTS’: An eclectic exhibition of objects and personal stories from 36 area collectors, celebrating the local and global community. Through January 7. ‘ADDISON COUNTY KIDS COLLECT’: A continually growing exhibition of photos of Addison County children with their personal collections. Through January 7. ‘ARTISTS IN THE ARCHIVES: COMMUNITY, HISTORY & COLLAGE’: Collage prints by 23 artists from seven countries that reflect upon the idea of community in the 21stcentury world. Curated by Kolaj Institute director Ric Kasini Kadour. Through January 7. ‘THE ELEPHANT IN THE ARCHIVES’: An experimental exhibit reexamining the museum’s Stewart-Swift Research Center archival collections with a critical eye toward silences, erasures and contemporary relevance. Through January 7.

CHUCK HERRMANN: “Sculptures of Perseverance,” eight poignant works by the Shoreham wood carver created in response to the ongoing Ukrainian tragedy. Through January 7. Info, 388-2117. Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury.

BONNIE BAIRD: “Tethered,” new landscape paint ings by the Vermont artist. Through November 30. Info, 877-2173. Northern Daughters in Vergennes.

‘DISSENT! ABOLITION & ADVOCACY IN PRINT’: An exhibition of 19th-century print materials used as a platform to expose the horrors of enslavement and spread calls for emancipation in the United States. Through October 23. Info, 877-3406. Rokeby Museum in Ferrisburgh.

ELLEN GRANTER: “Tidal,” new paintings exploring the New England coast and the wildlife that

inhabits it. Through November 15. Info, 989-7419. Edgewater Gallery at the Falls in Middlebury.

KATHLEEN KOLB: “Fragile/Familiar,” contemporary realist paintings that explore light, a sense of place and community, and the artist’s relationship with the landscape of working Vermont. Through November 8. Info, 989-7419. Edgewater Gallery on the Green in Middlebury.

‘THE LIFE OF WATER’: An international juried exhibition of photographs of water in all its forms and sources. Through October 21. Info, photos@photoplacegallery. com. PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury.

‘NO OCEAN BETWEEN US: ART OF ASIAN DIASPORAS IN LATIN AMERICA & THE CARIBBEAN, 1945–

PRESENT’: Some 70 important works in a variety of mediums by Latin American and Caribbean artists of Asian heritage that demonstrate how the work emerged from cross-directional global dialogues between artists, their cultural identities and interac tion with artistic movements. Through December 11. Info, 443-5007. Middlebury College Museum of Art.

rutland/killington

ALTHEA BILODEAU LAMB & JUDITH REILLY:

“Common Threads,” fabric and fiber art. Through November 6. Info, 247-4956. Brandon Artists Guild.

‘THE ART OF HALVES HALF KNOTS’: A group exhibition of textile arts in quilting, felting, sewing, crocheting, knitting, embroidery and mixed media. Through October 22. Info, 775-0356. Chaffee Art Center in Rutland.

‘NEW DATA/NEW DADA’: An open-call exhibition of 40 collage and 3D assemblages that explore, echo, translate or reinvent Dada, by artists from the U.S. and Canada. ‘THE STORY’: An open-call exhibition of contemporary photographs whose visual narratives evoke a response in the viewer, by artists from Vermont, New York, California and Texas. Through November 20. Info, 325-2603. Stone Valley Arts at Fox Hill in Poultney.

SCULPTFEST22: An annual outdoor exhibition of sculptural installations in a variety of mediums. Through October 23. Info, 438-2097. The Carving Studio & Sculpture Center in West Rutland.

But here, too, Baird is exquisitely subtle, proffering not sunshine but the transitional illumination before sunrise or after sunset, before or after a storm. As poet William Blake found a world in a grain of sand, Baird observes endless possibilities in these liminal moments.

“Tethered” is on view through November 30.

upper valley

‘BEYOND WORDS’: A group exhibition of book-in spired art by invited artists in the Connecticut River Valley region. Through November 30. Info, 295-4567. Long River Gallery in White River Junction.

EDIE FAKE: “Drylands Wetspot,” an installation and paintings by the artist, whose work examines issues of trans identity and queer space through the lens of architecture and ornamentation. Through October 30. Info, 347-264-4808. Kishka Gallery & Library in White River Junction.

‘I NEVER SAW IT THAT WAY: EXPLORING SCIENCE THROUGH ART: This self-curated exhibition of mixedmedia works by artists, sculptors, photographers and crafters on the museum staff considers science from fresh perspectives. Through January 31. Info, 649-2200. Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich.

JENNIFER MAHARRY: Fine art wildlife photography by the Woodstock, N.Y., artist in celebration of VINS’ 50-year anniversary. Through November 30. Info, 359-5000. Vermont Institute of Natural Science in Quechee.

‘LOCAL COLOR’: The 11th annual group exhibition showcasing the pleasures and colors of autumn with painting, photography, mixed-media, sculpture and ceramics. Through November 6. Info, 457-3500. Artistree Community Arts Center Theatre & Gallery in South Pomfret.

‘MENDING THE SPACES BETWEEN: REFLECTIONS AND CONTEMPLATIONS’: Prompted by a vandalized Bible, 22 artists and poets respond to questions about how we can mend our world, find ways to listen and work together. Through November 30. Info, 649-0124. Norwich Historical Society and Community Center.

‘MOVING IN STILLNESS, STILLNESS IN MOVING’: A video and photo installation by photographer, dancer and emerging filmmaker Carla Kimball that projects images and films on fabric panels and explores the idea of being on a journey. Through October 22. Free. Info, info@uvjam.org. Junction Arts & Media in White River Junction.

‘MULTIPLE AVENUES: ARTISTS EXPLORE

PRINTMAKING’: A faculty exhibition featuring a variety of works by Michael Smoot, Susan Smereka,

Jes Raymond, Lynn Newcomb, Mary Mead, Patty Hudak, Rachel Gross and Janet Cathey. Through October 31. Info, tworiversprintmakingstudio@gmail. com. Two Rivers Printmaking Studio in White River Junction.

ROBERT BURCHESS: “Faces and Figures,” drawings by the Vermont-based artist. Through October 31. Info, 457-2295. Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock.

northeast kingdom

‘1,111 COPPER NAILS’: A 36-year retrospective of the Bread and Puppet calendar. Through December 31. Info, breadandpuppetcuratrix@gmail.com. Hardwick Inn.

ANN CREAVEN: New photographs of the Northeast Kingdom. Through November 13. Info, 525-3366. The Parker Pie in West Glover.

ANN YOUNG: “In a Dangerous Time,” paintings that focus on people in troubling times and abstracted images of magnified natural objects. Included are three commissioned paintings concerning the West Saharan human rights activ ist Sultana Khayya. CHUCK TROTSKY: “Slightly Irregular,” large acrylic paintings and smaller mixed-media works drawn from pop culture. Through October 30. Info, 748-2600. Catamount Arts Center in St. Johnsbury.

‘CASPIAN ARTS AT MAC! WELCOME!’: Works in a variety of mediums by members of the Greensborobased artist organization. Through October 29. Info, 334-1966. MAC Center for the Arts Gallery in Newport.

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

EMILIA OLSON: “Painting With the Past,” oil on canvas paintings incorporating objects from the artist’s childhood. Through November 27. Info, 533-2000. Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.

“The Lowing” by Bonnie Baird

MICHELE JOHNSEN: “Do You Believe in Magic,” intimate landscape paintings. Through November 19. Info, 748-0158. Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild Backroom Gallery in St. Johnsbury.

brattleboro/okemo valley

ALISSA BUFFUM: The mixed-media painter and sculp tor is the first recipient of the gallery’s Working Artist Program, which provides studio and exhibition space. Visitors are welcome to experience her art-making process during gallery hours. Through November 28. Info, 289-0104. Canal Street Art Gallery in Bellows Falls.

BARBARA CAMPMAN: “In Passage,” painting, assemblage and mixed media by the Vermont artist. Through November 6. Info, 387-0102. Next Stage Arts Project in Putney.

LEON GOLUB: Nearly 70 expressive figurative paintings that explore man’s relationship with the dynamics of power, spanning the American artist’s career from 1947 to 2002. LOIS DODD: A survey of some 50 paintings by the American artist from the late 1950s through last year that depict places she lives and works, from rural Maine to New York City. Through November 27. Info, vermont@hallartfoundation.org. Hall Art Foundation in Reading.

MUTSU CRISPIN: “Portals,” sculpture, drawings and photographs that explore the spiritual passage of the artist, aka Johnny DiGeorge. Through October 30. Info, 258-8515. 118 Elliot in Brattleboro.

OASA DUVERNEY: “Black Power Wave,” a window installation of drawings by the Brooklyn artist, inspired by images of Chinese Fu dogs, the cross and the Yoruba deity Èsù. Through May 6. Info, 257-0124. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

manchester/bennington

‘MANY AMERICAS: ART MEETS HISTORY’: More than a dozen artworks and installations that use divergent histories as a point of departure to address present-day issues. Curated by Ric Kasini Kadour. Through November 27. Info, 362-1405. Elizabeth de C. Wilson Museum, Southern Vermont Arts Center, in Manchester.

‘PARKS & RECREATION’: An exhibition of paintings past and present that explores the history and artistic depictions of Vermont’s state parks and other formally designated natural areas. Contemporary works on loan from the Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville. Through November 6. ‘PERSPECTIVES: THE STORY OF BENNINGTON THROUGH MAPS’: A collection that shows the changing roles of maps, from those made by European colonists showcasing American conquests to later versions that celebrate civic progress and historic events. Through December 31. ‘THE WALLOOMSAC EXHIBITION’: Objects from the historic former inn and the museum’s permanent col lection. Through December 31. NORTH BENNINGTON OUTDOOR SCULPTURE SHOW: The 25th annual outdoor sculpture show at locations around town, as well as more works by regional artists inside the museum. Through November 12. Info, 447-1571. Bennington Museum.

SOLO EXHIBITIONS: Ten artists exhibit their work in a variety of mediums: Barbara Ackerman, Justin Kenney, Arnela Mahmutović, Evan McGlinn, Julie Merwin, Heather Palecek, Robert Ressler, Ron Vallario, Katrin Waite and Ann Young. Through November 6. Info, 362-1405. Yester House Galleries, Southern Vermont Arts Center, in Manchester.

‘THE UNCIVIL WAR AT HOME’: A photographic exhibition that addresses women’s rights and the fight for abortion rights, Black Lives Matter, gay rights and other human rights issues in the U.S.

Through November 11. Info, rhondaratray@gmail. com. The Left Bank in North Bennington.

randolph/royalton

‘GHOST SHOW’: A collection of artists explore what the word “ghost” means to them. Through November 1. Info, 377-7098. Black Meadow Gallery and Tattoo in Randolph.

‘VERMONT VISTAS’: Seasonal views by six regional printmakers: Jeanne Amato, Matt Brown, Janet Cathey, Carol MacDonald, Maureen O’Connor Burgess and Jeannie Podolak. Through November 5. Info, 728-9878. Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph.

online

CAMPUS THEATER MOVIE POSTERS: The Henry Sheldon Museum Archives presents a virtual exhibit of posters and other ephemera from Middlebury’s former movie theater, which opened in 1936. It was later converted to the current Marquis Theater. Through January 7. Info, 388-2117. Online.

outside vermont

‘DIANE ARBUS: PHOTOGRAPHS, 1956-1971’: Nearly 100 black-and-white prints shot by the late American photographer primarily around New York City. Through January 29. ‘SEEING LOUD: BASQUIAT AND MUSIC’: The first large-scale multimedia exhibition devoted to the role of music in the work of the innovative American artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, organized in collaboration with the Philharmonie de Paris museum. Through February 19. ‘VIEWS OF WITHIN: PICTURING THE SPACES WE INHABIT’: More than 60 paintings, photographs, prints, installations and textile works from the museum’s collection that present one or more evocations of interior space. Through June 30. SABRINA RATTÉ: “Contre-espace,” digital artwork by the Montréal artist that creates an interaction

between architecture and landscape, projected onto the façade of the Michal and Renata Hornstein Pavilion from dusk to 11 p.m. Through November 27. SHARY BOYLE: “Outside the Palace of Me,” a multisensory exhibition that explores how identity and personality are constructed in the age of social media. Through January 15. Info, 514-285-2000. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts.

‘FROM LIFE: THE CLASSICAL ART OF FIGURE DRAWING’: An interactive exhibit by 15 members of the Strand Life Drawing Group, cocurated by artists Shaun O’Connell and Cynthia Root. Free life drawing workshops October 14, 21 and 28, 5-7 p.m. Through October 31. Info, 518-563-1604. Strand Center for the Arts in Plattsburgh, N.Y.

‘MADAYIN: EIGHT DECADES OF ABORIGINAL AUSTRALIAN BARK PAINTING FROM YIRRKALA’: The first major exhibition of Aboriginal Australian bark paintings to tour the U.S., a contemporary interpretation of an ancient tradition of Indigenous knowledge expression. Through December 4. f PARK

DAE SUNG: “Ink Reimagined,” 23 ink paintings, some on view for the first time in the U.S., by the renowned Korean artist; curated by Sunglim Kim, Dartmouth College associate professor of art history. Artist talk: Thursday, November 3, 5-6 p.m., for the annual Dr. Allen W. Root Contemporary Distinguished Art Lectureship. Through March 19. Info, 603-646-3661. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H.

‘THE RESILIENCE OF TRAVELERS’: A juried selection of images from the annual Global Rescue photo contest. Through November 5. NICK LAMIA, ELIZABETH

NELSON & KATYA ROBERTS: Paintings and instal lation in themes that signify water, landscape and ecology. Through November 12. VICTORIA SHALVAH

HERZBERG: “Native Plants and Invited Immigrants,” figurative works in mixed media by the Vermont-based artist. Through October 20. Info, 603-448-3117. AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, N.H. m

Find your best self this year when you unwind at The Spa at Topnotch.

Truly relax with a massage, facial, salon service and simply sitting poolside. Or get in shape with fitness classes or a round of tennis.

Either way, you deserve nothing less than Topnotch.

The tower nearest to the lobby symbolizes the suburb of Ferguson, the artist said. On a platform at eye level, a squat Black figurine faces an array of cop cars, a reference to the 2014 killing of 18-year-old Michael Brown by police officer Darren Wilson. But Russell admits to having lost track of the municipalities or suburbs most towers represent.

Though remarkably voluble and something of a wordsmith, Russell is wary of reducing his intention to language. (He had to force himself to write an artist’s statement, he said.) Sure, the installation alludes to his envi ronmental concerns, as well his lifelong opposition to racism and misogyny, he said. But he ultimately pleaded to a kind of “cloud of unknowing,” to borrow an anonymous 14th-century mystic’s description.

“When I create these scenarios, I’m almost in a dream state,” Russell said. “It’s as much self-discovery as some thing for other people to discover.

“I’m just a medium,” he added.

“Riddleville” has received an

unusually enthusiastic reception. So many people were trying to see into the gallery at night, for example, that Russell and the Flynn team decided to leave the interior lights on every evening.

Russell is both delighted and “a little chagrined” at the attention. For 35 years before “Riddleville” took over his prac tice, he made abstract wall sculptures from found and altered metal pieces, spending inordinate amounts of time on each composition. Yet those works, which Russell said are “far more dear” to him, have never garnered the attention that this installation has.

In the end, he believes “Riddleville” is a reflection of “how I see the world: It’s a complicated, layered place.” The sculpture, he added, “verges on a public service.” m

INFO

“Riddleville” by Clark Russell is on view through November 19 at Amy E. Tarrant Gallery, the Flynn, in Burlington. Russell is in the gallery to answer visitors’ questions during Friday and Saturday hours and before every Main Stage show. clarkrussellart.com

Detail of Clark Russell’s “Riddleville” installation

LUKE AWTRY

music+nightlife

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH

Get Back

There are a lot of clichés about living in Vermont. I’m sure you’ve heard them. Every out-of-town comedian who swings through seems to have a bit where they touch on all the hits: We have hippy ice cream everyone loves. Bernie. It’s cold. There’s no one here. Bernie. PHISH Hippies. Bernie. Phish…

C’mon, people. We’ve had serial killers, too! And Winooski almost built a Buckminster Fuller-style geodesic dome over the city in the ’70s. Do some research!

One trope about the Green Mountain State does hold up, however: If you want some space to yourself, well, there’s plenty of it to go around. That can come in handy if you’re a singer-songwriter looking to lean into loneliness and get back to your musical roots, like NOAH KAHAN.

The Stra ord-born musician first came to prominence in 2016 when he signed to Republic Records and started working with LORDE’s producer, JOEL LITTLE. His 2019 record, Busyhead, made quite a splash, especially the single “Hurt Somebody,” a duet with JULIA MICHAELS that Kahan performed live on “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert.” He built on that success with another well-received album, full of

folk-leaning pop music, titled I Was / I Am, and then did North American headlining tours.

The problem was, Kahan wasn’t totally feeling like himself with his early music.

“When I first signed, I was so afraid of failing,” Kahan said by phone from his new place in Watertown, Mass., where he recently moved with his girlfriend. “I just did whatever I could to keep my job and not have to go to college.”

Though he still loves his first two

records, he has increasingly yearned to return to his roots and the darker sort of folk music he grew up listening to.

“I realized that I should write what I love,” he asserted. “If I’m going to leave any kind of lasting footprint behind in this business, I really want it to be on my own terms. So the new record is one for me, as opposed to the fear-based response I operated on before.”

The new record in question, Stick Season, was released last week and is

something of a paean to Vermont life and small-town New England locales. Recorded at Guilford Sound studio in southern Vermont and written entirely at his mother’s house in Stra ord, Stick Season is Kahan’s reaction not only to his early career success but to adulthood in general.

The singer-songwriter left his adopted home of New York City at the outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020 and returned to his childhood home in Vermont. While there, he reconsidered how he’d felt about the area as a child.

“When I left Vermont, I was an immature kid,” he said. “I was always trying to get out. I ended up in Nashville and New York, and I just kept moving all the time, it seemed like. Which, to be fair, is sort of helpful as a songwriter, at first.”

Jetting o to London or Los Angeles to record or hopping on tours every few months helped Kahan feel like a proper troubadour, something he believed initially aided his process.

“Constantly moving around and feeling nomadic was good for my writing, if not so much for my sanity,” he said with a laugh. “You know the trope: As emotional health goes down, the songwriting gets better, right? So I always try to pursue the worst possible scenario for my brain.”

Once back in Vermont, Kahan began to question the wisdom of that approach. Being in Stra ord and taking a break from his previous nomadic existence helped him get back to basics.

“I wrote the song ‘Stick Season’ directly after I recorded a pop song,” Kahan revealed. “I cowrite a lot of the pop songs, so I wanted to compose something that was just uniquely my own. And it became the genesis of the whole record.”

The shift in writing seems to have struck a chord with his audience. Listeners have streamed “Stick Season” more than 35 million times on Spotify, and the song hit No. 1 on Spotify’s Viral 50 –USA daily viral songs chart. He’s also sold out a four-night run at South Burlington’s Higher Ground Ballroom, Thursday through Sunday, October 27 through 30 — a hell of a homecoming for Kahan.

“I’m so excited to play these songs, especially in New England,” he said. “Playing live is my favorite part of the whole experience anyway, but to share these songs, which are about places and feelings a lot of people up here will absolutely identity with, is going to be so cool.”

As the pandemic stubbornly lingers, touring is still something of a chaotic endeavor.

Noah Kahan

COURTESY OF JENNY ALICE WATTS

COURTESY OF PATRICK

MCCORMACK

Francesca Blanchard

“No doubt, touring is very weird right now,” he admitted. “There’s a real layer of strangeness and caution. Every time I hear someone sniffle around me, I start wondering if I’ll have to cancel shows the next week. Disaster is always around the corner, which is a tough energy to tour under.”

Despite the anxiety and uncertainty, Kahan feels real joy and gratitude toward the people at his shows.

“For all the difficulties, it’s impossible to miss the real hunger people have for seeing live music again,” he said. “Having it taken away from all of us for a while has really shown us all how lucky we are to be able to see shows again. And I’m feeling that love when I’m out there, which is great.”

Stick Season is available on all major streaming services.

the Higher Ground Backside 405 series in Burlington, King dropped “Always an Almost” and its B side, “You Were Wrong About Me,” on October 14. Both tunes fit right in with King’s hardedged, rock-leaning Americana sound, full of rural, gothic scenes and her evocative, powerful set of vocal pipes. The new tracks are available on Spotify and other streaming services.

Stay tuned next week for my roundup of Halloween-related happenings, but we already have an early contender for coolest Halloween event in Vermont. Down in Brattleboro, where there’s always something intriguing brewing, Epsilon Spires will screen three of the first horror films ever shot, with live music by some of the best silent film accompanists in the country.

BiteTorrent

Burlington singer-songwriter and producer FRANCESCA BLANCHARD has a new single out titled “je sais plus quoi te dire,” which means “I don’t know what to tell you” in English. Blanchard originally wrote the song for TV, motivated by a “ridiculous experiment inspired by the Yé-yé french pop era from the ’60s,” she wrote on social media.

It’s the first song in French that Blanchard has released in seven years, since her full-length debut album, Deux Visions. She wrote and coproduced “je sais plus quoi te dire,” a quirky, throwback jam with an infectious groove, with her usual creative partner, CHRISTOPHER HAWTHORNE. Check it out now at francescablanchard.bandcamp.com.

2021’s New England Music Awards

Songwriter of the Year SARAH KING has returned with not one but two new singles. Fresh from throwing the Reproductive Rights Rally last month at

The series kicks off this Saturday, October 22, with a screening of the classic 1922 vampire film Nosferatu and a live pipe organ score performed by New York musician DENNIS JAMES The following weekend features the Robert Wiene classic The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari on Saturday, October 29, with music performed by southern Vermont act the ANVIL ORCHESTRA. Then, on Halloween night itself, it’s the 1922 cult classic Häxan, a hyper-violent film that dramatizes Satanic deeds and witchcraft. The film, which was banned in several countries due to its salacious depictions of torture, nudity and blasphemy, will be scored by Seattlebased cellist LORI GOLDSTON — who played on Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged in New York — and Massachusetts-based trumpeter GREG KELLEY.

For anyone who hasn’t had a chance to check out Epsilon Spires yet, there is hardly a better reason than three classic horror films around Halloween inside a beautifully restored Gothic cathedral. m

Häxan

2022

CASTING

FOR

CLUB DATES music+nightlife

live music

WED.19

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

Courtyard Music Series (blues, jazz, rock) at Halvorson’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

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

Irish Sessions (Celtic folk) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

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

Jazz Sessions with Randal Pierce (jazz open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

KOPPS, Frances Forever, Boy Jr, Clover Koval (indie) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$12.

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

Metal of the Month (metal) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $5.

THU.20

Adam Ezra Group (folk) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $20/$22.

Alex Stewart Quartet and Special Guests (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

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

Christie Belanger (folk) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

e Good Parts (soul) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Grace Palmer (singer-songwriter) at Red Square, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Shane and Josh Murley (singersongwriter) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

Tom Bisson (singer-songwriter) at Filling Station, Middlesex, 6 p.m. Free.

Wildflower with Rob Voland (folk) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

FRI.21

Augustana (indie rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $25/$29.

Dakota Jones (blues, funk) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $12/$15.

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

Elizabeth Begins (singersongwriter) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6 p.m. Free.

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

Fungus Beats House music pioneer MARK FARINA created his signature sound while living in San Francisco in the 1990s. By mixing hip-hop with downtempo grooves, R&B and jazz in his sets, Farina created his own genre: mushroom jazz. The chilled-out vibes on his Mushroom Jazz compilation albums presented an alternative to the more aggressive drum and bass sounds and post-acid techno of American rave culture. Now an established legend in the world of electronic music producers, Farina brings his mellow dance music to Club Metronome in Burlington on Friday, October 21, with local support from CRWD CTRL, TWO SEV and JUSTIN R.E.M

Rough Francis with the Wet Ones (punk rock) at Backside 405, Burlington, 7 p.m. $20/$25.

e Rough Suspects (rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Sad Turtle, e Mountain Says No, Speak of the Witch (indie rock) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $5.

Scott Graves (singer-songwriter) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 6 p.m. Free.

She Was Right (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

Snock Night: A Tribute to Michael Hurley (tribute) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $5/$10.

Tusk (Fleetwood Mac tribute) at Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. $36 - $56.

Vt Bluegrass Pioneers (bluegrass) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. free.

Wild Pink with Trace Mountains (folk) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

SAT.22

Bearded Belligerents (metal) at Gusto’s, Barre, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Embers, Fathom Farewell, Luna 13 (metal) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. Free.

Erin Harpe (jazz, blues) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

e Full Cleveland (yacht rock) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Happy Spangler with Nancy Druids (indie rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5/$10.

Honey & Soul with the Larkpurs (folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10/$15.

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

Jessie Taylor Band and Andriana Chobot (pop, rock) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 6 p.m. Free.

e Joy Formidable (alt rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $20/$23.

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

Mullets of Rock (rock) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Sudden Relic (rock) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free. Umlaut (rock) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. free.

SUN.23

e Arcadian Wild with Eliza Edens (folk) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $15/$18.

Ema Lou and the Beat (folk) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free.

Plastered Saints, Cry Havoc, Suburban Samurai, Alchemy, Keepsake (punk) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

Rushad Eggleston (cello) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $10/$12.

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

MON.24

Matt Hagen’s Murder Ballad Mondays (folk) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

e Unlikely Candidates with Nox Holloway and Kenzo Cregan (rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $20/$25.

TUE.25

D. Davis, JJ, Cookie and Timothy Quigley (singer-songwriter) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 6 p.m. Free.

Dead Set (Grateful Dead tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

Fireside Collective (folk, bluegrass) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $12/$15.

Honky Tonk Tuesday featuring Pony Hustle (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Root, Hoot & Ruckus featuring Al Schnier & Friends (Americana) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5/$10.

Skip Marley (reggae, pop) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $25/$29.

WED.26

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

Courtyard Music Series (blues, jazz, rock) at Halvorson’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Irish Sessions (Celtic folk) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

J.A.W. (jam) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5.

J.D. Tolstoi (singer-songwriter) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 6 p.m. Free.

Jim Branca Trio (blues) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Kale (funk) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 6 p.m. Free.

Lilli Lewis Trio with Liana Nuse Trio (folk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5/$10.

Lovewhip (rock) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Marcie Hernandez (folk) at Stone’s row Pizza, Richmond, 6 p.m. Free.

Mark Legrand, Sarah Munro and the Barbelles (singer-songwriter) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 6 p.m. Free.

e Most Wanted (jazz fusion) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Nico Suave & the Mothership: A Tribute to Led Zeppelin (tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10.

Rehab Roadhouse (blues rock) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Robin Gottfried Band (blues) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Runaway Gin (tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. $15.

Shy Husky with AliT (rock) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

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

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

Jazz Sessions with Randal Pierce (jazz open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Kitchen Dwellers with Daniel Donato (bluegrass) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $22/$25.

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

FRI.21 // MARK FARINA [HOUSE]

Please contact event organizers about vaccination and mask requirements.

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

Rick Rude with Washer, Wren Kitz and Noah Burton (indie rock) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $5.

djs

THU.20

DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, midnight. Free.

DJ CRE8 (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

Lulu Moss, MAD, Squid Party, S.C.O.B.Y. (indie) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $12/$15.

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae and dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Two Sev (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 6 p.m. Free.

Vinyl Thursdays (DJ) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free.

FRI.21

ATAK (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Ben Blanchard (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Craig Mitchell (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free.

DJ LaFountaine (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

Gimme Gimme Disco (DJ) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $17/$20.

Mark Farina with CRWD CTRL, Two Sev and Justin R.E.M. (house) at Club Metronome, Burlington, 9 p.m. $25.

SAT.22

DJ A-Ra$ (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, midnight. Free.

DJ Matt Hagen (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

MON.24

Mo’ Monday w/ DJs Craig Mitchell and Fattie B (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.25

Local Dork (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

WED.26

DJ Diversity (DJ) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

Queer Bar Takeover (DJ) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

open mics & jams

WED.19

Lit Club (poetry open mic) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.20

Open Mic (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic Night (open mic) at Parker Pie, West Glover, 6:30 p.m. Free.

SUN.23

Open Mic Night with Justin (open mic) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m.

TUE.25

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

Open Mic with D Davis (open mic) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.26

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic Night (open mic) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Taps Tavern, Poultney, 7 p.m. Free.

comedy

WED.19

Junk Island (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Standup Comedy Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

THU.20

Kingdom Kids (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5.

Live Comedy (comedy) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

Mothra! A Storytelling/ Improv Comedy Show (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:45 p.m. Free.

FRI.21

Carmen Lynch (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $25.

SAT.22

Carmen Lynch (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $25.

Good Clean Fun (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 4:45 p.m. $5/$10.

TUE.25

Comedy Open Mic (comedy) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.26

Standup Class Performance (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Whale Tales Comedic Storytelling and Live Music (storytelling, live music) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

THU.20

Karaoke Night (karaoke) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. Free.

Madam Mystique & Toxic Presents: Toxic Dirty 30 Birthday Bash & Halloween Party (drag) at Orlando’s Bar & Lounge, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $10.

Trivia & Nachos (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Thursday (trivia) at Spanked Puppy Pub, Colchester, 7 p.m. Free.

SAT.22

Crimson Peek 2: A Halloween Burlesque Show (drag) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $15.

MON.24

Trivia with Brian (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

TUE.25

Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at the Depot, St. Albans, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.26

Barrel Room Trivia (trivia) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 5:30 p.m. Free. m

REVIEW this music+nightlife

Maryse Smith, Silence Is Golden

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

It’s pure synergy that singer-songwriter Maryse Smith has released her new EP at the peak of foliage season. Soft, unhurried and contemplative, the album embodies the physiological slowdown the world experiences as it gradually tilts away from the life-giving center of our solar system. Silence Is Golden is quintessential autumn listening Smith is a formerly Burlington-based artist who had significant local buzz in the early 2010s. She released her 2015 album, The Way It Is, through thennascent studio Future Fields, which was associated with many other Queen

City hot tickets at the time, including Caroline Rose, the Lynguistic Civilians and Madaila.

Now based in West Tisbury, Mass., on the island of Martha’s Vineyard, Smith hasn’t released any new music in the past seven years. Her new seven-track release showcases the sum total of her creative output since 2015.

“I’ve had pretty substantial writer’s block since then,” Smith explained by email.

Smith experienced a slowdown only if one assumes that artists should constantly churn out content for hungry consumers. She explained that her retreat from music was unintentional and that two pregnancies kept her occupied in the interim. She eked out one song per year since her last album, hardly a satisfying output, she explained. Echoes of her

artistic struggle reverberate in her intonations and exhalations throughout the EP.

Smith enlisted her good friend and fellow Burlington expat Ryan Power to produce Silence Is Golden. Power builds a glowing aura around Smith’s voice and acoustic guitar, enhancing the core of her alt-folk work with light accoutrements such as warm background vocals, trembling drums and cindery synths.

The songs are like snapshots that gradually tell the story of someone in a transitional phase. “What’s the point of trying when I can’t even pick you up?” Smith asks her guitar on “Be That Way Again.” There’s no trace of anger in the song (“I’m not pining for the past / I’m just noting the di erence”). Rather, Smith makes peace with her artistic ambivalence while simultaneously proving she hasn’t completely lost her spark.

Smith’s fingers strum quickly on the

road-tripping “Tough Kind of Love,” mimicking mile markers and yellow dotted lines that stream past a car window. “Swear I got the devil in me sometimes / It don’t mean I don’t want to treat you right.” The song is about her marriage, but I can imagine the trials of parenthood eliciting a similar attitude.

Smith and Power find perfection on the penultimate track, “Stars.” Amplifying all the elements from the preceding tracks, the song builds to an airy, sighing hook that rolls through complex chord changes.

Silence Is Golden is personal and personable. Smith’s energy is cordial and inviting, even if, once we join her around the bonfire, she tells us some hard truths. Though the EP chronicles a struggle, Smith noted that it has a happy ending: She’s writing again.

Silence Is Golden will be available at marysesmith.bandcamp.com on Wednesday, October 19.

JORDAN ADAMS

Father Figuer, F F

(SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

Father Figuer are one of the most interesting Burlington bands of recent years. Since their 2020 debut, Transitions, they’ve stabilized as a power trio of unusual range. Their second LP, Jack of All Fruits, was an ocean of unpredictable sounds, full of complex arrangements and atmospheres that tested the boundaries of guitar rock. Damn tasty stu , in other words.

Where Father Figuer’s last project was a dreamlike exploration of new horizons, their latest e ort, F F, is a tightly focused EP. A meditation on trauma and healing, even the lushest grooves here have hard, sharp edges.

The project is another collaboration with engineer Miles Foy, who aims only to accurately document the band’s warm, unvarnished live sound. The core of that sound is the songwriting of guitarist and vocalist Erin White, who works solo as Wintre. Her vocals are strong, sometimes soaring but often on the periphery of the mix, deployed like another instrumental texture.

Father Figuer’s music is anchored by the understated bass work of David Roche, and one of its strongest assets is the dynamic drumming of Elise Albertini. Never flashy, her subtle chops can take this band anywhere it chooses to go, from roars to whispers. As it happens, F F’s four tracks are a wild ride.

Opener “Body” starts with soothing,

YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED:

almost classical guitar work but quickly veers into an urgent swell of distortion and voices. It’s a short, jarring start to Father Figuer’s bleakest project to date — which is not to say the music is harsh. “Open Season” is quite lovely, building to a thrashy rock plateau before the vocals come in.

“Who Remains” unfolds the emotional core of the project. “My theory is something cares to haunt me,” White sings, but deciphering precisely what went down is left to the listener. As raw and intimate as this set is, the songwriting is also deliberately opaque, rendered in broken shards.

The clearest glimpse given is the harrowing final cut, “Muzzle.” It’s a story of the unforeseeable heartbreaks that emerge in the aftermath of abuse. When such revelations surface, people often refuse to process them at all, leaving survivors in limbo. “Should I keep on

hiding while you get to be?” White asks, later noting, “I lost my family when you put your muzzle around me.”

The song is cathartic but also brutally honest, ending with her decision to “package up my pain” for the benefit of others too afraid to engage with reality: “Let me refrain from the things that I think, a nod, a smile, hand on my drink.”

So as the curtains go down and the guitars fade out, there is no solace for the listener, no tidy moralizing. That would only be another betrayal. For longtime fans of the band, however, F F is something of a promise fulfilled. This potent EP proves Father Figuer are a trio of vast skill, ready to challenge and reward their audience in equal measure.

F F debuts on all major streaming platforms this Friday, October 21. Father Figuer play a release show at the Venetian Soda Lounge in Burlington on Saturday, October 22.

JUSTIN BOLAND

ARE YOU A VT ARTIST OR BAND? SEND US YOUR MUSIC! DIGITAL: MUSIC@SEVENDAYSVT.COM; SNAIL MAIL: MUSIC C/O SEVEN DAYS, 255 S. CHAMPLAIN ST., SUITE 5, BURLINGTON, VT 05401

Say you saw it in

on screen

We Met in Virtual Reality

Virtual reality has been touted as the next big thing since the 1990s. About a year ago, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg renamed his company Meta and announced his plan to invite users of his social media platforms into a “metaverse” based on VR technology.

But since then, the metaverse has “had a rocky start,” in the words of a recent New York Times story. When Zuckerberg posted a picture of his own virtual avatar, Facebook users mocked it as cartoonish.

To those of us who don’t even own headsets, the concept of a metaverse may seem a little out there. Are humans really built to interact in virtual environments? Don’t we spend enough time on Zoom already? For a closer look inside our potential future, I turned to We Met in Virtual Reality , a 2022 documentary from 23-year-old director Joe Hunting that was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival and can be streamed on HBO Max.

The deal

The documentary takes place entirely inside VRChat, a series of interlocking virtual environments that people access using VR headsets or desktop computers. Within this digitally animated world, users manifest as avatars of their choice — anime characters, aliens, animals, even Kermit the Frog. They interact socially as they might in real life, using full-body tracking — sensors that map their real bodies onto their virtual ones — to perform activities such as dancing, sign language and holding hands.

Shot in 2020, the film follows several users as they find a refuge in VRChat from the isolation of pandemic lockdowns. Jenny, who teaches sign language on the platform, speaks about her real-life suicide attempt. Dust Bunny, who teaches belly dancing, discusses her romantic bond with Toaster, a user who “unmuted” himself just to communicate with her. A montage shows the pair frolicking in a virtual amusement park. DragonHeart and IsYourBoi, another couple who met in VRChat, stage an elaborate wedding.

Will you like it?

We Met in Virtual Reality is as immersive as VR itself. Rather than delivering an introduction to VRChat for newbies, Hunting su ms up the nature of the

platform in a single screen caption and tosses us into it. He shot the film via his own headset, using a “virtual camera” to create cinematic e ects such as rack focus.

What we see may remind us of Saturday morning cartoons — stylized, brightly colored figures with exaggerated human features, dramatically flowing hair and (often) tails. By contrast, the low-key murmur of overlapping conversations feels distinctly adult, as if we’re spying on a private cocktail party.

Some of the environments where users interact are as generic and ugly as a bad website. Others are beautifully designed to imitate natural settings, complete with soundscapes. No one would confuse this VR with reality, though: Grass blades rustle in eerie synchronicity, and the clouds don’t move.

The film’s overall e ect is, in a word, trippy. Although avatars sometimes look at the camera and answer the director’s questions, We Met in Virtual Reality often feels more like cinema verité, allowing us simply to observe.

And what we observe is, for the most part, sweet and moving — people discovering community, freedom of expression and even love in VR. (Director Hunting found

romance with Jenny, who’s at the center of the film, he told Time magazine.) Unlike most of the internet, VRChat appears (key word) to be free of political rants, thinly veiled advertisements or users who are there to leer at the many scantily clad female-presenting avatars.

As depicted here, the platform carries on the utopian mission of many early online communities: It’s a place where you feel safe being your true self. User Toaster puts it best: “You can, in a way, start over [in VR]. Nobody cares who you are [in real life]; nobody cares who you were; they just care how you treat them. That’s now you.”

That sense of possibility is powerful — and empowering. Still, as I watched, I couldn’t help asking myself pesky questions: What happens when the couples who fell in love on VRChat meet in real life? Do they always successfully adjust? Does it take a toll on people’s physical bodies to do so much of their socializing in a virtual world?

Hunting doesn’t address those issues. In a review on Inverse, Willa Rowe notes known problems with VRChat that the film also doesn’t broach, such as “racism and other problematic behavior” and the looming specter of commercialization.

MOVIE REVIEW

Because it o ers so little context for what we’re seeing, We Met in Virtual Reality is best viewed as one slice of virtual life, crafted by someone who’s clearly in love with the platform. While it didn’t make me any more eager to enter Zuckerberg’s metaverse, it did leave me with more hope for our virtual future.

MARGOT HARRISON margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY...

EXISTENZ (1999; Pluto TV, rentable): e Matrix got all the hype, but David Cronenberg was in on the early VR fascination with this trippy, underrated film about a game designer trying to fight her way out of her own creation.

BELLE (2021; HBO Max, rentable): A shy high schooler becomes a star in a virtual world in Mamoru Hosoda’s acclaimed animation.

“Q: INTO THE STORM” (six episodes, 2021; HBO Max): Cullen Hoback’s documentary series about the roots of QAnon is a deep dive into the dynamics of online communities as immersive as any VR world.

COURTESY OF WARNERMEDIA

Hunting’s documentary follows people who socialize using virtual avatars in the immersive world of VRChat.

NEW IN THEATERS

BLACK ADAM: Endowed with all the powers of the Egyptian gods, the villain (Dwayne Johnson) of the D.C. Comics film Shazam! gets center stage in this showcase for his anti-heroism. With Sarah Shahi and Viola Davis. Jaume Collet-Serra directed. (124 min, PG-13. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Palace, Paramount, Star, Sunset, Welden)

MY POLICEMAN: Michael Grandage’s literary adaptation follows the repercussions of a secret over decades, as a cop who is married to a woman reconnects with his male lover. With Harry Styles, Linus Roache and Emma Corrin. (113 min, R. Savoy)

TICKET TO PARADISE: In this rom-com, Julia Roberts and George Clooney play a divorced couple so convinced their daughter’s wedding is a bad idea that they join forces to sabotage it. Ol Parker directed. (104 min, PG-13. Capitol, Essex, Star)

CURRENTLY PLAYING

AMSTERDAMHH1/2 Director David O. Russell returns with a fact-inspired mystery about three friends (Christian Bale, Margot Robbie and John David Washington) caught up in a politically motivated murder plot in the 1930s. (134 min, R. Big Picture, Essex, Majestic, Roxy, Stowe)

BARBARIANHHHH An accidental double booking turns out to be the least of an Airbnb guest’s problems in this horror thriller from Zach Cregger. Georgina Campbell and Bill Skårsgard star. (102 min, R. Essex, Majestic)

BROSHHHH A museum curator finds love in this gay rom-com from Nicholas Stoller (Neighbors), starring Luke Marfarlane and Billy Eichner. (115 min, R. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Roxy)

DC LEAGUE OF SUPER-PETSHHH Krypto the SuperDog assembles a band of crime-fighting critters in this animated adventure. (106 min, PG. Majestic)

DON’T WORRY DARLINGHH1/2 A 1950s homemaker (Florence Pugh) begins to suspect there’s something wrong with her utopian lifestyle in this thriller from Olivia Wilde. (122 min, R. Bijou, Majestic, Palace, Roxy, Sunset)

GOD’S CREATURESHHH1/2 A mother’s lie to protect her son divides the residents of an Irish fishing village in this psychological drama starring Emily Watson. (100 min, R. Savoy)

THE GOOD HOUSEHHH Sigourney Weaver plays a real estate agent struggling with alcohol addiction in this comedy-drama, also starring Kevin Kline. (114 min, R. Majestic, Palace, Savoy)

HALLOWEEN ENDSHH1/2 The final installment of David Gordon Green’s “H40” trilogy bills itself as the last rampage of horror icon Michael Myers. (111 min, R. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Palace, Paramount, Roxy, Star, Stowe, Sunset, Welden)

A LOVE SONGHHHH Two former lovers (Dale Dickey and Wes Studi) reunite in a desolate desert campground in the debut feature from Max WalkerSilverman. (81 min, PG. Big Picture)

LYLE, LYLE, CROCODILEHH1/2 A lonely kid befriends a singing crocodile in this family comedy based on the children’s book. (106 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Playhouse, Star, Stowe, Welden)

MOONAGE DAYDREAMHHHH This documentary from Brett Morgen (The Kid Stays in the Picture) traces the career of David Bowie with cooperation from his estate. (135 min, PG-13. Majestic, Roxy, Savoy)

PEARLHHHHH In 1918, a young woman (Mia Goth) dreams of escaping her isolated farmstead in this horror prequel to last year’s X. (102 min, R. Roxy; reviewed 9/21)

SEE HOW THEY RUNHHH Saoirse Ronan, Sam Rockwell and Ruth Wilson star in this murder mystery set in the 1950s among London theater folk. (98 min, PG-13. Palace, Savoy)

SMILEHHH1/2 A doctor (Sosie Bacon) is plagued by terrifying visions in this horror debut from writer-director Parker Finn. (115 min, R. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Palace, Roxy, Sunset, Welden)

STARS AT NOONHHH A businessman and a journalist (Joe Alwyn and Margaret Qualley) fall in love while navigating the dangers of 1984 Nicaragua in this drama from Claire Denis. (135 min, R. Savoy)

THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY: A grieving bookstore owner (Kunal Nayyar) gets an unexpected second chance in this comedy-drama, also starring Christina Hendricks. (105 min, PG-13. Roxy)

THE WOMAN KINGHHHH Viola Davis plays the general of an all-female protective force in this action epic set in 1823. Gina Prince-Bythewood directed. (135 min, PG-13. Majestic, Palace)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

BEETLEJUICE (Sunset)

BRAM STOKER’S DRACULA 30TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex, Sun only)

GREMLINS (Sunset)

METROPOLITAN OPERA: MEDEA (Essex, Sat only)

NORTHWEST NIGHTMARES FILM FESTIVAL (Welden, Mon only)

ROLAND AND MARY: A WINTER OF TOWING IN THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM (Savoy, Fri only)

SALMON OF THE CLYDE RIVER (Big Picture, Thu only)

TCM BIG SCREEN CLASSICS PRESENTS: IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT 55TH ANNIVERSARY (Essex, Wed 19 only)

TOP GUN: MAVERICKHHHH (Palace)

VCFA GUEST AND FACULTY SCREENINGS (Savoy)

OPEN THEATERS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

*MERRILL’S ROXY CINEMAS: 222 College St., Burlington, 864-3456, merrilltheatres.net

*PALACE 9 CINEMAS: 10 Fayette Dr., South Burlington, 864-5610, palace9.com

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

COURTESY OF UNIVERSAL PICTURES

Nick Castle and Jamie Lee Curtis in Halloween Ends

PLEASE CONTACT EVENT ORGANIZERS ABOUT VACCINATION AND MASK REQUIREMENTS.

calendar

OCTOBER 19-26, 2022

WED.19 business

IMPROVE CUSTOMER RETENTION BY CREATING AN EXPERIENCE: Business coach Jennifer Kok enumerates the new rules of customer service. Presented by Women Business Owners Network Vermont. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 503-0219.

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING

INTERNATIONAL GROUP: Local professionals make crucial contacts at a weekly chapter meeting. Burlington City Arts, 11:15 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 829-5066.

WASHINGTON COUNTY

VERMONT WOMENPRENEURS

BIZ BUZZ MEETUP: Local female business owners meet and chat over coffee. Stowe Street Café, Waterbury, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, info@vtwomenpreneurs. com.

WOMEN BUSINESS LEADERS

CONFERENCE: Panels, workshops and a keynote address by Chely Wright offer businesswomen unique opportunities to network and build skills. Presented by Center for Women & Enterprise. 10 a.m.-2:15 p.m. $125; preregister. Info, eventconcierge@thecastlegrp. com.

WORK FOR PIEDMONT AIRLINES: A subsidiary of American Airlines meets prospective employees and makes on-the-spot job offers. Burlington International Airport, South Burlington, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. Free. Info, kelia. stewart@aa.com.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: Viewers experience 19thcentury explorer Henry Bates’ journey through the Amazon rainforest. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admis sion free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: Cameras positioned in nests, underwater and along the forest floor capture a year’s worth of critters coming and going. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

RICK WINSTON: The Savoy Theater manager ventures into the hair-raising history of ghosts and the supernatu ral in film. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: An adventurous dolichorhyn chops travels through the most dangerous oceans in history, encountering plesiosaurs, giant turtles and the deadly mosasaur along the way. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m.

$3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: Sparkling graphics take viewers on a mind-bending journey from the beginning of time through the mysteries of the universe. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admis sion free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘VISION PORTRAITS’: The Vermont Association for the Blind & Visually Impaired screens this documentary about vision-impaired artists. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 6 p.m. Free; pre register. Info, 223-3338.

‘YESTERDAY’: A man wakes up in a world where no one but him remembers the Beatles in this 2019 musical comedy. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2600.

food & drink

COOK THE BOOK: Home chefs make a recipe from one of the library’s cookbooks and share the dish at a potluck. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

DANVILLE FARMERS MARKET: Villagers shop local from various vendors handing out fruits, veggies, prepared foods and more. Danville Village Green, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, cfmamanager@gmail.com.

FEAST FARM STAND: Farmfresh veggies and other delights go on sale at this

market featuring weekly activities such as yoga and cooking dem onstrations. Montpelier Senior Activity Center, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 223-2518.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT OYSTER SHUCKING: School Street Kitchen serves up the freshest half shells to pair perfectly with cocktails. The 126, Burlington, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $15. Info, 603-548-8385.

health & fitness

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: Those in need of an easy-on-the-joints workout experience an hour of calming, low-impact movement. Waterbury Public Library, 10:3011:45 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

BONE BUILDERS/ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: Folks of all ages ward off osteoporosis in an exercise and prevention class. Online, 7:30 a.m.; Twin Valley Senior Center, East Montpelier, 9 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3322.

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

COMMUNITY HOOP CLASSES: Hula hoopers of all ages get loopy at this weekly class. Champlain Elementary School, Burlington, 6-7 p.m. Donations. Info, 355-8457.

LONG-FORM SUN 73: Beginners and experienced practitioners learn how tai chi can help with arthritis, mental clarity and range of motion. Bixby Memorial Library, Vergennes, 10-11:30 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, beverlyblakeney@gmail.com.

YANG 24: This simplified tai chi method is perfect for beginners looking to build strength and balance. Bixby Memorial Library, Vergennes, 1-2:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, beverlyblakeney@gmail.com.

language

CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH CLASS FOR BEGINNERS: New students and those looking to brush up learn from a local native speaker. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, thrive@pridecentervt.org. music

MIDORI & JEAN-YVES

THIBAUDET: The violinist and pianist, respectively, perform Beethoven’s complete violin sona tas over three extraordinary days. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover N.H., 7:30 p.m. $25-45. Info, 603-646-2422.

WILD WOODS SONG

CIRCLE: Singers and acoustic instrumentalists gather over Zoom for an evening of music making. 7:15-9:15 p.m. Free. Info, 775-1182.

outdoors

PUBLIC OWL BANDING

DEMONSTRATION: Biologists capture, tag and release northern saw-whet owls to better under stand their migration. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 8-9:30 p.m. Donations; preregis ter; limited space. Info, 229-6206.

seminars

UNDERSTANDING ADJUSTABLE-RATE

MORTGAGES: Prospective home buyers learn about options that can offer more flexibility and lower payments. Presented by New England Federal Credit Union. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 764-6940.

tech

COMPUTER WORKSHOPS:

GOOGLE SHEETS: Newbies learn the ins and outs of recording data and doing math using spread sheets. Virtual option available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-3403.

theater

‘NUNSENSE’: The Artistree Musical Theatre Festival has theatergoers in stitches with Dan Goggin’s knee-slapping play about a group of nuns scrambling to pull off a variety show amid chaos and calamity. Artistree Community Arts Center Theatre & Gallery, South Pomfret, 2-4 p.m. $35-45. Info, 457-3500.

growers with new friends to discuss stressors and coping strategies. 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 318-5538.

business

HIRING2DAYVT VIRTUAL JOB FAIR: The Vermont Department of Labor gives job seekers a chance to meet with employers from around the state. 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 828-4000.

MIXER @ AIRED OUT: The Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce hosts a networking get-together featuring refreshments and a raffle benefiting the Family Center of Washington County. 185 N. Main St., Barre, 5-6:30 p.m. $10; free for members; preregis ter. Info, 229-5711.

OCTOBER MIXER: Franklin County Regional Chamber of Commerce members eat chef-made sweets surrounded by the artful ambi ence of a local gallery. Artist in Residence Cooperative Gallery, Enosburg Falls, 5:30-7:30 p.m. $58; preregister. Info, 524-2444.

WOMEN OF COLOR BUSINESS SUMMIT: Over 350 leaders and entrepreneurs gather for a day of panels and workshops, keynoted by Carmen M. Ortiz of Anderson Kreiger. Presented by Center for Women & Enterprise. 10 a.m.-2:15 p.m. $125; preregister. Info, eventconcierge@ thecastlegrp.com.

community

MENTOR TRAINING FALL 2022: New volunteers who want to help support women healing from prison and other encounters with the criminal justice system learn the ropes. Mercy Connections, Burlington, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-7164.

crafts

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of all experience levels get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE!

All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

Listings and spotlights are written by Emily Hamilton Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing.

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE AND ONLINE: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art. film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 13. = ONLINE EVENT

ELL CLASSES: ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS & INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS: Learners of all abilities practice written and spoken English with trained instructors. Presented by Fletcher Free Library. 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@ burlingtonvt.gov.

IRISH LANGUAGE CLASS: Celticcurious students learn to speak an Ghaeilge in a supportive group. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

lgbtq

THRIVE QTPOC MOVIE NIGHT: Each month, Pride Center of Vermont virtually screens a movie centered on queer and trans people of color.

‘SPRING AWAKENING’: The road from adolescence to adulthood is marred by more than a few pot holes in this Tony Award-winning rock musical set in 19th-century Germany. Byrne Theater, Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 7:30 p.m. $19-69. Info, 296-7000.

words

REBECCA & SALLYANN MAJOYA: The local couple launch their joint memoir, Uncertain Fruit: A Memoir of Infertility, Loss and Love. Norwich Bookstore, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

THU.20 agriculture

FARMERS HELPING FARMERS: Farm First’s Farmer Peer Network connects

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: Sustainable Woodstock screens this 2021 documentary about the interconnectedness of food systems with other social movements. Free. Info, 457-2911.

MNFF SELECTS: ‘MAYA ANGELOU: AND STILL I RISE’: A revelatory documentary explores the lesserknown aspects of the legendary poet’s life. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 7 p.m. $14-16; $90 for series pass. Info, 382-9222.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19. ‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

FAMI LY FU N

Check out these family-friendly events for parents, caregivers and kids of all ages. Plan ahead at sevendaysvt.com/family-fun Post your event at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

WED.19

burlington

‘THE ADVENTURES OF TOM SAWYER AND BECKY THATCHER’: Two friends get in and out of mischief in this musical version of Mark Twain’s classic tale from Very Merry Theatre. Perfect for families with kids 6 through 13. O.N.E. Community Center, Burlington, noon. Free. Info, 646-284-4765.

CRAFTERNOON: Creepy crafts take over the Teen Space, from fossil soaps to pumpkin coasters to wizard wands. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 540-2546.

chittenden county

BABYTIME: Teeny-tiny library patrons enjoy a gentle, slow story time featur ing songs, rhymes and lap play. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

COMICS CLUB!: Graphic novel and manga fans in third through sixth grades meet to discuss current reads and do fun activities together. Hosted by Brownell Library. Essex Teen Center, Essex Junction, 2:30-3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

LEGO BUILDERS: Elementary-age imagi neers explore, create and participate in challenges. Ages 8 and up, or ages 6 and up with an adult helper. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

PLAY TIME: Little ones build with blocks and read together. Ages 1 through 4. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 1010:45 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

THE CHESS MASTER IS BACK: Kids of all skill levels get one-on-one lessons and play each other in between. KelloggHubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TEEN ART CLUB: Crafty young’uns ages 12 through 18 construct paper jellyfish lanterns to bring underwater ambience to their bedrooms. Waterbury Public Library, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: Eight dragons and an empress await intrepid little explorers in the outdoor story quest. Sparkle Barn, Wallingford, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free. Info, 446-2044.

upper valley

PEABODY AFTERSCHOOL FUN FOR GRADES 1-4: Students make friends over crafts and story time. George Peabody Library, Post Mills, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 333-9724.

SCIENCE YOGA: This full-body, playful program combines body awareness with an introduction to early science topics ranging from dinosaurs to planets. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Regular admission, $15-18; free for members and kids under 2. Info, 649-2200.

STORY TIME!: Songs and stories are shared in the garden, or in the commu nity room in inclement weather. Norwich Public Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 649-1184.

THU.20

burlington

PRESCHOOL YOGA: Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga leads little ones in songs, movement and other fun activi ties. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

THURSDAY MOVIE MATINEE: Every Thursday in October, tweens and teens watch a spooky movie to get in the Halloween mood. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 540-2546.

chittenden county

LEGO CLUB: Children of all ages get crafty with Legos. Adult supervision is required for kids under 10. Winooski Memorial Library, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 655-6424.

PRESCHOOL MUSIC WITH LINDA BASSICK: The singer and storyteller extraordinaire leads little ones in indoor music and movement. Birth through age 5. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Books, songs, rhymes, sign language lessons and math activities make for well-educated young sters. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

READ TO A DOG: Little ones get a 10-minute time slot to tell stories to Lola the pup. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregis ter; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

barre/montpelier

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Energetic youngsters join Miss Meliss for stories, songs and lots of silliness. KelloggHubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

mad river valley/ waterbury

PRESCHOOL PLAY & READ: Outdoor activities, stories and songs get 3- and 4-year-olds engaged. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

FRI.21

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

upper valley

SCIENCE YOGA: See WED.19.

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in stories, songs and silliness. Latham Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Kids 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and take home a fun activity. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 745-1391.

Uncanny Alchemy

In celebration of both spooky season and National Chemistry Week, kids of all ages don their mad scientist lab coats for Creepy Chemistry Weekend at ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. There’s something weird and wonderful for everyone, from fluorescent foods with the University of Vermont chemistry department to slimy crafts such as paper making. In between all the spine-chilling science activities, kids in costume can enter a contest to win tickets to ECHO’s 3D movie theater; getups related to science, nature or Champ the Lake Monster garner extra points.

CREEPY CHEMISTRY WEEKEND

Saturday, October 22, and Sunday, October 23, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m., at ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain in Burlington. Regular admission, $14.5018; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848, echovermont.org.

SAT.22 burlington

CREEPY CHEMISTRY WEEKEND: Kids of all ages get their mad scientist on with a day full of freaky, fluorescent chemicals and creepy, crawly crafts. See calendar spotlight. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $14.50-18; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: Kids from birth through age 5 learn and play at this school readiness program. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

ART LAB: ‘THE SCREAM’: Artists of all ages drop in to paint a self-portrait in spired by Edvard Munch’s famously freaky piece. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

KARMA KIDZ YOGA OPEN STUDIO

SATURDAYS: Young yogis of all ages and their caregivers drop in for some fun breathing and movement activities. Kamalika-K, Essex Junction, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. Donations. Info, 871-5085.

PUMPKIN CARVING ON THE GREEN: Families who register get a free pumpkin and use of a carving kit to make their own devilish décor. Williston Town Green, 11 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

SATURDAY STORIES: Kiddos start the weekend off right with stories and songs. Ages 3 through 7. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

upper valley

MARKO THE MASTER MAGICIAN: A witty wizard astounds audience members of all ages. Pumpkin decorating follows.

Artistree Community Arts Center Theatre & Gallery, South Pomfret, 11 a.m.-1 p.m. $15. Info, 457-3500.

SUN.23 burlington

CREEPY CHEMISTRY WEEKEND: See SAT.22.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

upper valley

A FAMILY HALLOWEEN: A costume parade, trick-or-treating, pumpkin bowl ing and spooky stories make for a freaky festival the whole family can enjoy.

Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Regular admission, $8-17; free for members and kids in costume. Info, 457-2355.

MON.24

burlington

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Bookworms ages 2 through 5 enjoy fun-filled reading time. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

ART LAB: ‘THE SCREAM’: See SAT.22.

TWEEN BOOK CLUB: Readers in grades 5 through 7 discuss a new book each month in a group run by tweens, for tweens. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: See FRI.21, 2-2:30 p.m.

TUE.25

burlington

‘MONARCHS’: Families with younger kids enjoy this musical adventure about birds and butterflies from Very Merry Theatre. O.N.E. Community Center, Burlington, 5 p.m. Free. Info, 646-284-4765.

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with Linda. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

ART LAB: ‘THE SCREAM’: See SAT.22.

PLAYGROUP & FAMILY SUPPORT: Families with children under age 5 play and connect with others in the

FAMILY FUN

calendar

Sing Your Heart Out

Music is a group activity when Vermont songstress Moira Smiley makes an appearance at the Plainfield Town Hall Opera House. Her new show with bassist Tyler Bolles, “The Voice Is a Traveler,” celebrates folk music from around the world. And before the concert, she leads a free singing workshop, “Your Own Wild Voice,” for vocalists of all ages and experience levels. Attendees release any assumptions they may have about their voices and discover ranges, timbres and styles they never knew they had through Eastern European and Appalachian folk music.

MOIRA SMILEY WORKSHOP AND CONCERT Sunday, October 23, workshop, 2-3 p.m.; concert, 4-5:30 p.m., at the Plainfield Town Hall Opera House. $20 suggested donation. Info, 498-3173, plainfieldoperahousevt.org.

food & drink

ALTERNATIVE BURGUNDY: Wine lovers dive into the wonderful world of Eastern French terroirs and unusual grapes. Dedalus Wine Shop, Market & Wine Bar, Burlington, 4-7 p.m. Free. Info, 865-2368.

health & fitness

FALL PREVENTION TAI CHI: Humans boost their strength and balance through gentle, flowing movements. St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Vergennes, Levels 1 and 2, 9-10 a.m.; Level 3, 10-11 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, lhfrancis839@ gmail.com.

YOGA FOR STRENGTH & BALANCE: Movers bring a mat and focus on building align ment and stamina. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

music

MIDORI & JEAN-YVES

THIBAUDET: See WED.19.

‘SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM’: Vermont artists honor the late Broadway legend with perfor mances of songs from Company,

Follies, West Side Story and more. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall, 7:30 p.m. $10-35. Info, 229-0492.

WESTERN VERMONT CHORAL LAB: Led by Moira Smiley and other local musicians, the Queen City’s newest community choir welcomes singers of all abilities and performs songs in diverse languages. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, 7-8 p.m. $120 for 10 weeks; preregister. Info, info@ moirasmiley.com.

politics

THOUGHT CLUB: Artists and activists convene to engage with Burlington‘s rich tradition of radical thought and envision its future. Democracy Creative, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, tevan@democracycreative.com. seminars

CONSTRUCTION LENDING: Financial advisors explain how to anticipate the costs of building a new home. New England Federal Credit Union, Williston, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 764-6940.

STRENGTHENING YOUR CREDIT: New England Federal Credit Union experts lay out simple steps to improve

credit scores and optimize purchasing power. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 764-6940.

talks

RED BENCH SPEAKER

SERIES: GARY LAND: A photographer takes listeners back to the golden age of East Coast snowboarding. Presented by the Vermont Ski & Snowboard Museum. 7 p.m. $10 suggested donation; preregister. Info, 253-9911.

tech

EXCEL BOOT CAMP PART 2: Those who know the basics of Microsoft spreadsheets learn advanced methods. Computers available to borrow. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, sbplpro grams@southburlingtonvt.gov.

theater

‘NUNSENSE’: See WED.19, 7:309:30 p.m.

‘SPRING AWAKENING’: See WED.19, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘WOODY SEZ: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF WOODY GUTHRIE’: Four Weston Theater perform ers, playing more than 20

instruments, paint a portrait of the troubadour whose songs brought inspiration and understanding to generations of Americans. Walker Farm, Weston, 7 p.m. $22.50-74. Info, 824-5288.

words

HENRY F. ZACCHINI:

Authoritarianism in Argentina and a zombie apocalypse in London are just two of the aspects of the human condition explored in this author’s new collection, Even Dictators Need Dogs: Stories & Poems. Phoenix Books, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 448-3350.

INQUISITIVE READERS BOOK

CLUB: Bookworms discuss a new horizon-expanding tome each month. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, henningsmh@ yahoo.com.

KHL BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP: Kellogg-Hubbard Library patrons unpack The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer by Siddhartha Mukherjee. 6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 223-3338.

NO PRESSURE BOOK GROUP: There are no rules and no assignments in this virtual book club, at which readers discuss old favorites, current obsessions and recent recommendations. 7-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

NORTHENDERS BOOK CLUB

READS: ‘FOUR WINDS’: Readers discuss Kristin Hannah’s epic novel set in the Dust Bowl during the Great Depression. Heineberg Senior Center, Burlington, 2-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, bshatara@burlingtonvt.gov.

A STITCH IN TIME BOOK

DISCUSSION SERIES: Members of a textile history themed reading club discuss The Other Side of Stone by Linda Cracknell. Presented by Latham

Library. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 785-4361.

FRI.21 activism

FMSC MOBILEPACK HOSTED BY WITH LOVE FROM VERMONT: Volunteers pack meals to be shipped to Feed My Starving Children partners around the world. Nonperishable food dona tions accepted. Albert D. Lawton Intermediate School, Essex Junction, 3:30-9:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 777-8349.

bazaars

RUMMAGE SALE: Deal seekers browse a treasure trove of secondhand scores. Richmond Congregational Church, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Free. Info, 434-2053.

dance

ENGLISH COUNTRY DANCE: Locals get their Jane Austen on at a British ball where all the dances are run through before hand. Wear casual, comfort able clothes. Elley-Long Music Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, newcomers’ lesson, 6:30 p.m.; social dance, 7-9:30 p.m. $10-15; preregister. Info, val. medve@gmail.com.

fairs & festivals

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY CRAFT SHOW & ANTIQUE EXPO: More than 150 artists and craftspeople display and sell their unique wares and authentic antiquities, which range from driftwood de signs to fine jewelry to upcycled mittens. Champlain Valley Exposition, Essex Junction, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. $10 admission, good for all three days; free for kids under 14. Info, 603-332-2616.

MOONLIGHT MAGIC: Buskers, magicians and circus perform ers take over the town as local businesses offer discounts and extended hours. Downtown Montpelier, 5-9 p.m. Free. Info, 223-9604.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘DR. JEKYLL AND MR. HYDE’: A physician’s hubris leads him to create a hideously evil alter ego in this creepy classic, with live score provided by Vermont composer Bob Merrill. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 7:30 p.m. $12. Info, 603-448-0400.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: See THU.20.

ORIGINAL THINKERS STOWE: Four short films explore the power of art to build connections and change the world. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7-10 p.m. $10-75. Info, 760-4634.

‘ROLAND & MARY: A WINTER OF TOWING IN THE NORTHEAST KINGDOM’: Filmmaker Dillon Tanner premieres his debut docu mentary about Roland’s Wrecker Service and the Vermonters who make it go. Q&A with director and stars follows. Savoy Theater, Montpelier, 7-9 p.m. Free; dona tions accepted. Info, dillon. tanner@icloud.com.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: Cinephiles keep their eyes glued to the big screen at this annual showcase of inter national, independent and local flicks. See vtiff.org for full sched ule; virtual options available. Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $6-30; $95-250 for festival passes. Info, 660-2600.

health & fitness

BONE BUILDERS/ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.19.

ONLINE GUIDED MEDITATION: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

SUN-STYLE TAI CHI: A sequence of slow, controlled motions aids in strength and balance. Twin Valley Senior Center, East Montpelier, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 229-1549.

language

ADVANCED INTERMEDIATE ITALIAN CONVERSATION: Semifluent speakers practice their skills during a slow conversazi one about the news. Fletcher Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

Paul Asbell, Gabe Jarrett, Clyde Stats, Tom Cleary and Michael Zsoldos

Hayloft

Burmese Panther

Peak Performance

On May 12, the Full Circle Everest Team became the first all-Black climbing group to summit the world’s tallest mountain. Directed by pioneering mountaineer Phil Henderson, the crew immediately doubled the number of Black climbers who have ever made the trek. Speaking with Outdoor Gear Exchange and the North Face this week, members of the team discuss their experience and their dedication to decolonizing Everest — from building respectful relationships with their Nepali Sherpa guides to fostering humble, rather than entitled, attitudes toward nature.

AN EVENING WITH THE FULL CIRCLE EVEREST TEAM Tuesday, October 25, 7:30 p.m., at First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington. $5-15. Info, 860-0190, gearx.com.

It Costs How Much?!

Seven Days is examining Vermont’s housing crisis — and what can be done about it — in Locked Out, a yearlong series.

Find all the stories at sevendaysvt.com/locked-out

lgbtq

OUTDOORS

P.75

LGBTQ+ OWL BANDING NIGHT: Queer and trans nature enthu siasts nerd out over the capture and release of northern sawwhet owls. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 8-9:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 229-6206.

music

CAPITAL CITY CONCERTS: THE LEGACY OF LARRY GORDON: A who’s who of local performers celebrate the late choir direc tor and all the music he loved, from American shape note to Renaissance to Balkan folk. College Street Congregational Church, Burlington, 7:30-9 p.m. $30. Info, info@capitalcityconcerts.org.

CHRIS SMITHERS: A songwriter draws on poetry, philosophy, and blues and folk influences from across the U.S. Seven Stars Arts Center, Sharon, 7-9 p.m. $25. Info, 763-2334.

EAGLEMANIA: Eagles fans flock to a note-for-note tribute to the band behind “Hotel California.” Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7:30 p.m. $35. Info, 775-0903.

MAURICE CLERC: The organist plays lively dances and freaky fugues alike. Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, 7:30-9 p.m. $15-25. Info, 864-0471.

MIDORI & JEAN-YVES THIBAUDET: See WED.19.

MUSIC JAM: Local instru mentalists of all ability levels

gather to make sweet music. BALE Community Space, South Royalton, 7-10 p.m. Free. Info, 498-8438.

‘SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM’: See THU.20.

TUSK: The Rumours are true: The preeminent Fleetwood Mac tribute band rolls into town and makes loving fun. Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8 p.m. $32-53. Info, 518-563-1604, ext. 105.

WHERE WE LAND FALL

FESTIVAL: THE VILLALOBOS

FOMO?

Find

BROTHERS: The Xalapa-born brothers blend jazz, classical and Mexican folk music. University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5-35. Info, jpelletier@ vermonthumanities.org.

politics

EEE LECTURES: PETER HIRSCHFELD: The Education & Enrichment for Everyone series continues with this Vermont Public reporter’s address, “Changing of the Guard: What the Shift in Political Leadership Means for Vermont.” Virtual option available. Faith United Methodist Church, South Burlington, 2-3 p.m. $8; $55 for season pass. Info, 363-6937.

tech

Find

TECH HELP: Experts answer questions about phones, laptops, e-readers and more in one-onone sessions. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 846-4140.

theater

‘THE ADDAMS FAMILY’: Everyone’s favorite bloodcurdling brood faces the ultimate fright: Wednesday’s nice, normal boy friend and his parents. Barnard Town Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $15-20. Info, 234-1645.

‘THE GREAT GATSBY: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: The Valley Players offer their live studio audience a metatextual good time with a 1940s broadcast treatment of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic tragedy.

Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7 p.m. $14-18. Info, 583-1674.

‘LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR’: The host of a 1950s comedy-variety TV show battles with executives who want to dumb it down for the Midwest market in this Essex Players production. Essex Memorial Hall, 7:30-9:30 p.m. $18. Info, ecpadmin@essexplayers.com.

‘NUNSENSE’: See WED.19, 7:309:30 p.m.

‘SPRING AWAKENING’: See WED.19.

‘WOODY SEZ: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF WOODY GUTHRIE’: See THU.20.

SAT.22

activism

DÍA DE LAS MUERTAS: A FEMINIST HAUNTING AND DIEIN FOR REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS: Activists dressed as the ghosts of those lost to abortion bans march for reproductive justice. Top of Church St., Burlington, 2-3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 324-3875.

FMSC MOBILEPACK HOSTED BY WITH LOVE FROM VERMONT: See FRI.21, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

bazaars

MISSION BAZAAR: Local vendors sell clothes, furniture, jewelry, accessories, iced tea, vintage and handmade items, doughnuts, bicycles, home decor, and so much more. Mission Bazaar VT, Burlington, noon-5 p.m. Free. Info, missionbazaarvt@gmail.com.

education

FALL OPEN HOUSE: Prospective students and their families tour the State University of New York campus. E. Glenn Giltz Auditorium, Hawkins Hall, SUNY Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 518-564-2040.

fairs & festivals

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY CRAFT SHOW & ANTIQUE EXPO: See FRI.21.

HARVEST FESTIVAL: Seedsaving workshops, cider pressing and leafy crafts present the best that autumn has to offer. New Village Farm, Shelburne, 10 a.m.2 p.m. Free; some activities by donation. Info, 265-0555.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: See THU.20.

‘MEDEA’: Sondra Radvanovsky stars as the mythical sorcer ess desperate for revenge in Cherubini’s rarely performed masterpiece, broadcasted live from the Metropolitan Opera. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 12:55 p.m. $16-25. Info, 748-2600. Paramount

Theatre, Rutland, 12:55 p.m. $23. Info, 775-0903. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 1 p.m. $1024. Info, 382-9222. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover N.H., 1 p.m. $5-22. Info, 603-646-2422.

‘NOSFERATU’: Dennis James plays a live pipe organ score during this centennial screening of one of cinema’s most iconic silent vampires. Epsilon Spires, Brattleboro, 8 p.m. $10-20. Info, info@epsilonspires.org.

ORIGINAL THINKERS STOWE: See FRI.21.

‘RETROGRADE’: A film crew docu ments the harrowing aftermath of the American withdrawal from Afghanistan. Discussion with director and Dartmouth alum Matthew Heineman follows. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7 p.m. $512. Info, 603-646-2422.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.21, 11:15 a.m.-11 p.m.

food & drink

BURLINGTON FARMERS MARKET: Dozens of stands overflow with seasonal produce, flowers, artisanal wares and pre pared foods. Burlington Farmers Market, 345 Pine St., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 560-5904.

CAPITAL CITY FARMERS MARKET: Meats and cheeses join farm-fresh produce, baked goods, locally made arts and crafts, and live music. 133 State St., Montpelier, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, montpelierfarmersmarket@ gmail.com.

FREE SATURDAY CHOCOLATE TASTINGS: A sommelier of sweet stuff leads drop-in guests through a tasting platter. Lake Champlain Chocolates Factory Store & Café, Burlington, 11 a.m.4 p.m. Free. Info, 864-1807.

GATHER: COCKTAILS & POPSICLES: Neighbors get cool with frozen treats, mixed drinks and glassblowing demonstra tions. AO Glass, Burlington, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Free. Info, 540-0125.

ST. JOHNSBURY FARMERS MARKET: Growers and crafters gather weekly at booths centered on local eats. Pearl St. & Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 9 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, cfmamanager@gmail. com.

holidays

HALLOWEEN TALES & MUSIC: Tim Jennings plays spine-chill ing songs and tells spooktastic stories for upper elementary ages and older. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 748-8291.

‘NOSFERATU’: New Hampshire composer Jeff Rapsis provides the live, spine-chilling score to this silent classic of vampire cinema. Brandon Town Hall, 7 p.m. Free; donations accepted.

Info, brandontownhallfriends@ gmail.com.

OOKY SPOOKY 5K RACE TO BENEFIT COTS: Goblins and ghouls of all ages don costumes and run or walk to raise funds for the Committee on Temporary Shelter’s efforts with the house less community. Rock Point School, Burlington, 9-11 a.m. $15 suggested donation. Info, 863-1104.

lgbtq

LGBTQ+ WOMEN’S SOCIAL: Queer and trans women and non binary folks eat, drink and make new friends at this Glow social hour. Hill Farmstead Brewery, Greensboro, 3-5 p.m. Free. Info, glow@pridecentervt.org.

music

CHAMPLAIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: The ensemble gets romantic with a program celebrating love, including selec tions from West Side Story and Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet. Grace Congregational Church, Rutland, 7:30 p.m. $5-15. Info, info@champlainphilharmonic. org.

CLASSICOPIA CONCERT: ‘LYRICAL LADIES’: Violist Anna Pelczer and pianist Daniel Weiser team up to bring duets by ne glected female composers to life. Fairlee Town Hall Auditorium, 7:30-9 p.m. $20; free for kids 18 and under. Info, contact@ fairleearts.org.

EAGLEMANIA: See FRI.21. Barre Opera House, 7:30 p.m. $39. Info, 476-8188.

FACING THE SUNRISE BLACK PERFORMING ARTS SERIES: THE EMANUEL FAMILY BAND: Vermont’s only intergenerational Jamaican folk group makes an appearance at this collaboration between Clemmons Family Farm and Catamount Arts. Catamount ArtPort, St. Johnsbury, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2600.

HOME FREE: An a cappella group puts a new spin on country music with pitch perfect covers of John Mayer, Maren Morris and more. The Flynn, Burlington, 8 p.m. $29.50-311.50. Info, 863-5966.

SISTER SPEAK: Live tunes get toes a-tappin’ among the apple trees. Food, hard cider and doughnuts top off the fun. BYO chair. Happy Valley Orchard, Middlebury, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 388-2411.

‘SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM’: See THU.20.

‘TRANSFIGURED NIGHT’: The Champlain Trio embraces spooky season with a program including Beethoven’s “Ghost” trio and Schoenberg’s “Verklärte Nacht.” University of Vermont Recital Hall, Burlington, 7:30-8:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 488-5004.

CAPITAL CITY CONCERTS: THE LEGACY OF LARRY GORDON: See FRI.21. Unitarian Church of Montpelier.

calendar

‘NUNSENSE’: See WED.19, 7:309:30 p.m.

outdoors

AUDUBON WEST RUTLAND

MARSH BIRD WALK: Enthusiastic ornithologists go on a gentle hike and help out with the monthly marsh monitoring. Meet at the boardwalk on Marble Street. West Rutland Marsh, 8 a.m. Free. Info, birding@rutlandcountyaudubon. org.

MONTPELIER PLACE: HISTORY ON THE LAND: HUBBARD PARK: Landscape historian Samantha Ford uses the park’s natural features to peel back the history of the Capital City’s conserva tion movement. Hubbard Park, Montpelier, 9-11 a.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

talks

THE GOLDEN AGE OF VERMONT STATE PRESS COVERAGE: A panel of press luminaries explain how the boom in newspapers and radio stations between 1960 and 2000 changed local politics. Pavilion Building, Montpelier, 2 p.m. Free. Info, info@montpelier vthistoricalsociety.org.

tech

VERMONT TECH JAM: Techies find new jobs or rub shoulders with others in the industry.

Boston Scientific cofounder John Abele and CoreMap CEO Sarah Kalil keynote. Presented by Seven Days. Hula, Burlington, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 865-1020, ext. 110.

theater

‘THE ADDAMS FAMILY’: See FRI.21.

‘THE GRAVEYARD SOCIETY’: The White River Valley Players present an ooky-spooky outdoor show. BYO chair. Old Village Cemetery, Rochester, 5 p.m. Donations. Info, inforequest@ whiterivervalleyplayers.org.

‘THE GREAT GATSBY: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: See FRI.21.

‘LAUGHTER ON THE 23RD FLOOR’: See FRI.21.

FOMO?

‘SPRING AWAKENING’: See WED.19, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

‘WOODY SEZ: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF WOODY GUTHRIE’: See THU.20, 2 & 7 p.m.

words

POETRY EXPERIENCE: Local wordsmith Rajnii Eddins hosts a supportive writing and shar ing circle for poets of all ages.

Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SUN.23 fairs & festivals

CHAMPLAIN VALLEY CRAFT SHOW & ANTIQUE EXPO: See FRI.21, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: See THU.20.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.21, 11:15 a.m.-8:30 p.m.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: New and experienced meditators are always welcome to join this weekly practice in the tradition of Thich Nhat Hahn. Sangha Studio — Pine, Burlington, 6:30-8:15 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: Participants prac tice keeping joy, generosity and gratitude at the forefront of their minds. Jenna’s House, Johnson, 10-11:15 a.m. Donations; preregis ter. Info, mollyzapp@live.com.

SARAH RAMSEY STRONG 5K: Fundraisers of all ages run or walk the Burlington Bike Path for this Champlain College scholar ship fund. After-party follows, featuring prizes and refresh ments. Switchback Brewing, Burlington, 10 a.m. $15-25. Info, sarahramseystrong@gmail.com.

music

CHAMPLAIN PHILHARMONIC ORCHESTRA: See SAT.22 Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 4 p.m. Info, 382-9222.

DARTMOUTH COLLEGE GLEE CLUB: Student choral singers draw on their ever-expanding repertory for an uplift ing performance. Church of Christ at Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 2 p.m. $7-12. Info, 603-646-2422.

DIANA FANNING: The concert pianist highlights composi tions by Schubert, Chopin, Lili Boulanger and Ravel. Robison Hall, Mahaney Arts Center, Middlebury College, 3-4:45 p.m. Free. Info, 443-6433.

MOIRA SMILEY WORKSHOP AND CONCERT: After a free masterclass, the singer and bassist Tyler Bolles present an intimate program titled “The Voice is a Traveler.” See calendar spotlight. Plainfield Town Hall Opera House, 2-3 & 4-5:30 p.m. $20 suggested donation. Info, 498-3173.

PLAY EVERY TOWN: Prolific pianist David Feurzeig continues a four-year, statewide series of shows in protest of high-pollution worldwide concert tours. First Universalist Parish, Chester, 4 p.m. Free. Info, playeverytown@ gmail.com.

SIDEWALK PROPHETS: The Christian radio mainstays play such hits as “The Words I Would Say” and “You Love Me Anyway.” Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 7 p.m. $15-50. Info, 775-0903.

‘SIDE BY SIDE BY SONDHEIM’: See THU.20, 2 p.m. theater

‘WE’RE NOT FROM HERE’: Using a carpetbag of old-fashioned amusements, Modern Times Theater investigates questions like “How did we get here?”, “Where are we going?” and “Can’t you do that somewhere else?” Maple Corner Community Center, Calais, 4-5:30 p.m. $5-20. Info, awschuenemann@gmail.com.

‘THE ADDAMS FAMILY’: See FRI.21, 2-4 p.m.

‘THE GRAVEYARD SOCIETY’: See SAT.22.

‘THE GREAT GATSBY: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: See FRI.21, 2 p.m.

‘NUNSENSE’: See WED.19.

‘SPRING AWAKENING’: See WED.19, 5 p.m.

film

See

music + nightlife

SUNDAY MORNING MEDITATION: Mindful folks experience sitting and walking meditation in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

Shambhala Meditation Center, Burlington, 9 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, lungta108@gmail.com.

montréal

Learn

ONLINE EVENT

‘DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS’: Classic horror gets silly in this satirical spookfest featuring five farcical actors and spine-chilling stage effects.

Sylvan Adams Theatre, Segal Centre for Performing Arts, Montréal, 1:30 p.m. $25-67. Info, 514-739-7944.

‘WOODY SEZ: THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF WOODY GUTHRIE’: See THU.20, 3 p.m.

MON.24 film

See what’s

section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: See THU.20.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.21, 1:45-9 p.m.

food & drink

JANE ESSELSTYN: The cookbook writer behind Be A Plant-Based Woman Warrior: Live Fierce, Stay Bold, Eat Delicious discusses easy, energy-boosting vegan recipes. Norwich Bookstore, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

OCTOBER BEER PAIRING

DINNER: Chef Christian Kruse and brewmaster Dan Sartwell curate a flavorsome, five-course meal. Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 5-8 p.m. $125; preregister; limited space. Info, 857-5629.

SOURDOUGH 101, PART

2: BREAD: In the second of four workshops, Heike Meyer of Brot Bakehouse teaches home bakers how to use their starter to leaven delicious loaves. Presented by City Market, Onion River Co-op. 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, info@ citymarket.coop.

health & fitness

ADVANCED TAI CHI: Experienced movers build strength, improve balance and reduce stress. Holley Hall, Bristol, 11 a.m.-noon. Free; donations accepted. Info, jerry@skyrivertaichi.com.

BONE BUILDERS/ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.19.

GENTLE HATHA YOGA: Movers focus on alignment, balance and extending into relaxation. BYO mat. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

LONG-FORM SUN 73: Beginners and experienced practitioners learn how tai chi can help with arthritis, mental clarity and range of motion. Holley Hall, Bristol, noon-1 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, wirlselizabeth@ gmail.com.

RELAX & UNWIND RESTORATIVE YOGA AND BREATHWORK: Nicole Carpenter of the Breath and Balance leads a calming nighttime class for all levels. 8-8:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, 338-0626.

WEEKLY CHAIR YOGA: Those with mobility challenges or who are new to yoga practice balance and build strength through gentle, supported movements. Twin Valley Senior Center, East Montpelier, 3 p.m. Free; prereg ister; donations accepted. Info, 223-3322.

YANG 24: This simplified tai chi method is perfect for beginners looking to build strength and balance. Congregational Church of Middlebury, 4-6 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, wirlselizabeth@gmail.com.

language

ENGLISH CONVERSATION

CIRCLE: Locals learning English as a second language gather in

the Digital Lab to build vocabu lary and make friends. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

lgbtq

NONBINARY SOCIAL GROUP: Genderqueer, agender, gender nonconforming and questioning Vermonters gather for virtual tea time. Presented by Pride Center of Vermont. 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, trans@ pridecentervt.org.

montréal

‘DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS’: See SUN.23, 8 p.m.

outdoors

PUBLIC OWL BANDING DEMONSTRATION: See WED.19.

talks

PETER FRITZSCHE: A historian details the fateful day early in the Third Reich that began the boycott of German Jews and helped stoke antisemitic fervor. University of Vermont Alumni House, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 656-3180.

words

ADDISON COUNTY WRITERS COMPANY: Poets, playwrights, novelists and memoirists of ev ery experience level meet weekly for an MFA-style workshop. Swift House Inn, Middlebury, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, jay@zigzaglitmag.org.

MONTHLY BOOK GROUP FOR ADULTS: Housekeeping by Marilyn Robinson inspires a lively conversation. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

TUE.25 agriculture

ELLEN ECKER OGDEN: The writer and cofounder of The Cook’s Garden seed catalog speaks at the Burlington Garden Club of Vermont’s monthly meeting. First United Methodist Church, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. Info, lconlong@comcast.net.

community

CURRENT EVENTS

DISCUSSION GROUP: Brownell Library hosts a virtual roundtable for neighbors to pause and reflect on the news cycle. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

START A VILLAGE IN YOUR COMMUNITY: Barbara Sullivan, executive director of the National Village-to-Village Network, explains how networks of neighbors can create stronger communities of seniors. Virtual option available. Fletcher Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, aging@uvm.edu.

dance

INTIMO FARRUQUITO: A legend ary flamenco superstar dances

his way through the history of the form. Spaulding Auditorium, Hopkins Center for the Arts, Dartmouth College, Hanover, N.H., 7:30 p.m. $20-35. Info, 603-646-2422.

LAKE CHAMPLAIN SQUARES: Beginners get a pro bono intro to square dancing and make new friends in the process. Frederick H. Tuttle Middle School, South Burlington, 6-8 p.m. Free. Info, 497-4638.

SWING DANCING: Local Lindy hoppers and jitterbuggers convene at Vermont Swings’ weekly boogie-down. Bring clean shoes. Beginner lessons, 6:30 p.m. Champlain Club, Burlington, 7:30-9 p.m. $5. Info, 864-8382.

etc.

REGENERATIVE SOUND BATH: Singing bowl and gong player Stephen Scuderi delivers a unique sensory experience. Sundara Yoga, Morrisville, 6-8 p.m. $15-20. Info, 777-0626.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: See THU.20.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.21, 1:30-8:30 p.m.

games

BRIDGE FOR BEGINNERS: Expert player Grace Sweet teaches novices how to play a classic card game. Waterbury Public Library, 6-8 p.m. Free; preregister; lim ited space. Info, 244-7036.

health & fitness

FALL PREVENTION TAI CHI: See THU.20. Congregational Church of Middlebury, 10-11 a.m. Info, lindsayhart09@gmail.com.

SUN-STYLE TAI CHI: See FRI.21.

WALK-IN COVID-19 VACCINE

CLINIC: Anyone 6 months or older can drop by to get the jab, whether it’s their first dose or a booster. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

language

PAUSE-CAFÉ IN-PERSON FRENCH CONVERSATION: Francophones and French-language learners meet pour parler la belle langue Burlington Bay Market & Café, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, pause-cafe+owner@groups.io.

montréal

‘DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS’: See SUN.23, 8 p.m.

» P.80

MILNE TRAVEL presents AWARDWINNING independent filmmaker, and Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival Artistic Director Jay Craven who has specially curated travel experiences that we will enjoy during our exciting and memorable London theater experience.

Jay Craven’s newest film, Lost Nation is scheduled for release June 2023. It tells a parallel and intersecting story of two Vermonters - enigmatic founding father, Ethan Allen and pioneering African American woman-of-words, Lucy Terry Prince.

• HOST – JAY CRAVEN

• Roundtrip airfare

• Accommodation @ Rubens Palace Hotel –a Red Carnation Hotel.

• Includes perfect blend of group experiencesdining, sightseeing, theater and Jay Craven curated experiences - and plenty of free time and, London Oyster Pass for getting around the city.

Snack on the BITE-CLUB

for a taste of this

flavorful

It’ll

calendar

AT

outdoors

AN EVENING WITH THE FULL CIRCLE EVEREST TEAM: Outdoor Gear Exchange hosts the first allBlack climbing group to summit the world’s highest mountain. See calendar spotlight. First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $5-15. Info, 860-0190.

politics

CHAMBER BREAKFAST CLUB: Washington County Senator Ann Cummings discusses the upcom ing legislative session over a catered morning meal. Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce, Berlin, 8-9 a.m. $11; preregister. Info, 229-5711.

talks

DISTINGUISHED SPEAKER SERIES: BOBBY FARLICE-RUBIO: The science educator takes listeners on a spaceship ride through some major recent astronomical discoveries. Presented by the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute at the University of Vermont. 11 a.m.-noon. $10. Info, 656-5817.

tech

COMPUTER WORKSHOPS: SMARTPHONES: Students learn how to use modern cell phones to make calls and browse the internet. Virtual option available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-3403.

words

BETH KANELL: One of the contributors to Frankly Feminist: Short Stories by Jewish Women From Lilith Magazine celebrates the collection’s publication. Norwich Bookstore, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

BROWN BAG BOOK CLUB: Readers voice opinions about Home Before Dark by Riley Sager over lunch. Dorothy Alling

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 13.

= ONLINE EVENT

Memorial Library, Williston, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

NONFICTION BOOK DISCUSSION GROUP: The Man Who Listens To Horses by Monty Roberts teaches readers about the inner lives of equines. Latham Library, Thetford, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

WED.26 business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: See WED.19.

community

CURRENT EVENTS: Neighbors have an informal discussion about what’s in the news.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 878-4918.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘AMAZON ADVENTURE 3D’: See WED.19.

‘BACKYARD WILDERNESS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘FOOD FOR THE REST OF US’: See THU.20.

‘SEA MONSTERS 3D’: See WED.19.

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.19.

‘SÉRAPHINE’: A 2008 French biopic tracks the life of Séraphine Louis, a painter who worked in obscurity and isolation until her body of work was discovered in 1912. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2600.

VERMONT INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL: See FRI.21, 1:30-8:30 p.m.

food & drink

DANVILLE FARMERS MARKET: See WED.19.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT OYSTER SHUCKING: See WED.19.

health & fitness

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.19.

BONE BUILDERS/ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.19.

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.19.

COMMUNITY HOOP CLASSES: See WED.19.

HEALTH & RESILIENCE IN CHALLENGING TIMES: An inter active presentation explains how diet, exercise, stress manage ment, sleep and loving relation ships can help curb burnout.

Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 6:30-7:45 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

LONG-FORM SUN 73: See WED.19.

YANG 24: See WED.19.

language

CONVERSATIONAL SPANISH CLASS FOR BEGINNERS: See WED.19.

ELL CLASSES: ENGLISH FOR BEGINNERS & INTERMEDIATE STUDENTS: See WED.19.

IRISH LANGUAGE CLASS: See WED.19.

montréal

‘DRACULA: A COMEDY OF TERRORS’: See SUN.23, 8 p.m. music

HINESBURG ARTIST SERIES

FALL CONCERT: South County Chorus and Hinesburg Community Band perform spirituals and other classics. Champlain Valley Union High School, Hinesburg, 7:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 373-0808.

PIERRE BENSUSAN AND TIM SPARKS: World music stylings flow from the guitars of two picking masters. Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, 7 p.m. $22-25. Info, 387-0102.

WALLINGFORD TOWN

HALL CONCERT SERIES: DADDYLONGLEGS: Infusing clas sic folk songs with passion and intricacy, this trio delivers noth ing but catchy arrangements. Wallingford Town Hall, 7-9 p.m. $10-15 suggested donation. Info, 446-2872.

WESLI: Locals bring their danc ing shoes to the Haitian roots star’s celebration of his newest album, Tradisyon. Cumbancha, Charlotte, 7 p.m. Free; donations accepted; preregister. Info, info@ cumbancha.com.

seminars

SOCIAL SECURITY: WITH YOU THROUGH LIFE’S

JOURNEY: A New England Federal Credit Union webinar educates attendees on federal retirement benefits. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 764-6940.

tech

COMPUTER WORKSHOPS:

GOOGLE PHOTOS: Newbies learn how to save and edit im ages in the cloud. Virtual option available. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-3403.

theater

‘NUNSENSE’: See WED.19.

words

NEK AUTHORS READING: Natalie Kinsey-Warnock and Chris Braithwaite read their favorite selections by Leland Kinsey, Loudon Young and Daisy Dopp. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, 748-8291. m

community. Winooski Memorial Library, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 655-6424.

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME ON THE GREEN: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library leads half an hour of stories, rhymes and songs. Williston Town Green, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

TEEN WRITERS CLUB: Aspiring authors unleash their creativity through collab orative and independent writing games. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

TODDLERTIME: Kids ages 1 through 3 and their caregivers join Miss Kelly and her

puppets Bainbow and La-La for story time. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See THU.20.

ROBIN’S NEST NATURE PLAYGROUP: Outdoor pursuits through fields and forests captivate little ones up to age 5 and their parents. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-noon. Free; donations accepted. Info, 229-6206.

mad river valley/ waterbury

ISSUES AND IDENTITIES BOOK GROUP: Using current and past Golden Dome Award nominees, readers ages 9 through 12 discuss social issues like race, gender and disability. Waterbury Public Library,

3:45-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 244-7036.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

northeast kingdom

HOMESCHOOL GEOGRAPHY CLUB: Home learners ages 6 through 10 learn about a new continent and get stamps on their library passports each week. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

randolph/royalton

YOUTH EMPOWERMENT & ACTION: Activists ages 14 through 18 discuss community service, climate action, LGBTQ rights and social justice. BALE Community Space, South Royalton, 3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 498-8438.

WED.26 burlington

CRAFTERNOON: See WED.19.

STEAM SPACE: Kids explore science, technology, engineering, art and math activities. Ages 5 through 11. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

AFTERSCHOOL CRAFT: MINI-PUMPKIN PAINTING: Little ones add to the Halloween ambiance by decorating ittybitty gourds. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 2-3 p.m. Free; preregis ter; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

ART LAB: ‘THE SCREAM’: See SAT.22.

BABYTIME: See WED.19.

GET YOUR GAME ON: Countless board games are on the menu at this drop-in meetup for players in grades 6 through 12. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2:30-4 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

LEGO BUILDERS: See WED.19.

PLAY TIME: See WED.19.

barre/montpelier

THE CHESS MASTER IS BACK: See WED.19.

rutland/killington

‘THE LAND OF SPARKLE DRAGONS’ STORY WALK: See WED.19.

upper valley

PEABODY AFTERSCHOOL FUN FOR GRADES 1-4: See WED.19.

SCIENCE YOGA: See WED.19.

STORY TIME!: See WED.19. K

TOP

classes

Find Local Businesses in the FPF Directory

More

nonprofits participate in Front Porch Forum’s online Directory. Browse hundreds of categories to find local

and organizations that meet

needs.

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

art

DAVIS STUDIO ART CLASSES:

Discover your happy place in one of our weekly classes. Making art boosts emotional wellbeing and brings joy to your life, especially when you connect with other art enthusiasts. Select the ongoing program that’s right for you. Now enrolling youth and adults for classes in drawing, painting and fused glass. Location: Davis Studio, 916 Shelburne Rd., South Burlington. Info: 425-2700, davisstudiovt.com.

PAINTING CLASS IN BARRE: Painting class with instruc tor and Italian painter Nitya Brighenti. Develop your abilities in drawing and paint ing, working with a model. Free introductory meeting on Thu., Nov. 3, 10 a.m. Weekly 2-hour sessions on Thu.; starting Nov. 10, 10 a.m.-noon. Cost: $50/ses sion. Location: Labor Hall, Barre. Info: o.brighenti@hawaiiantel. net.

empowerment

THE LITERARY CIRCLE: FINDING STRENGTH AND INSPIRATION IN DIVERSE BOOKS: This course ex plores the transformative power of stories, drawing on Jungian concepts of the shadow and the collective unconscious, inviting participants to go on personal journeys where diverse literature takes center stage for strength and inspiration. Led by Maria Manteo, a professor of English and specialist in children’s literacy. Oct. 20 & 27, 7-8:30 p.m. Cost: $30.00. Location: Zoom, Info: mmanteo@support learning.com.ar.

language

martial arts

AIKIDO: 25 FREE CLASSES!:

Celebrate our 25th anniversary and discover the dynamic, flow ing martial art of aikido. Learn how to relax under pressure and how aikido cultivates core power, aerobic fitness and resiliency. Aikido techniques emphasize throws, pinning techniques and the growth of internal power.

Visitors are always welcome to watch a class. Starting on Tue., Nov. 1, 6 p.m.; meets 5 days/ week. 25 free classes for new adult members. Membership rates incl. unlimited classes.

Contact us for info about mem bership rates for adults, youth & families. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: Benjamin Pincus, 951-8900, bpincus@ burlingtonaikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIUJITSU: We offer a legitimate Brazilian jiu-jitsu training program for men, women and children in a friendly, safe and positive environ ment. Julio Cesar “Foca” Fernandez Nunes; CBJJP and IBJJF seventh-degree Carlson Gracie Sr. Coral Belt-certified instructor; teaching in Vermont, born and raised in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil! A twotime world masters champion, five-time Brazilian jiu-jitsu national champion, three-time Rio de Janeiro state champion and Gracie Challenge champion. Accept no limitations! 1st class is free. Location: Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: 598-2839, julio@bjjusa. com, vermontbjj.com.

music

DJEMBE & TAIKO DRUMMING: JOIN US!: New classes (outdoor mask optional/ masks indoors). Taiko Tue. and Wed.; Djembe Wed.; Kids & Parents Tue. and Wed. Conga classes by request! Schedule/register online. Location: Taiko Space, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3G, Burlington. Info: 999-4255, spaton55@gmail.com, burlingtontaiko.org.

psychology

MORE PUZZLES?

SPANISH CLASSES FOR ALL AGES: Premier native-speaking Spanish professor Maigualida Rak is giving fun, interactive online lessons to improve comprehension and pronun ciation and to achieve fluency. Audiovisual material is used. “I feel proud to say that my students have significantly improved their Spanish with my teaching approach.” —Maigualida Rak. Read reviews on Facebook at Spanishcoursesvt. Info: Spanish Courses VT, 881-0931, spanishtutor.vtfla@gmail.com, facebook.com/spanishonlinevt.

CRITICAL THINKING IN A TIME OF CONFUSION : Learn multiple techniques we can use to evalu ate what we hear and see. In addition to multiple exercises, a variety of readings from current sources is provided to give par ticipants hands-on practice in applying what we discuss. Led by Sue Mehrtens, author of True or False?, available on the internet. Nov. 2, 9, 16 & 30, 7-9 p.m. Cost: $60. Register by email. Location: the Jungian Center, Waterbury Info: info@jungiancenter.org.

CLASS PHOTOS + MORE INFO ONLINE SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSES

Bennett

SEX: 6-year-old neutered male

REASON HERE: To find a home that’s a better match for him

ARRIVAL DATE: September 30

SUMMARY: Bennett is a bouncy, goofy pup who wants nothing more than to spend time with his favorite people, whether that’s relaxing in the living room or playing outside. “Social distancing” isn’t in Bennett’s vocabulary; he’s eager to cuddle up right next to you on the couch or join you for whatever activities you’ve got planned for the day. He isn’t a big fan of lots of hustle and bustle. He needs a home without cats, but he may enjoy having a canine buddy or two to hang out with.

SPECIAL CONSIDERATIONS: Bennett experiences some separation anxiety when left alone, particularly when he can see or hear people nearby but can’t reach them. He’ll likely be more successful in a home where he has someone around to keep him company much of the time.

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 6 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

DID YOU KNOW?

We are always looking for fosters! Our foster program provides essential care to orphaned, pregnant, newborn, injured, sick and undersocialized animals. If you’re interested in becoming a foster, visit hsccvt.org/ foster-care to learn more and apply!

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housing » APARTMENTS, CONDOS & HOMES on the road »

CARS, TRUCKS, MOTORCYCLES pro services »

CHILDCARE, HEALTH/ WELLNESS, PAINTING buy this stuff »

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INSTRUCTION, CASTING, INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE jobs »

NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

Society of Chittenden County

CLASSIFIEDS

on the road

CARS/TRUCKS

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OFFICE/ COMMERCIAL

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services: $12 (25 words) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x121

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CREDIT CARD DEBT RELIEF!

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DO YOU OWE BACK TAXES?

Do you owe over $10,000 to the IRS or State in back taxes? Our fi rm works to reduce the tax bill or zero it out completely fast. Let us help! Call 877-414-2089. Hours: Mon.-Fri., 7 a.m.-5 p.m. PST. (AAN CAN)

HEALTH/ WELLNESS

balancing, Reiki, rebirthing, other lives, classes & more. 802-899-3542, kelman.b@juno.com.

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HOME/GARDEN

print deadline: Mondays at 3:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classifieds questions? classifieds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x120

INTERIOR PAINTING SERVICE

S. Burlington-based painter seeking interior projects. Quality work, insured w/ solid refs. On the web at vtpainting company.com, or call Tim at 802-373-7223.

NEVER PAY FOR COVERED HOME REPAIRS AGAIN!

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MOVING/HAULING

LONG DISTANCE MOVING

MISCELLANEOUS

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COMPUTER

COMPUTER & IT TRAINING PROGRAM

Train online to get the skills to become a computer & help desk professional now. Grants & scholarships avail. for certain programs for qualifi ed applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-888-281-1442. (AAN CAN)

EDUCATION

TRAIN ONLINE TO DO MEDICAL BILLING

Become a medical offi ce professional online at CTI! Get trained, certifi ed & ready to work in months. Call 866-243-5931.

Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Computer w/ internet is req. (AAN CAN)

MASSAGE FOR MEN BY SERGIO e weather is cooling off. Time for a massage to ease those aches & pains. Call me & make an appointment: 802-3247539, sacllunas@gmail. com.

PAIN RELIEF

Fire cupping, refl exology, Reiki, Rolfi ng, fascial release. Get out of pain. Doesn’t hurt. 60-, 90- or 120-min. sessions. S. Burlington, Mon.-Fri., fl ex weekends. @fullbodyconnection, fullbodyconnection@ gmail.com.

PSYCHIC COUNSELING

Psychic counseling, channeling w/ Bernice Kelman, Underhill. 30+ years’ experience. Also energy healing, chakra

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

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HOME ORGANIZER/ DECLUTTERER

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SAFETY UPDATES FOR BATHTUBS BathWraps is looking for homeowners w/ older homes who want a quick safety update. ey do not remodel entire bathrooms but update bathtubs w/ new liners for safe bathing & showering. ey specialize in grab bars, nonslip surfaces & shower seats. All updates are completed in 1 day. Call 1-866-531-2432. (AAN CAN)

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ESTATE SALE

On-site estate sale of George Goodman, 79 Slate Ave., Northfi eld. Oct. 20-22, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Complete contents of house. Cash, check or credit card. No buyer’s premium. All items sold as is. Rumorhasitvt. com. VT#057.0133906. MA#AU0100059.

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obsessed?

EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY

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

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact:

HUD Office of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092 (617) 565-5309

— OR — Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633 1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

music

INSTRUCTION

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

What’s next for your career?

Work it out with Seven Days Jobs.

Find 100+ new job postings weekly from trusted, local employers in Seven Days newspaper and online. See who’s hiring at jobs.sevendaysvt.com.

CALCOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK:

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. e numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A 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.

SUDOKU BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK:

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

ON P.88

Legal Notices

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION 4C1035-7B 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6111

On September 20, 2022, Marijke Smith, c/o Nils Smith, 1125 Bert White Road, Huntington, VT; Matthew & Jennifer Conforti, 30 Stone Bridge Lane, Huntington, VT 05462; and Kiva & Mark Sullivan, 2629 Townsend Place, Daniel Island, SC 29492 filed application number 4C1035-7B for a project generally described as extending the construction completion date (after expiration) to complete construction of five homes on Lots 4, 5, 7, 8, and 9. Infrastructure for the project on the common land is complete. No changes are proposed to the original project 4C1035-7, as amended by 4C1035-7A. The project is located at 1425 Bert White Road in Huntington, Vermont. The application was deemed complete on October 11, 2022. This application can be viewed online by visiting the Act 250 Database: (https://anrweb.vt.gov/ANR/Act250/Details. aspx?Num=4C1035-7B).

No hearing will be held and a permit will be issued unless, on or before October 31, 2022, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://nrb.vermont.gov/documents/partystatus- petition-form, and email it to the District 4 Office at: NRB.Act250Essex@vermont.gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

For more information contact Stephanie H. Monaghan at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this October 12, 2022.

By: /s/ Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-261-1944 stephanie.monaghan@vermont.gov

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 142.

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION 4C1122-2 10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6111

On September 29 and October 7, 2022, City of South Burlington, 180 Market Street, South Burlington, VT 05403 filed application number 4C1122-2 for a project generally described as retrofitting existing stormwater Pond 2 into a gravel wetland stormwater treatment facility. The project is located at the southwest corner of the intersection of Kennedy Drive and West Twin Oaks Terrace in South Burlington, Vermont. This application can be viewed online by visiting the Act 250 Database: (https://anrweb. vt.gov/ANR/Act250/Details.aspx?Num=4C1122-2).

No hearing will be held, and a permit will be issued unless, on or before November 4, 2022, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status

Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://nrb. vermont.gov/documents/party-status-petitionform, and email it to the District 4 Office at: NRB. Act250Essex@vermont.gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

For more information contact Stephanie H. Monaghan at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this October 13, 2022.

By: /s/Stephanie H. Monaghan District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 802-261-1944 Stephanie.Monaghan@vermont.gov

ACT 250 NOTICE MINOR APPLICATION 4C1347

10 V.S.A. §§ 6001 - 6111

On August 30, 2022, CSJ Corporation, Attn: Charles Bissonette, 4285 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT 05482 and DSLJ Ventures, LLC, 4281 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, VT 05482 filed application number 4C1347 for a project generally described as a proposed 2-lot subdivision creating Lot #1 totaling 2.51 acres, Lot #2 totaling 1.12 acres, and a 50’ right of way dedicated to

the Town of Shelburne for access to the Shelburne Campground property. The two (2) existing motel buildings and existing cabin on the parcel will be removed. The Dutch Mill Restaurant and existing single-family home are to remain on Lot #1. An 8,000 SF 16-unit congregate care facility to be occupied by the Howard Center and an associated parking area are proposed on Lot #2. The Howard Center building will be served by municipal water and sewer connections. A new access road built to Town standards will service the Shelburne Campground property within the 50’ right of way. The project is located at 4309 Shelburne Road in Shelburne, Vermont. This application can be viewed online by visiting the Act 250 Database: (https://anrweb.vt.gov/ANR/Act250/Details. aspx?Num=4C1347). The application was deemed complete on October 4, 2022.

No hearing will be held, and a permit will be issued unless, on or before October 31, 2022, a party notifies the District 4 Commission in writing of an issue requiring a hearing, or the Commission sets the matter for a hearing on its own motion. Any person as defined in 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1) may request a hearing. Any hearing request must be in writing, must state the criteria or sub-criteria at issue, why a hearing is required, and what additional evidence will be presented at the hearing. Any hearing request by an adjoining property owner or other person eligible for party status under 10 V.S.A. § 6085(c)(1)(E) must include a petition for party status under the Act 250 Rules. To request party status and a hearing, fill out the Party Status

Petition Form on the Board’s website: https://nrb. vermont.gov/documents/party-status-petitionform, and email it to the District 4 Office at: NRB. Act250Essex@vermont.gov. Findings of Fact and Conclusions of Law may not be prepared unless the Commission holds a public hearing.

For more information contact Kaitlin Hayes at the address or telephone number below.

Dated this October 11, 2022.

By: /s/Kaitlin Hayes Kaitlin Hayes District Coordinator 111 West Street Essex Junction, VT 05452 (802) 622-4084 kaitlin.hayes@vermont.gov

CHITTENDEN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT –PUBLIC HEARING

The Chittenden Solid Waste District will hold a Public Hearing to present the proposed Materials Recovery Facility Bond. At this hearing, CSWD will receive public comments on the Bond, and information, as available, will be presented to voters on the estimated amount and type(s) of financing, the improvements to be financed by the Bond, and estimated construction timelines. The Public Hearing will be held on Tuesday, November 1, 2022 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Williston Central School Auditorium, 195 Central School Drive, Williston VT 05495. Instructions on attending remotely will be available on our website https://cswd.net/mrfbond-2/ prior to the meeting.

CITY OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT NOTICE & WARNING OF VOTE TO INCUR A BONDED DEBT

The legal voters of the City of Burlington, Vermont are hereby notified and warned to come and vote at a Special City Meeting on

Tuesday, the 8th day of November, 2022 between 7:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. in their respective wards, at the voting places hereinafter named, for the following purposes:

To vote upon two bonding articles placed on the ballot by request of the Board of School Commissioners by action of the Commissioners duly approved, said special article being as follows:

AUTHORIZATION TO ISSUE GENERAL OBLIGATIONS BONDS TO BUILD NEW HIGH SCHOOL AND TECHNICAL CENTER

“Shall the City Council be authorized to pledge the credit of the City through the issuance of general obligation bonds or notes, in one or more series, in an amount not to exceed One Hundred and Sixty Five Million ($165,000,000) Dollars for the purpose constructing a new Burlington High School and Burlington Technical Center primarily at its Institute Road site, and making other capital improvements related thereto, with the understanding that bonds may be issued under the March 2017 voter approval in order to construct facilities for the Burlington High School?

Total Current Estimated Cost of Capital Improvements: $ 190 Million.

State funds may not be available at the time this project is otherwise eligible to receive State school construction aid. The School District is responsible for all costs incurred in connection with any borrowing done in anticipation of State school construction aid.”

The following are designated as polling places, viz: Ward One/East District: Mater Christi School, 100 Mansfield Ave.

Ward Two/Central District: H.O. Wheeler School (Integrated Arts Academy), 6 Archibald St.

Ward Three/Central District: Lawrence Barnes School (Sustainability Academy), 123 North St.

Ward Four/North District: Saint Mark’s Youth Center, 1271 North Ave.

Ward Five/South District: Burlington Electric Department, 585 Pine St.

Ward Six/South District: Edmunds Middle School, 275 Main St.

Ward Seven/North District: Robert Miller Community & Recreation Center, 130 Gosse Ct.

Ward Eight/East District: Fletcher Free Library, 235 College St.

The polls open at 7:00 a.m. and close at 7:00 p.m. Miro Weinberger, Mayor

Publication Dates: October 19, October 26, November 3 Burlington, Vermont

ESSEX TOWN ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT

PUBLIC HEARING/AGENDA NOVEMBER 3, 20226:00 PM

• Join in person at 81 Main Street Conference Room.

• Join via Microsoft Teams at https://www.essexvt. org/870/5481/Join-ZBA-Meeting

• Join via conference call (audio only): (802) 377-3784 | Conference ID: 480 347 627#

• Public wifi is available at the Essex municipal offices, libraries, and hotspots listed here: https://publicservice.vermont.gov/content/ public-wifi-hotspots-vermont

UNSPECIFIED USE: ANNE ORR, SANTIAGO & KAILEE

OSPINA: Proposed Short- Term Rental located at 386 Old Stage Road, Conservation (C1) Zone. Tax ID: 2/018/009/001.

Submitted by S. Kelley, Z.A. on 10/17/22

NOTICE OF SELF STORAGE LIEN SALE

Class Centre Mini-Storage—37 Centre Dr. Milton, Vt. 05468

Contents of unit #307 will be sold by Barsalow Auctions on October 27, 2022, at 10:00am. Bid is for entire unit, full payment is required and must be emptied within 24 hours.

PUBLIC HEARING COLCHESTER DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD

Pursuant to Title 24 VSA, Chapter 117, the Development Review Board will hold a public hearing on November 9, 2022 at 7:00pm to hear the following requests under the Development Regulations. Meeting is open to the public and will be held at 781 Blakely Road.

a) FP-23-11: BRAD BENOURE: Final Plat application to amend a previously approved application for a 1-lot, 5-unit minor Planned Unit Development to be served by a new private driveway, on-site wastewater, and municipal water. Amendment is to add one

single-family dwelling unit (Unit

and extend the driveway and utilities to support that unit. Subject property is located at 1036 Holy Cross Road, Account #46-029002-0000000.

b) FP-23-13: ALLEN BROOK DEVELOPMENT INC: Final Plat application for a four (4) lot, twenty-four (24) unit Planned Unit Development. Lot #3 to be 4.14 acres and undeveloped, Lot #3A to include Common Land A to be 14.82 acres developed with 13 single family dwelling units and 1 duplex dwelling unit on footprint lots and include 5.31 acres of open space; Common Land B to be 1.43 acres developed with 7 single family dwelling units and 1 duplex dwelling unit on footprint lots; and Common Land C to be 0.17 acres and left undeveloped. Proposed subdivision is to be served by a new public road, community on-site wastewater, municipal water, and on-site stormwater manage ment. Subject properties are located at 203 Belwood Avenue, Account #48-037002-0000000 and 0 Caleb Court, Account #50-046032-0000000.

c) FP-23-12: 17 MILL & MAIN, LLC: Final Plat application for a minor Planned Unit Development to create four new lots. Lot #1 to be 0.544 acres developed with the existing single-family dwelling unit; Lot #2 to be 0.386 acres developed with a new single-family dwelling unit; Lot #3 to be 0.264 acres developed with a new single-family dwelling unit; Lot #4 to be 0.671 acres developed with a single-family dwelling unit and com munity wastewater system; and Lot #5 to be 0.279 acres developed with a new single-family dwelling unit. Proposed subdivision to include an upgraded shared driveway, community wastewater system, and municipal water, with alterations to the access at 960 Main Street. Subject property is located at 984 Main Street, Account #24-005003-0000000.

d) CU-23-02: 38 WEST LAKESHORE SPE LLC: Conditional Use Application pursuant to §4.05D and Table A-1 of the Colchester Development Regulations to convert a single-family dwelling unit to a 3-unit, 3-bedroom Inn with minor site modifications in the Lakeshore One (LS1) District. Subject property is located at 38 West Lakeshore Drive, Account #65-022002-0000000.

October 19, 2022

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CIVIL DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO. 22-CV-03583 Frederick and Elizabeth Dusablon,Plaintiffs v. Windsor Capital Mortgage Corporation, Defendant.

SUMMONS AND ORDER OF SERVICE BY PUBLICATION

This case concerns a request for declaratory judgement pursuant to 27 V.S.A. § 469 that the two mortgages held by the Defendant, a private corpora tion which has been dissolved without providing anyone the authority execute a discharge on its behalf, are of no force of law and entitled to judicial discharge. This action places at issue Defendant’s interest in real property located at 76 Handy Avenue, Burlington, Vermont as documented by two mortgage deeds recorded in Volume 1012 at Pages 548 and in Volume 1012 at Pages 565 of the City of Burlington Land Records.

THIS SUMMONS IS BEING DIRECTED TO: Windsor Capital Mortgage Corporation

1. YOU ARE BEING SUED. The Plaintiff has started a lawsuit against you. A copy of the Plaintiff’s Complaint against you is on file and may be obtained at the office of the clerk of this court, Chittenden, Civil Division, Vermont Superior Court, 175 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05402. Do not throw this paper away it is an official paper that affects your rights.

2. PLAINTIFF’S CLAIM. Plaintiff’s claim is a Complaint for Declaratory Judgement which alleges that they are entitled to relief under 27 V.S.A. § 469 as you are a private corporation whose charter has expired who is the record holder of two Mortgage Deeds dated November 12, 2005 and recorded in Volume 1012 at Pages 548 and in Volume 1012 at Pages 565 of the City of Burlington Land Records. A copy of the Complaint is on file and may be obtained at the Office of the Clerk of the Superior Court of the County of Chittenden, State of Vermont.

3. YOU MUST REPLY WITHIN 30 DAYS TO PROTECT YOUR RIGHTS. You must give or mail the Plaintiff a written response called an Answer within 30 days after the date on which this Summons was first published, which is October 19, 2022. You must send a copy of your answer to the Plaintiff or the Plaintiff’s

attorney, W. Cooper Hayes, Esq. of MSK Attorneys located at 275 College Street, Burlington, VT 05406.

4. YOU MUST RESPOND TO EACH CLAIM. The Answer is your written response to the Plaintiff’s Complaint. In your Answer you must state whether you agree or disagree with each paragraph of the Complaint. If you believe the Plaintiff should not be given everything asked for in the Complaint, you must say so in your answer.

5. YOU WILL LOSE YOUR CASE IF YOU DO NOT GIVE YOUR WRITTEN ANSWER TO THE COURT. If you do not Answer within 30 days after the date on which this Summons was first published and file it with the Court, you will lose this case. You will not get to tell your side of the story, and the Court may decide against you and award the Plaintiff everything asked for in the complaint.

6. YOU MUST MAKE ANY CLAIMS AGAINST THE PLAINTIFF IN YOUR REPLY.

Your Answer must state any related legal claims you have against the Plaintiff. Your claims against the Plaintiff are called Counterclaims. If you do not make your Counterclaims in writing in your answer you may not be able to bring them up at all. Even if you have insurance and the insurance company will defend you, you must still file any Counterclaims you may have.

7. LEGAL ASSISTANCE. You may wish to get legal help from a lawyer. If you cannot afford a lawyer, you should ask the court clerk for information about places where you can get free legal help. Even if you cannot get legal help, you must still give the court a written Answer to protect your rights or you may lose the case.

The Affidavit duly filed in this action shows that service cannot be made with due diligence by any of the method provided in Rules 4(d)-(f), (k), or (l) of the Vermont Rules of Civil Procedure. Accordingly, it is ORDERED that service of the Summons set forth above shall be made upon the defendant, Windsor Capital Mortgage Corporation, by publication as provided in Rule[s] [4(d)(l) and] 4 (g) of those Rules.

This order shall be published once a week for 3 weeks beginning on October 19, 2022 in the Seven Days, a newspaper of the general circulation in Chittenden County, and in The Press Democrat, a newspaper of the general circulation in Sonoma County, California, and a copy of this commons and order as published shall be mailed to the last known address of the defendant, Windsor Capital Mortgage Corporation, at 2777 Yulupa Ave #157, Santa Rosa, CA 95405.

DATED at Burlington, Vermont this 12th day of October, 2022.

By: Superior Judge

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT DOCKET NO. 22-ENV-00084 ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT In re: Act 250 Permit 4C0288-19 Jurisdictional Opinion

NOTICE OF CROSS-APPEAL

NOW COMES Interested Party R.L. Vallee, Inc. ( an abutter to the project and recognized interested person and party under 10 V.S.A 6085(C)(1)(E) and 10 V.S.A. 8502(7)) by and through its counsel and pursuant to Rule 5(b)(2) of the Vermont Rules for Environmental Court Proceedings hereby files this Notice of Cross-Appeal. Vallee cross-appeals as concerns the August 10, 2022 Jurisdictional Opinion of the District 4 Environmental Commission. See Attached Jurisdictional Opinion.

The property subject to this appeal is located at 218 Lower Mountain View Drive in Colchester, Vermont.

TO ALL INTERESTED PERSONS: In order to participate in this appeal, you must enter an appearance in the Vermont Environmental Court within twenty-one (21) days of receiving this Notice of Appeal. Notices of Appearance should be mailed to Jennifer Teske, Court Office Manager, Vermont Superior Court—Environmental Division, 32 Cherry Street, Suite 303, Burlington, VT 05401.

Respectfully submitted this 4 th day of October, 2022.

MSK ATTORNEYS

By: /s/ A.J. LaRosa, Esq. Alexander LaRosa, Esq., ERN 5814 275 College Street, PO Box 4485 Burlington, VT 05406-4485

Office Furniture & Equip.Ace Glass Shop Liquidation

Online Lots Closing

Monday, October 24 @ 10AM

Preview: Tues., Oct. 18 from 11AM-1PM (By Appointment) Williston, VT **Not on THCO property**

Online Lots Closing

Tuesday, October 25 @ 10AM

Preview: Thurs., Oct. 20 from 11AM-1PM

237 Brooklyn St., Morrisville, VT

1800s Italianate Church Interior

Online Lots Closing

Thursday, October 27 @ 10AM

Preview: Fri., Oct. 21 from 11AM-1PM Enosburg, VT Location

USDA Foreclosure: 5BR/3BA Home w/ 2-Car Garage

Thursday, November 10 @ 11AM

58 Church St., Hyde Park, VT

2BR/2BA Beautifully Renovated Home on 5± Acres

Thursday, November 10 @ 3PM 744 Silver Ridge Rd., Hyde Park, VT

Open House: Fri., Oct. 21 from 3-5PM

Simulcast Friday, Oct. 21 @ 9AM

Public Auto Auction, Williston, VT

Online Closes Mon., Oct. 24 @ 10AM

Office Furniture & Equip, Williston, VT

Online Closes Thurs., Oct. 27 @ 10AM

1800s Italianate Church, Enosburg, VT

Preview: Fri., Oct. 21 from 11AM-1PM

Simulcast Friday, Oct. 28 @ 9AM Public Auto Auction, Williston, VT

Online Closes Mon., Oct. 31 @ 10AM Auto Repair Shop, Jeffersonville, VT

Preview: Fri., Oct. 28 from 11AM-1PM

Thurs., Nov. 3 @ 11AM

Open House: Tues., Oct. 25 from 11AM-1PM

Foreclosure: 3BR Condo, Plymouth, VT

Open House: Wed., Oct. 19 from 11AM-1PM

HIRCHAK CO.

Legal Notices [CONTINUED]

Phone: 802-861-7000

Email: ajlarosa@mskvt.com

Attorneys for R.L. Vallee, Inc.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 22-PR-04620

In re ESTATE of Karen L. Holly

NOTICE TO CREDITORS

To the creditors of: Karen L. Holly, late of Essex Junction, Vermont

I have been appointed to administer this estate. All creditors having claims against the decedent or the estate must present their claims in writing within four (4) months of the date of the first publication of this notice. The claim must be presented to me at the address listed below with a copy sent to the Court. The claim may be barred forever if it is not presented within the four (4) month period.

Dated: 10/10/2022

Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Disa R. McAlister and Darcy K. Holly

Executor/Administrator: Disa R. McAlister and Darcy K. Holly, 1506 West Jerome Avenue Mesa, AZ 85202 (480) 241-8750 disarae@gmail.com

Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 10/19/2022

Name of Probate Court: Vermont Superior Court, Chittenden Unit

Address of Probate Court: PO Box 511, Burlington VT 05402

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 01-04171 LOCATED AT 28 ADAMS DRIVE, WILLISTON VT, 05495 WILL BE SOLD ON OR ABOUT THE NOVEMBER 3RD 2022 TO SATISFY THE DEBT OF JUSTIN FINNEGAN

Any person claiming a right to the goods may pay the amount claimed due and reasonable expenses before the sale, in which case the sale may not occur.

THE CONTENTS OF STORAGE UNIT 01-04266 LOCATED AT 28 ADAMS DRIVE, WILLISTON VT, 05495 WILL BE SOLD ON OR ABOUT THE NOVEMBER 3RD 2022 TO SATISFY THE DEBT OF HAYDEN FULLER.

Any person claiming a right to the goods may pay the amount claimed due and reasonable expenses before the sale, in which case the sale may not occur.

TOWN OF BOLTON’S COMBINED NOTICE OF TAX SALE

The resident and non-resident owners, lienholders, mortgagees and all persons interested in the purchase of land in the Town of Bolton, County of Chittenden and State of Vermont, are hereby notified that the taxes assessed by such Town for the 20212022 and prior fiscal years remain, either in whole or in part, unpaid on the following described lands and/ or premises situated in the Town of Bolton:

Property No. 1: Intentionally Left Blank.

Property No. 2:

Property commonly known and numbered as 97 West Street, being a 1997 Redman make, Flamingo model, 14’x70’ mobile home with serial number 12232313, owned by Milagro P. Hemenway, conveyed to him by Vermont Mobile Home Uniform Bill of Sale of Barbara Stanley, dated April 8, 2019, and of record in Book 96 at Pages 160-161 of the Town of Bolton Land Records.

Property No. 3: Property commonly known and numbered as 363 Sharkeyville Road, being 1 acre, more or less, owned by Lawrence N. Moran, conveyed to him by Warranty Deed of Richard R. Bosley, Sr., dated August 31, 2001, and of record in Book 55 at Pages 407-409 of the Town of Bolton Land Records.

Property No. 4:

Property commonly known and numbered as 157 East Street, being a 1982 Fleetwood make, Zimmer model, 14’x70’ mobile home with serial number P19330, owned by Christopher H. Sartelle, Sr., conveyed to him by Vermont Mobile Home Uniform Bill of Sale of Albert K. Butkus, dated June 17, 2008, and of record in Book 76 at Page 578 of the Town of Bolton Land Records.

Said lands and/or premises will be sold at a public auction at the Bolton Town Office, 3045 Theodore Roosevelt Highway (U.S. Route 2), Bolton, Vermont, on Thursday the 17th day of November 2022, at Ten o’clock in the morning (10:00 a.m.), to discharge such taxes with costs, unless the same are previously paid. Information regarding the amount of taxes due may be obtained at the offices of Stitzel, Page & Fletcher, P.C., P.O. Box 1507, Burlington, Vermont 05402-1507, (802) 6602555.

DATED at Bolton, in the County of Chittenden and State of Vermont, this 3rd day of October 2022.

/s/ Amy Grover

Amy Grover, Delinquent Tax Collector Town of Bolton, Vermont

WARNING CHITTENDEN SOLID WASTE DISTRICT SPECIAL MEETING – NOVEMBER 8, 2022

The legal voters of the Chittenden Solid Waste District (the “District”) are hereby notified and warned to meet in a special meeting on November 8, 2022, at the times and polling places hereinafter named, to vote, by Australian ballot, upon a certain article as set forth below, by request of the Board of Commissioners of the District (the “Board”) by resolution duly adopted:

1. DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT

The Board, at a special meeting held November 8, 2022, has determined that the public interest and necessity require the construction of a new materials recovery facility within the District, as described in more detail below, and that the cost of financing such project is too great to be paid out of the ordinary annual income and revenue of the District.

Object and Purpose of the Project

The District currently owns a materials recovery facility located in Williston, which is operated under contract by Casella Waste Management. In recogni tion of the much-needed updates and improvements to the materials recovery facility and the increased recycling needs of the District and its residents, the District intends to construct a new materials recovery facility to increase capacity and serve the long-term needs of the District and its residents (the “Project”).

The Project is expected to be constructed on land owned by the District.

Estimated Costs of the Project

The estimated cost of the Project is $26,000,000. A portion of the cost will be paid from funds currently held by the District, and the remainder of such costs will be financed by the District through the issuance of bonds, notes, or other obligations.

Amount of Indebtedness Proposed to be Authorized and Method of Repayment

The Board has resolved that the District issue general obligation bonds, notes, or other obligations, in an ag gregate principal amount not to exceed $22,000,000 and enter into certain long-term contracts for the object and purpose of financing the costs of the Project, costs of issuance, and the funding of any reserves deemed necessary or desirable by the Board (collectively, the Project Financing”).

The maximum principal amount of the District’s general obligation bonds, notes, or other obligations proposed to be authorized for the costs of the Project is $22,000,000. If authorization is obtained from the voters of the District, the District may issue such general obligation bonds, notes, or indebtedness from time to time and in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed such amount.

The District’s indebtedness under the Project Financing is intended to be repaid from fees and revenues collected from the users of the Project.

The Board intends to establish user fees at levels expected to be sufficient to enable the District to make timely payments of all amounts due under the Project Financing, including debt service on District obligations. If, however, the user fees are insufficient to enable the District to make timely payments of all amounts due under the Project Financing, the District will collect the deficiency from assessments to its member municipalities, in accordance with the District’s Charter, which provides that each member municipality shall add such amounts to its budget and

assess such tax as is necessary to raise the amount. As provided in the District’s Charter, District obliga tions incurred under chapter 53 of Title 24, Vermont Statutes Annotated, shall be the joint obligations of the District and of each member municipality.

2. BALLOT QUESTION

In accordance with the foregoing, the Board has ordered the following proposition to be submitted to the qualified voters of the District, consisting of the legal voters of the following member municipalities of the District: the cities of Burlington, Essex Junction, South Burlington, and Winooski; the towns of Bolton, Charlotte, Colchester, Essex, Hinesburg, Huntington, Jericho, Milton, Richmond, St. George, Shelburne, Underhill, Westford, and Williston:

I. Approval of General Obligation Bonds for Chittenden Solid Waste District

“Shall the Board of Commissioners of the Chittenden Solid Waste District be authorized to issue general obligation bonds or notes, in one or more series, in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed Twenty Two Million Dollars ($22,000,000) for the purpose of (i) funding capital improvements related to the planning, constructing, and equipping of a new materials recovery facility; (ii) funding a debt service reserve fund; and (iii) paying for associated costs of issuance; it being intended that the source of repayment shall be waste management fees and revenues collected by the District and, to the extent necessary, assessments to member municipalities in accordance with the District’s Charter?”

3. POLLING PLACES AND VOTING INFORMATION

The legal voters of the District shall be entitled to vote at the polling place within the municipality of their residence and within the specific wards or district, if any, as shall be established by the Board of Civil Authority of such municipality. Said Special Meeting shall be held on Tuesday, November 8, 2022, at the following locations, at which polls will be open at the times specified below.

Member Municipality Polling Location(s) Polls Open/Close

Town of Bolton Smilie Memorial School 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

City of Burlington Ward 1 – Mater Christi School

Ward 2 – HO Wheeler School

Ward 3 – Lawrence Barnes School Ward 4 – St. Marks Youth Center

Ward 5 – Burlington Electric Department Ward 6 – Edmunds Middle School Ward 7 – Robert Miller Community Center Ward 8 – Fletcher Free Library 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Charlotte Charlotte Town Hall 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Colchester Colchester High School Gymnasium 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Essex Essex Middle School 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

City of Essex Junction Essex High School 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Hinesburg Hinesburg Town Hall 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Huntington Brewster-Pierce School 6:30 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Jericho Mount Mansfield Union High School 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Milton Milton Municipal Office Building 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Richmond Camel’s Hump Middle School 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Saint George Saint George Town Hall 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Shelburne Town Center Gym

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

City of South Burlington Chittenden 8 – City Hall/Senior Center Chittenden 11, 9 – FHT Middle School

Chittenden 10 – Chamberlin School Chittenden 12 – Orchard School

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Underhill Underhill Town Hall

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Westford Westford School 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

Town of Williston Williston Armory 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

City of Winooski Winooski Senior Center

7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.

WARNING TOWN OF ESSEX SPECIAL TOWN MEETING NOVEMBER 8, 2022

The legal voters of the Town of Essex, Vermont are hereby notified and warned to meet at the Essex Middle School on Founders Road in the Town of Essex on Tuesday, November 8, 2022 to transact the following business by Australian ballot. Said voting by Australian ballot to begin at 7:00 A.M. and close at 7:00 P.M.

ARTICLE 1. Shall the Town of Essex enter into a communications union district to be known as the Chittenden County Communications Union District, under the provisions of 30 V.S.A. chapter 82 for the purposes of improving access to broadband services?

Dated at Essex, Vermont, this 3rd day of October 2022 by the Essex Town Selectboard.

By: /s/ Andy Watts, Chair /s/ Tracey Delphia, Vice Chair /s/ Dawn Hill-Fleury /s/ Kendall Chamberlin /s/ Ethan Lawrence

Received for record this 6th day of October, 2022 in the records of the Town of Essex. /s/ Susan McNamara-Hill, Town Clerk

BURLINGTON CITY COUNCIL OPENINGS BURLINGTON CITY COMMISSIONS/ BOARDS

Airport Commission Term Expires 6/30/23

One Opening

Chittenden Solid Waste District Board – alternate Term Expires 5/31/24

One Opening

Development Review Board - alternate Term Expires 6/30/24

One Opening

Fence Viewers Term Expires 6/30/23

Two Openings

Police Commission Term Expires 6/30/25

One Opening

Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board Term Expires 6/30/24

Two Openings

Vehicle for Hire Licensing Board Term Expires 6/30/25

Two Openings

Applications may be submitted to the Clerk/ Treasurer’s Office, 149 Church Street, Burlington, VT 05401 Attn: Lori NO later than Wednesday, November 2, 2022, by 4:30 pm. If you have any questions, please contact Lori at (802) 865-7136 or via email lolberg@burlingtonvt.gov .

City Council President Paul will plan for appointments to take place at the November 7, 2022 City Council Meeting/City Council With Mayor Presiding Meeting.

FLORAL MERCHANDISER

Burlington/Williston

PT, 3 mornings per week, approximately 15-20 hours. Fun and flexible job perfect for a creative person who likes to work independently Please contact Cindy at the number below: 802-233-7973

Property Manager/ Assistant Property Manager

Established Property Management Firm seeking an individual to manage a portfolio of homeowner associations located in Chittenden County. Property Manager duties include: Attendance at evening board meetings, Site visits of properties, Obtaining bids, contract negotiation and oversight of vendors, Management & oversight of building staff, Preparation of budgets & Review monthly financial reports.

Requirements

Thorough knowledge of Microsoft Office, Superior multi-tasking and organizational skills, Extraordinary customer service skills/understanding, 3 years’ experience in property management, real estate, or customer service.

Benefits

What we offer our Property Managers: attractive benefits package including health insurance, liberal holiday/ vacation schedule, and retirement plan, Competitive compensation (commensurate with experience)

Interested individuals should email cover letter and resume to patrick@appletreebay.com

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

POST YOUR JOBS AT: JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS)

FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

e Community Foundation is seeking a Program Associate for Grantmaking to join the Grants and Community Impact team.

is team provides leadership, partnership, and grantmaking and investment strategy at the local, regional, and statewide levels centered on closing the Opportunity Gap.

e Program Associate will play a key role in running the Foundation’s grantmaking processes by supporting internal and external grant review committees. We are looking for candidates who are able to support collaboration with diverse groups, learn new grantmaking strategies, dig into data, commit to promoting equity, and foster belonging for all.

If this sounds like a good t for you, visit vermontcf.org/careers for complete job description and instructions for applying.

Re-entry Services Program Manager

Help VWW develop a pilot program for re-entry employment services and inclusive hiring pathways with wraparound supports for women reintegrating into the community from incarceration. As the pilot grows, the manager will also build relationships with employers across Vermont to expand open hiring. The job will require weekly on-site work in Middlebury, as well as from the VWW Winooski office and other locations in the state. This is a full-time grant-funded position through 9/30/2025 paying $27.27/hour with full benefits.

To see the full job description and detail on how to apply, visit bit.ly/3Cjm8Pk

If reasonable accommodation is needed to apply, please contact us at: jobs@vtworksforwomen.org, or 802-655-8900 x 100

Housing Program Manager

The City of Burlington Community & Economic Development Office is seeking a Housing Program Manager to lead the City’s affordable housing programs.

This position works with Burlington residents, housing nonprofits, City staff, and federal funders to deliver affordable housing programs including HOME, CDBG, Burlington Housing Trust Fund, as well as administration of the Inclusionary Zoning ordinance.

The position requires effective collaboration with community members, external partners, and stakeholders. Our ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree and at least five years of experience in the development and/or financing of nonprofit affordable housing.

The City of Burlington is an equal opportunity employer. We encourage applicants who can contribute to our growing diversity.

at https://bit.ly/CEDOhpm

Program and Operations Generalist

We are seeking a multi-talented person with enthusiasm for our mission to join our small team working to expand employee ownership in Vermont! A highly organized person with excellent communication and research skills would be an ideal fit for this role. Familiarity and experience with business and CRM systems are desirable. The position is 20 hours/ week, with opportunities for advancement. Starting salary range of $23-25/hr with PTO and retirement match, and the possibility of a flexible, hybrid work schedule. EOE. Women and minority candidates are encouraged to apply.

job posting and information on how to apply at veoc.org

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

MAINTENANCE GENERALIST I MAINTENANCE GENERALIST II

MAINTENANCE GENERALIST III

To view position descriptions and application instructions, please visit our website: goddard.edu/about-goddard/employment-opportunities/

Experienced Residential Carpenter

Silver Maple Construction is hiring for the position of Experienced Residential Carpenter. Our company is dynamic, high energy, and team-oriented; our culture is one of customer service, collaboration, and agility; and our projects are unique opportunities to create beautifully crafted homes.

Qualified applicant will be:

• a collaborative team player with a willingness to wear many hats on any job

• an experienced start-to-finish carpenter capable of bringing a building out of the ground from foundation to finish

• a production-oriented craftsperson capable of generating exceptional quality work at a blistering pace

• a problem-solver who approaches challenges as opportunities to collabo rate and learn

• a customer service ambassador to our clients, architects & the community

If you are interested in joining our team in any capacity, please reach out. We are eager to hear from you! silvermapleconstruction.bamboohr.com/careers

Drawing/ Painting Instructor

Davis Studio is seeking a part time drawing/painting instructor for our adult classes. We are looking for an exceptional teacher who is personally committed to fostering the joy of creativity for artists of all stages of life and all levels of experience.

Our dream candidate will be a team player who is ideally willing to commit to 1 day, 1 weeknight, and 1 weekend class with subbing flexibility (about 15-20 hours per week including paid planning time). Competitive hourly wage.

Email Kat for more details: klawlis@davisstudiovt.com

You’re in good hands with...

MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATE

Performs routine maintenance and repair of residence, maintaining physical appearance of the grounds and building as well as ensuring that the building is physically sound and safe. Works with outside contractors as needed. Responsible for cleaning residents’ rooms and residence common areas including vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, polishing, mopping, disinfecting, etc. Discards waste into proper containers, replaces light bulbs and assists with any general housekeeping/laundry duties as necessary.

HOUSEKEEPER

Responsible for cleaning residents’ rooms and residence common areas including vacuuming, sweeping, dusting, polishing, mopping, disinfecting, etc. Discards waste into proper containers, and assists with any general housekeeping duties necessary.

$2,000 sign on bonus for each position. We are conveniently located on Shelburne Road on the bus line.

Send resumes to: tpatterson@residenceshelburnebay.com

PROGRAM MANAGER, EARLY CARE & EDUCATION

Vital Communities, a regional nonprofit located in White River Junction, VT, seeks a full-time program manager for our three-year Early Care & Education (ECE) initiative, which aims to increase the availability and affordability of high-quality ECE in the Upper Valley. The Project Manager will work with our bi-state networks of businesses, municipal leaders, and other economic development stakeholders as we partner with the ECE sector in developing and implementing a coordinated approach to addressing the region’s childcare crisis. Successful candidates will have ECE expertise, experience with Collective Impact models, and outstanding facilitation and project management skills.

The full job description is at vitalcommunities.org/join-our-team. Email resume and cover letter to hr@vitalcommunities.org. Applications will be accepted until the positions are filled.

“Seven Days sales rep Michelle Brown is amazing! She’s extremely responsive, and I always feel so taken care of.”

CAROLYN ZELLER Intervale Center, Burlington

Get a quote when posting

Contact Michelle Brown at 865-1020,

michelle@sevendaysvt.com

CONTROLS SYSTEM TECHNICIAN

We are growing our BMS Controls team here in Vermont. The group is looking to bring on a System Technician to support our construction projects throughout Vermont and upstate NY. The System Technician will work in conjunction with the Project Manager and Systems Team Leader based out of our local Williston office for all projects. We’re a global corporation, so the possibility for growth in your career is fully up to you and brings endless opportunities.

Reach out to discuss the opportunity further: Company Vehicle is Provided, full benefits package (401K, Health Insurance, Paid Time Off, Holidays, Sick Time...)

Apply online: bit.ly/JohnsonControlsCST

ANIMAL CARE SPECIALIST

Homeward Bound is hiring!

We are currently hiring for full-time animal care positions. Animal Care staffers provide the routine daily care- feeding, medicating, exercising, and cage/kennel cleaning-for the shelter animals and are responsible for dishwashing, laundry, sweeping, mopping and other cleaning duties in the shelter building. Animal Care Specialists takes direction for daily work from the Operations Manager and other staff as needed. Animal care positions require flexibility to work weekends as needed. Full time shifts are 8:30-4:30.

Please email Beth at Operationsmngr@homewardboundanimals.org with a letter of interest and skills. No phone calls or walk-ins.

Full-time positions at Homeward Bound enjoy a generous paid time off package, health insurance, paid holidays, and free basic wellness vet care for employee pets.

MULTIPLE POSITIONS OPEN

Join Country Walkers and VBT Bicycling Vacations, an award-winning, Vermont-based active travel company, and be part of our high performing, international team.

We have amazing opportunities if you’re interested in supporting worldwide travel adventures with a leader in the industry, positively impacting established brands and working with a team of collaborative and gifted travel professionals.

We’re expanding our team and are seeking professionals for the following full-time positions:

• ACCOUNTS PAYABLE SPECIALIST

• GUEST SERVICES AGENT

If you’re passionate, driven by excellence, want to make a difference and are looking for balance in your quality of life – check us out!

Ready to learn more? Visit our career pages at VBT.com or countrywalkers.com and submit your resume to nvoth@vbt.com

PART-TIME LECTURERS

The Department of Education at UVM is currently hiring part-time Lecturers for Early Childhood, Elementary, and Middle Level Education Student Teaching Supervision and Elementary Education Practicum Courses for Spring 2023. On-site supervision is required. Qualifications include teaching experience and licensure and a master's degree. The position begins on January 17, 2023.

To apply, please include a cover letter that specifically addresses a)your philosophy of teaching b)your commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion and c) illustrations of any experience with supervision, mentoring, or professional feedback to peers.

Send the cover letter with a resume or CV and three references to Julia.Stein@uvm.edu

Open until filled, a review of applications will begin immediately.

MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN

Keens Crossing – Winooski, VT 05404

Full Time, 40 Hours, Pay Rate $24.72

Are you looking to learn new skills or to start a career? Are you looking to join a supportive team and a dynamic company? We are so sure you will love it at HallKeen Management that we are offering a $1,000 hiring bonus for the right candidate. All bonuses to be paid per company policy. Will entertain employees looking to relocate to Vermont.

Responsibilities of Maintenance Technician are quite diverse including but not limited to Apartment turnovers, grounds keeping, various janitorial duties, painting, appliance, electrical, heating, plumbing and safety equipment repair & replacement & provide assistance at other company properties when needed. The qualified candidate must have reliable transportation and have the ability to assist in carrying appliances and climb ladders as needed. Please e-mail resumes to dfinnigan@hallkeen.com.

Navigate New Possibilities

Your Career at NDI is Waiting

RETREAT SERVICES

WILD TRAILS FARM is seeking therapeutic practitioners in multiple areas for personal retreats, beginning in Spring 2023. Some examples of anticipated services include massages, psychotherapy and other forms of counseling, life coaching, spiritual guidance, reiki, sound therapy and guided nature walks. Ideal candidates have a flexible schedule and are available on weekends and occasional weekdays in Springfield VT. No scheduling or other administrative tasks required. Work in wellappointed spaces in our solar and geothermal-powered inn, with views of the surrounding mountains and forest.

Join our gathering of retreat practitioners in blazing a new trail in Southern Vermont! Contact retreats@wildtrailsfarm.com for details.

Why not have a job you love?

and the

to work at one of the “Best Places to Work in

Service Coordinator: Continue your career in human services in a supportive environment by providing case management for individuals either for our Adult Family Care program or our Developmental Services program. The ideal candidate will have strong clinical, organizational and leadership skills and enjoy working in a team-oriented position. $47,000 annual salary.

Residential Program Manager: Coordinate staffed residential and community supports for an individual in their home. The ideal candidate will enjoy working in a team-oriented position, have strong clinical skills, and demonstrated leadership. $45,900 annual salary.

Direct Support Professional: Provide 1:1 supports to help individuals reach their goals in a variety of settings. This is a great position to start or continue your career in human services. Full and part time positions available starting at $19/hr.

Residential Direct Support Professional: Provide supports to an individual in their home and in the community in 24h shifts including asleep overnights in a private, furnished bedroom. You can work two days, receive full benefits and have five days off each week! Other flexible schedules available, starting wage is $20/hr.

Shared Living Provider: Open your home to someone with an intellectual disability or autism and open a whole world to them, and to you. There are a variety of opportunities available that could be the perfect match for you and your household. Salary varies dependent on individual care requirements.

build a community where

ccs-vt.org/current-openings.

JOIN OUR TEAM!

Farm & Forest Based Educator Assistant Cheesemaker (Entry-Level)

Staff Accountant

Find details at: shelburnefarms.org/ about/join-our-team

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Join the WISE Team!

Since 1971, WISE has supported survivors of gender-based violence in the Upper Valley. We encourage and cultivate a dynamic environment that requires us to be an adaptive, flexible, and innovative team. We are growing and expanding our programming.

Civil Attorney

Provide civil legal services to survivors of domestic violence, sexual violence, and stalking, including full legal representation and case consultation services related to the aftermath of violence. Work closely with WISE advocacy team to support and enhance legal advocacy.

Legal Services Coordinator

Coordinate the WISE Legal Services Program, collaborate with the WISE attorney and the NHLA LAV Project attorney, and advocate to pursue legal and court processes related to the aftermath of violence.

Youth Violence Prevention Educator

Work with students, educators, and parents throughout the Upper Valley providing prevention education, student leadership to end violence, and youth advocacy for survivors.

Community Educator

Engage adults, provide learning experiences, and create connections to end gender-based violence in our communities. Work closely with businesses, faith-based organizations, and community partners to develop these opportunities.

Program Advocate

Provide advocacy for people who have experienced domestic and/or sexual violence, trafficking and stalking, and build relationships with community organizations and institutions.

To learn more and apply: wiseuv.org/join-us

Join Our Auction Team

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

OPEN POSITIONS:

• Sales & Marketing Director:

Develop, grow, & sustain our forty-four-year reputation of providing amazing results for our clients. Have experience in marketing? Bring your knowledge and passion, you’ll find something to explore!

• Auto Auction Positions:

Multiple full & part-time positions open incl. yard crew, front office & auction day staff.

Basic knowledge of cars & trucks a plus! Pay ranges from $17 to $23 per hour.

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

Us: Info@THCAuction.com

ADMISSIONS ADVISOR, Graduate Admissions

For

details

process,

SUNY College at Plattsburgh is a fully compliant employer committed to excellence through diversity.

Deputy State’s Attorney Positions

THE VERMONT DEPARTMENT OF STATE’S ATTORNEYS AND SHERIFFS is hiring full-time Deputy State’s Attorneys in Orange County (Chelsea) and in Rutland County (Rutland), plus limitedservice positions in other locations throughout Vermont. A Deputy State’s Attorney represents the State’s Attorney’s Office in prosecuting criminal and certain civil offenses.

Minimum Qualifications: J.D. degree and admission to the Vermont Bar, or a candidate who has passed the VT bar exam by reading the law. A candidate pending bar results or admission to the Vermont bar may be considered.

For a complete list of openings and full job descriptions, go to prosecutors.vermont.gov/job-opportunities

Deadline November 7, 2022 or until filled. Inquiries can be made by emailing sas.jobs@vermont.gov

DIRECTOR

Vermont Ultimate was created in the spring of 2020 with a mission to introduce, educate, and organize ultimate throughout the state of Vermont. The sport is currently thriving with youth and adult leagues, tournaments, learn-to-play camps, and pick up games. Vermont is the first and only state to have state-wide varsity status in high schools. Nationally competitive college teams at UVM and Middlebury are attracting talented players from across the country to the Green Mountain State.

Vermont Ultimate is looking for a part-time Director to shape and fuel this momentum in a way that expands the ultimate community in Vermont and elevates the capacity for education, recreation, and competition. The job will initially be 5-10 hours per week with the potential to expand in scope over time.

Please send a resume, cover letter, and at least two references to info@vermontultimate.org to be considered for this role. In the cover letter please identify any days or times of year where there may be constraints on work availability. The Board aims to review applications and hire for the role by December of this year. Please submit an application by November 1.

WEDDING COORDINATORS

WEDDING COORDINATORS

WEDDING COORDINATORS

WEDDING COORDINATORS

We currently have rare opportunities for Wedding Coordinators. If you are experienced in hospitality/events/food & beverage or a related eldand are passionate about people, celebrations & creating memories - we have the career for you!

We currently have rare opportunities for Wedding Coordinators. If you are experienced in hospitality/events/food & beverage or a related eldand are passionate about people, celebrations & creating memories - we have the career for you!

We currently have rare opportunities for Wedding Coordinators. If you are experienced in hospitality/events/food & beverage or a related eldand are passionate about people, celebrations & creating memories - we have the career for you!

We currently have rare opportunities for Wedding Coordinators. If you are experienced in hospitality/events/food & beverage or a related eldand are passionate about people, celebrations & creating memories - we have the career for you!

Please email hr@mountaintopinn.com

Please email hr@mountaintopinn.com

Please email hr@mountaintopinn.com

Please email hr@mountaintopinn.com

For a more detailed description visit mountaintopinn.com

For a more detailed description visit mountaintopinn.com

For a more detailed description visit mountaintopinn.com

For a more detailed description visit mountaintopinn.com

Events experience a plus. Training available.

Events experience a plus. Training available.

Events experience a plus. Training available.

Industry leading compensation with bene ts

Industry leading compensation with bene ts

Industry leading compensation with bene ts

Events experience a plus. Training available. Industry leading compensation with bene ts.

195 Mountain Top Rd. Chittenden, VT photos: Idena Beach, Abi Elaine, Hannah Photography

195 Mountain Top Rd. Chittenden, VT photos: Idena Beach, Abi Elaine, Hannah Photography

195 Mountain Top Rd. Chittenden, VT photos: Idena Beach, Abi Elaine, Hannah Photography

195 Mountain Top Rd. Chittenden, VT photos: Idena Beach, Abi Elaine, Hannah Photography

NORTHEASTERN VERMONT REGIONAL HOSPITAL

Washington County Diversion Program EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Washington County Diversion Program (WCDP) is a nonprofit organization located in downtown Barre, Vermont that provides a range of restorative justice programs for the communities within Washington County. WCDP addresses unlawful behavior, supports victims of crime and promotes a healthy community. The Executive Director will provide leadership, direction, and vision to the organization and is responsible for the daily operations and management of the agency. This is a salaried position with occasional evening and weekend hours. The Executive Director reports to the WCDP Board of Directors.

Qualifications include:

• BA in restorative justice, human services, criminal justice, or relevant field;

• Master’s degree preferred.

• Demonstrated managerial and leadership experience.

• Direct client service experience.

Starting salary: $60,000 to $62,000 based on experience.

WCDP offers 100% of individual health and dental and life insurance, as well as an employer retirement contribution (SEP). Three weeks Paid Time Off (PTO).

Please submit cover letter, resume and three references by October 21, 2022 to: wcdpboard@aol.com

For more information visit: wcdp-vt.org

FINANCIAL ADMINISTRATOR/ BOOKKEEPER

Local Motion, Vermont’s statewide non-profit organization whose mission is to make it safe, accessible, and fun for everyone to bike, walk, and roll in Vermont, is seeking a financial administrator who will be an integral part of the finance team and will be responsible for grant billing as well as processing AR, AP, and payroll. Room for growth within the team. Flexible work schedule around regularly scheduled tasks; hybrid in o ce and remote.

COME JOIN OUR TEAM!

Visit our website for full job description and how to apply: localmotion.org/join_our_team

Nurse Practitioner | RN | Echo Technologist Primary Care RN/LPN

New flexible schedule for Primary Care RN/LPN: 3 days a week, 12 hour shifts 7am-7pm.

Administer nursing care for patients of all ages who present to the practice for care in accordance with directives from clinicians and/or Primary Care Clinical Manager. The RN/LPN Office Nurse is the first clinical point of contact in the practice for patients and families and, as such, receives patients when checked-in and rooms patients as necessary to maintain patient flow.

Requirements: Vermont licensed RN or LPN. 1-2 years of clinical experience in the office setting preferred. Ability to greet and interact with public in a tactful, compassionate manner. BLS required. ACLS Certification preferred. PALS Certification preferred.

Visit northcountryhospital.org/careers to apply online or contact tcole@nchsi.org

SEASONAL HOLIDAY POSITIONS

Are you looking to make some extra money around the holidays? Dakin Farm is currently seeking applicants to join our holiday team for a fast-paced exciting work environment. No experience is required. These seasonal positions are available from the middle of November through early January.

We have both full and part time positions available in our Mail Order Packing Department, and Specialty Food Production. We o er competitive wages, generous employee discounts, and hours that meet your schedule.

For an application or more information please email: tdanyow@dakinfarm.com You can also give us a call or stop by our retail store : 5797 Route 7, Ferrisburgh 1-800-99DAKIN

LOAN CLOSING OFFICER

A full-time Closing Officer is needed to prepare loan documents and handle all aspects of closings for agricultural, commercial, and SBA loan programs.

Closing Officers review commitment letters and other closing documentation; communicate with borrowers, attorneys, and other lenders; and schedule and attend loan closings.

The job may be based out of VEDA’s Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, or St. Johnsbury offices, and after an initial period, remote work may be an option. Travel in Vermont is required.

Preference will be given to candidates with at least 5 years of legal experience and financial institution experience is beneficial. Important abilities include strong written, verbal, and computer skills; excellent customer service; and a proven team approach.

VEDA offers competitive salaries and excellent benefits. We are an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer, and we welcome job applications from all qualified candidates.

Direct Support Professionals Needed

Part-time long-term positions available. Looking for two personable, responsible, athletic Direct Support Professionals to assist, have fun, learn with an incredible young adult autistic man.

Centrally located in Burlington, you will be out in the community and home. A plus if you like to sing and enjoy music. You will grow as he grows. Let’s meet! Excellent training provided.

$30/hr. Please send a resume, three references and a cover letter to nbgteamvt@gmail

Overnight Respite & Community Work

Hiring two staff for an ongoing weekly schedule for an autistic young adult in his home. The position is one overnight/two days (33 hours) professional job at $33/hour. You will be working in the home and out in the community.

The characteristics we are looking for, compassionate, friendly, punctual, athletic, and responsible human beings. A great opportunity!

*Former shared providers in excellent standing welcome to apply. A great way to be a shared provider outside of your home for 2 days a week!

College degree preferred. Send cover letter, resume and three references to nbgteamvt@gmail.com

THE GRIND GOT YOU DOWN? jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Marketing Coordinator

Are you passionate about health, wellness, and vitality? Are you ready to unlock your own electric potential? Join the team at Biofield Tuning as our Marketing Coordinator!

The Marketing Coordinator works closely with our COO and leadership team to develop, coordinate, and execute all the marketing activities and initiatives at Biofield Tuning.

Perk up!

The ideal candidate will have prior experience with a wide range of marketing functions, including communications, advertising, branding, digital marketing, and social media. This position requires exceptional communication, and organizational skills. You will collaborate, develop, and release content and events that increase awareness, engagement, and sales.

This is a full-time, hybrid position. We offer a generous benefit package including paid time off, health care, HSA, as well as monthly tunings, and quarterly spa days! Salary starts at $25 an hour, based on experience

If you are ready to raise your voltage, please visit our website at biofieldtuning. com/careers for the full job description or email your cover letter and resume to HR@biofieldtuning.com

COMMERCIAL

TO $2,500 SIGN-ON BONUS

offer highly competitive pay, insurance, time off, company tools, company take-home vehicle for some lead technicians, bonuses throughout the year, overtime pay, and a sign-on bonus (bonus amount will be based on your experience).

JOB TYPE: Full-time

$20.00 - $30.00 per hour

BENEFITS:

Apply today! Send resume and cover letter to Cheryl Houchens: chouchens@veda.org

Bar Manager

We are looking for a committed, full time bar manager to join our team in a fast paced environment.

The bar manager is responsible for managing inventory and maximizing resources, creating weekly schedules for staff, facilitating menu changes, maintaining an effective costing system, maintaining and growing vendor relationships, planning and overseeing trainings, encouraging continued education, managing day-to-day operations, & proactively overseeing operational needs.

The bar manager should be a skilled communicator, have excellent problem-solving skills, be able to think critically and efficiently, have strong leadership skills, and have a strong understanding of the beverage and hospitality industries.

Email resume & cover letter to info@waterworksvt.com

Massage Therapists

You’re more than a massage therapist. You’re an artist, healer, and professional. Join the brand that sees you that way at Massage Envy in Williston.

We are looking for full or part-time massage therapists that are looking for the following:

Flexible hours, consistent clientele, ongoing CEs. Not responsible for laundry or scheduling. Simply focused on providing the community with professional, therapeutic, customized massage sessions. Send resumes to: clinic0779@massageenvy.com

BURLINGTON HOUSING AUTHORITY (BHA)

Located in Burlington, VT, is seeking candidates to continue BHA’s success in promoting innovative solutions that address housing instability challenges facing our diverse population of extremely low-income families and individuals. Join us and make a difference in our community!

RAPID REHOUSING SPECIALIST provides assistance to community members who are without housing and have barriers to locating and securing housing in the community. This grant funded position works closely with our Rental Assistance department and Chittenden County Coordinated Entry and is a part of a skilled team that focuses on assessment, intervention, and service coordination of at-risk households.

SENIOR STAFF ACCOUNTANT manages the accounting operations of the Authority. The responsibilities for this position include preparing timely and accurate accounting records and financial reports; managing operating budgets; and maintaining a comprehensive and effective system of internal controls.

***To learn more about these career opportunities, please visit: burlingtonhousing.org.

BHA serves a diverse population of tenants and partners with a variety of community agencies. To most effectively carry out our vision of delivering safe and affordable housing to all, we are committed to cultivating a staff that reflects varied lived experiences, viewpoints, and educational histories. Therefore, we strongly encourage candidates from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ+ individuals, and women to apply. Multilingualism is a plus!

BHA offers a competitive salary, commensurate with qualifications and experience. We offer a premium benefit package at a low cost to employees. Benefits include medical insurance with a health reimbursement account, dental, vision, short and long term disability, 10% employer funded retirement plan, 457 retirement plan, accident insurance, life insurance, cancer and critical illness insurance and access to reduced cost continuing education. We also offer a generous time off policy including paid time off, sick, and 13 paid holidays. And sign on bonus of up to $2,000.

If interested in these career opportunities, please submit your resume and cover letter to: humanresources@burlingtonhousing.org

BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

DISTRIBUTION COORDINATOR

The Media Factory is looking for a motivated professional with a passion for community media to join the team as our Distribution Coordinator. The Distribution Coordinator is responsible for the implementation of programming schedules for multiple Media Factory cable television channels and community radio station, and assists the Media Factory Content Manager with web-based content delivery. The Distribution Coordinator should be comfortable working both independently and on teams, and be able to maintain a high level of professionalism when engaging with the public.

If you have a sharp eye for detail, enjoy working with content management systems and spreadsheets, and have strong organizational and communication skills, we want to hear from you.

This is a 40-hour a week non-exempt position with periodic evening shifts. The compensation range is $38,500 - $41,500 - plus a generous benefits package with paid time off.

How to apply:

Email your resume and cover letter to careers@mediafactory.org by October 28, 2022.

Please no phone calls or drop ins.

General Manager

Green Mountain Transit (GMT) is seeking a highly qualified General Manager for its urban and rural transportation operation. The General Manager serves as GMT’s chief executive officer advancing the organization’s mission by carrying out all policies and directives established by the Board of Commissioners. This position is responsible for assisting the Board in developing and meeting their goals, objectives, and strategic plans. The General Manager also supervises and works with Senior Management to manage and develop the annual budget, as well as oversee all risk management functions within the organization and all legal issues affecting the Authority. This position is responsible for fostering professional culture within the organization and building relationships with community, state, and federal partners. A degree in Business Administration, Public Administration or a related field, or equivalent experience is required. Transit experience is preferred. Successful candidate must have five years of management experience, including working with a Board and must possess excellent financial management, leadership, analytical, organizational, public speaking, and internal and external communication skills.

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

To apply for either position or to see the full job description, please visit: RideGMT.com/careers

THE MEDIA FACTORY IS AN EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER AND DOES NOT DISCRIMINATE ON THE BASIS OF RACE, ANCESTRY, NATIONAL ORIGIN, COLOR, RELIGION, GENDER, GENDER IDENTITY, AGE, MARITAL STATUS, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, DISABILITY, OR VETERAN STATUS.

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER

Do you enjoy meeting people, making connections, talking issues, valuing differences, and finding solutions? Do you thrive on meeting people in person and learning about their challenges and goals? Are you interested in making referrals and introductions for mutual benefit? Do you have the skills to ask these contacts for financial support to advance economic growth?

If the answer is yes, we invite you to apply for this position, an exciting career opportunity with the statewide Vermont Chamber of Commerce. To apply, send your LinkedIn profile and a letter of interest to jobs@vtchamber.com

Learn more: https://lnkd.in/ga_q_iuj

The McDonald's restaurants located at 1205 Williston Rd., and 1125 Shelburne Rd. in South Burlington are seeking Host/Hostess/ Food Runner positions.

Benefits include:

• Excellent starting rate (Starting at $18/hour)

• Up to $2,500-$3,000 annually in tuition assistance (for qualified employees)

• 401K (for qualified employees)

• Free Meals & Uniforms

• DailyPay & More

We encourage you to apply online at jobs.mchire.com or text "Apply" to 38000 (message

Alternatively, you can apply in person to the General Managers of: McDonald's 1205 Williston Rd., South Burlington, VT 05403 McDonald's 1125 Shelburne Rd., South Burlington, VT 05403

ADVOCATE

Disability Rights Vermont is looking to hire a full-time advocate to assist individuals with disabilities. Position works under the supervision of an attorney.

DUTIES WILL INCLUDE:

• Outreach to psychiatric facilities and other treatment settings, possibly including corrections

• Conduct investigations into abuse, neglect, and serious rights violations

• Advocacy work both for individual clients and for systemic issues in the community and/or in the legislature

• Work with victims of crime who have disabilities

Qualifications:

• High school degree

• Personal/professional experience with persons with disabilities a plus

• Excellent communication and writing skills

• Excellent organizational skills

• Competitive salary and benefits package.

Please apply by October 28th, 2022 by sending a cover letter explaining your interest in advocating for people with disabilities, resume, and contact information for 3 references to:

Nicole Chicoine (she/her)

Administrative Coordinator nicole@disabilityrightsvt.org

141 Main St. / Suite 7 Montpelier, VT 05602

DIRECTOR OF FINANCE

Montpelier, the capital city of Vermont, is seeking a Director of Finance. The Director of Finance reports to the City Manager and has primary responsibility for financial management and information technology for the City of Montpelier. This position directly supervises 6 employees, oversees financial services contracts, and has responsibility for the complete budget. The City of Montpelier employees 121.2 FTEs and has a general fund budget of $16.1M.

BA/BS in Finance, Public Administration, or related fields is required. MA preferred. Significant experience in key administrative position within a public/non-profit agency with responsibility for budget. Direct experience in municipal government is preferred. Familiarity with human resources management and employee benefit programs are preferred. Familiarity with Vermont municipal regulations/policies a plus.

The salary range is $98,675 annually based on qualifications. This is an exempt salaried position with benefits offered per City’s Personnel Plan. This position is open until filled with resume review beginning November 1, 2022.

Please submit a cover letter & resume to tchambers@montpelier-vt. org. Montpelier is an equal opportunity employer. A full job description is available at montpelier-vt.org/Financedirector

Senior Operations Associate

Does making an impact matter to you? Turn your passion for social change into Real Possibilities.

AARP is the nation’s largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering people 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With a nationwide presence and nearly 38 million members, AARP strengthens communities and advocates for what matters most to families: health security, financial stability, and personal fulfillment.

We are looking for a Senior Operations Associate. This role participates in a variety of administrative-level projects and programs in support of business initiatives, prepares and maintains records of incoming invoices & provides financial budgeting support for a business unit or department, produces data reports and processes various forms.

Apply today at careers.aarp.org.

AARP is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce and sustaining an inclusive culture. AARP does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sex, color, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, mental or physical disability, genetic information, veteran status, or on any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Multiple Positions Open!

Hayward Tyler,

STAFF ENGINEER I:

haywardtyler.com/job_listing/staff-engineer-i/

MECHANICAL DESIGNER

haywardtyler.com/job_listing/mechanical-designer/

MECHANICAL DESIGN & SUPPORT ENGINEER:

haywardtyler.com/job_listing/mechanical-designsupport-engineer/

ELECTRO-MECHANICAL ENGINEER: haywardtyler.com/job_listing/electro-mechanicalengineer/

LEAD AFTERMARKET DESIGN ENGINEER: haywardtyler.com/job_listing/lead-aftermarketdesign-engineer/

DESIGN ENGINEER: haywardtyler.com/job_listing/design-engineer/

Join the Vermont Land Trust as our Lands Coordinator

Are you seeking to strengthen Vermont communities and the health of our land?

Do you thrive in teams that value communication, innovation, learning, and growth?

We are seeking a teammate with an excellent eye for detail who can:

• Provide administrative support across the portfolio of lands we own

• Maintain processes, documentation, and tools to support effective collaboration and management of land

• Coordinate many projects at once & communicate with clarity and kindness across teams

Learn more and apply at vlt.org/employment. The position will remain open until 11/11/22. The annual starting salary for this position is $52,200 and includes a generous benefits package.

The Vermont Land Trust is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We honor and invite people of all backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

PSYCHOTHERAPIST

OPENING

The Vermont Center for Anxiety Care, a private psychotherapy practice on Burlington’s waterfront, has an opening for a psychotherapist. Therapy experience with any age group including children. Can be licensed or post-master’s degree intern. Collaborative group with holistic approach and multiple specialties. Clinical supervision towards licensure provided as needed. Visit web site: vtcenterforanxietycare.com

Send resume and cover letter describing professional interests and goals to Paul Foxman, Ph.D., 86 Lake Street, Burlington, VT 05401 or email: paulfoxman@aol.com

HOME PROVIDERS NEEDED

Community Developmental Services seeks singles, couples and families from Washington County area to open their home to an individual.

TRAINING, CLINICAL SUPPORT, TAX FREE STIPEND, AND RESPITE PROVIDED.

• 20-year-old man seeking a home without young children. Enjoys playing video games, swimming & collecting trains. Needs a home that can be supportive & set good boundaries. Call Steve – 522-2360

• 22-year-old man seeking home without young children. He uses augmented communication and enjoys being outside and would enjoy a farm setting with animals. The bedroom should be on the same floor as providers. Call Tracy - 802-636-7379

• 28-year-old man seeks home without young children. He loves computers, animation, planes, trains & cars. Call Katie – 802-904-3414

• 55 -year- old man seeking patient and active home provider, without young children or cats. He works for WCMHS as a peer mentor, he enjoys walks, hiking, swimming and snowshoeing. He uses Facilitated Communication (FC) and would like an individual who is open to training and learning the processes and best practices of FC so that he is able to communicate in his home setting. Call Leigh – 802-505-1889

• 54-year-old man seeks FEMALE ONLY home in the Barre area. He is very active, loves fishing, biking, shopping, doing odd jobs, and watching TV. He prefers home without children or dogs. Call Brittany – 802-798-9115

• 64-year-old woman seek quiet home, with first floor bed and bath, without children. She enjoys old country music, soap operas, car rides, visiting her family. Call Jayne – 479-1477

* NOTE, MUST RESIDE IN WASHINGTON COUNTY OR THE TOWNS OF ORANGE, WILLIAMSTOWN, OR WASHINGTON. FOR MORE INFORMATION ON SHARED LIVING OPPORTUNITIES PLEASE CONTACT COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTAL SERVICES: 802-479-2502 EXT. 3416

TOWN OF JERICHO HIGHWAY MAINTENANCE WORKER

The Town of Jericho is accepting applications for a Highway Maintenance Worker Level 2. This is a full-time position requiring a CDL and the ability to respond to emergencies, snow removal and other conditions arising outside of standard work hours. This may include occasional calls on weekends, evenings, and holidays. The ideal candidate will have at least two years of experience in highway maintenance, construction, and methods. Experience operating large trucks and heavy road equipment, at the municipal level, is a plus. Applicants must be able to perform strenuous physical labor, be self-motivated, maintain a positive attitude and be a team player.

The starting hourly wage is dependent on qualifications and experience. The Town of Jericho offers excellent benefits, including health and dental insurance, vacation and personal time and a retirement plan. The successful applicant will be subject to pre-employment drug test, medical examination, and a driving background check.

Interested applicants must submit a cover letter, resume, and 3 reference to the Jericho Town Hall, at 67 VT 15 Jericho, M-F 8:30am to 2:30pm. Application materials may also be submitted to Asst. Town Administrator, Paula Carrier at pcarrier@jerichovt.gov

Please include Attention: Highway Maintenance Position in header. Questions? Contact Highway Supervisor, Adam Magee at 802.899.3180. Position open until filled.

COMMUNICATIONS COORDINATOR

The Green Mountain Club is hiring for a full-time position that will be responsible for gathering and distributing content across GMC’s communications channels and supporting the club’s 14 membership sections communications work.

Visit greenmountainclub.org/jobs. Applications accepted until October 24.

For a complete job description and to apply, please visit greenmountainclub.org

VNRC LEGISLATIVE INTERNSHIP

Would you like to learn about Vermont’s legislative process and track policies related to climate change, affordable housing, transportation, environmental justice, clean water, forests and wildlife? The Vermont Natural Resources Council is seeking a Legislative Intern to assist VNRC and our partners, Vermont Conservation Voters and the Vermont Planners Association, in advancing legislation through the Vermont State House, JanuaryMay 2023. Visit vnrc.org for the full job description and to apply.

Assistant City Attorney

Public Works Director

The Town of Hinesburg, Vermont is seeking qualified applicants for the position of Public Works Director. The Town of Hinesburg has a population of approximately 4,700 residents and encompasses approximately 40 square miles. Hinesburg is a growing community, located 10-miles from downtown Burlington, the University of Vermont and Lake Champlain.

The Town of Hinesburg maintains 55 miles of road, 870 water connections, and 650 wastewater connections.

Nearly 500 new housing units are expected within the next 8-10 years. Construction of a new sequential batch reactor wastewater plant is slated to begin in 2023. The addition of a well to the town’s drinking water system is in the preliminary engineering phase. The Town Hall has a structurally compromised roof and the Fire Station is inadequate for future needs so replacement of both structures is currently in the early planning phase. A new highway garage was completed in 2018.

The Town offers a comprehensive benefits package and a starting salary of $80,000 - $90,000 depending upon qualifications and experience. A full job description can be found under about/employment at Hinesburg.org. To be considered for the position, submit a resume and cover letter to Todd Odit, Town Manager via email to todit@hinesburg.org by November 4, 2022.

The Town of Hinesburg is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and is committed to diversity, equity and inclusion hiring goals to create a diverse workforce within the community.

The City of Rutland is seeking applicants for a full-time Assistant City Attorney to act as assistant corporation counsel for the City of Rutland. This position has a salary of between $70,000 and $80,000 and is a mayoral appointment, subject to approval by the Board of Aldermen.

Essential Job Functions:

• Provide general legal and policy advice to the Mayor, Board of Aldermen, City departments and various city boards and commissions

• Draft and/or review legal documents (including agreements and contracts), ordinances, and other rules and regulations

• Represent the City in litigation; including all aspects of pleadings, discovery, negotiation, settlement, trial, and appeals

• Attend board and commission meetings for purposes of providing real-time advice and guidance

Qualifications/Basic Job Requirements:

• Juris Doctor (J.D.) or equivalent required

• License to practice law in the State of Vermont required

• Ability to quickly learn new areas of law as they relate to a wide variety of City operations

• Ability to e ectively and accurately draft memoranda, litigation documents, agreements, new ordinances and policy initiatives

• Ability to conduct legal and other types of research

The City of Rutland o ers a competitive benefits package, including health, dental and vision insurance, life insurance, a pension through VMERS, holidays, vacation and sick leave. This position allows for some telework opportunities.

For a detailed job description, please contact Judy Frazier, HR Director at (802) 774-7811 or email at judyf@rutlandcity.org

Cover letter and resume may be emailed to the same address, or mailed to: City of Rutland, Attn: HR Director, P.O. Box 969, Rutland, VT. 05702

Ride Coordinator/ Dispatcher:

We are looking for a reliable Ride Coordinator/ Dispatcher to act as a communication point for all SSTA drivers on the road. You will use our automated scheduling software to: transmit messages and track vehicles, schedule and move same day rides, and act as the point of contact for all of our amazing drivers on the road! The ideal candidate must be primarily an excellent communicator and able to remain calm and composed in varying situations. You will be asked to multi-task as well as take the appropriate action with little supervision. The goal is to enable different parties to communicate well by ensuring the accurate and timely transmission of information.

Previous experience is a plus, but not required! We have a great team here to help train and get you up to speed.

Para Transit Drivers:

We are looking for Drivers to transport SSTA clients in a comfortable, safe and timely manner. Driver responsibilities include driving a 27’ lift-equipped van, providing reliable door-todoor transportation service to those in need, and arranging regular cleaning and maintenance services for the vehicle. Ultimately, you will help us increase customer satisfaction, making sure clients who depend on us for their transportation needs are delivered best-inclass service! To be considered for this role, you should have a valid driver’s license, a clean driving record with no traffic violations, and a desire to contribute to your community! Note that you don’t need to have a car; we provide drivers with our own vehicles.

Full or Part time positions available.

Apply online: sstarides.org/employment-opportunities/ ALL candidates must complete our application in full.

SSTA offers a robust benefits package, competitive pay, paid holidays, and vacation time.

SSTA is an Equal Opportunity Employer. SSTA is subject to the rules and regulations of the Drug and Alcohol Policy.

MARKETING, COMMUNICATIONS, AND EVENTS COORDINATOR

The Marketing, Communications, and Events Coordinator supports the Executive Director and works closely with all staff and partners to manage communications and messaging, develop and release content, and produce events that increase awareness and engagement with and across our network of partners in addiction and mental health recovery. As an integral part of our small team, the Marketing, Communications, and Events Coordinator ensures that our messaging approaches are consistent with best practices, our materials accurately reflect current knowledge and trends about co-occurring recovery, and that our events inspire participation, deepened community engagement, and advance VAMHAR/Recovery Vermont as a thought leader and critical partner in supporting, expanding, and evolving the recovery and peer workforce across Vermont.

The Marketing, Communications, and Events Coordinator will help VAMHAR embody our values –including embedding practices to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility – and deepen a culture of resilience and empowerment across our vast network of recovery coaches, recovery centers, the peer workforce, peer-support organizations, and all partners who help celebrate and expand access to recovery resources and services for Vermonters.

Qualifications:

•

communications, events planning, community engagement, or a similar body of work in the public or non-profit

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

Mt. Mansfield Academy is a dynamic, growing organization!

To support our on-going development, we seek to hire:

ASSISTANT TO FINANCE DIRECTOR

Highlights of the position include but are not limited to:

• Help with daily financial data entry and general bookkeeping.

• Update, maintain, scan/file financial records/documents.

• Process & pay invoices.

• Receiving & depositing customer payments.

Requirements for consideration are as follows:

• Bookkeeping experience.

• Proficiency with Quickbooks and Microsoft Office applications.

• Detail oriented and time efficient.

• High level of professional confidentiality and discretion.

• Oral and written communication skills.

JUNIOR PROGRAM SKI COACH

For the 2022/2023 ski racing season, Mount Mansfield Academy seeks a Junior Program Ski Coach to assist with any and all operations related to running, preparation, and breakdown of all on-snow training sessions for their respective training group. Maintenance of training venues, assisting with other groups’ training sessions, and to the extent their schedule allows assisting with home races are major components of the position.

A coach is expected to exhibit professionalism and responsibility in accordance with the MMA employee handbook at all times both on and off the hill when representing MMA. A ski coach must be willing to teach children while working well with other adults on aligned acts of improvement in a fun and challenging environment. A coach must have a strong technical skiing ability and a background of ski racing or ski instruction is preferred. The MMA staff is a close-knit team; we rely on each other and benefit from teamwork and communication.

Specific job requirements of the position include:

• Strong ability to work with, teach, and inspire young ski racers to establish a technically sound skiing ability in a safe environment.

• First Aid/CPR Certification (paid for by MMA).

• USSA and VARA Coaches Licensing (paid for by MMA).

• Able to obtain a USSA Level 100 Certification (minimum) including background check and Safesport Training (Facilitated by MMA).

PARKING LOT/GROUNDS ATTENDANTS

As the 2022/2023 ski racing season approaches, Mt. Mansfield Academy seeks to hire multiple parking lot/grounds attendants to:

• Supervise parking during race events & patrol grounds to secure events.

• Interact with racers, families, and the public to give directions and provide general hospitality.

During the ski racing season the workday is from 7:00 a.m. until 3:00 p.m. on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. During holiday periods, further shifts may be required. Wages are hourly at $20.00 per hour.

Please contact MMA today to take advantage of these exciting opportunities to work on the Mountain this winter!

Send resumes to jmaher@mmsca.org with job title in the subject line.

Nursing Coordinator

Want your evenings, weekends, and holidays free? Adult day center committed to helping frail adults stay at home is seeking a 40 hour/ week Licensed Practical Nurse, with relevant experience. Oversee health monitoring services which promote health and wellness Monday through Friday 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Tasks include administering medications, blood glucose monitoring, taking vital signs, treatments, wound care, documenting care provided and coordinating care with other health care providers and caregivers. Develop & implement plans of care. Supervise Nursing Assistants. Provide emergency first aid as needed. Good clinical, communication & organizational skills crucial.

To apply, send resume and cover letter to CarePartners Adult Day Center at 640 Franklin Park West, St. Albans or download an application at www.carepartnersvt.org. E.O.E.

Join the team at Gardener’s Supply Company! G ardener’s Supply is America’s leading catalog and web-based gardening company. We work hard AND offer a fun place to work with summer bocce games, BBQs, employee garden plots and much more! We also offer strong cultural values, competitive wages and outstanding benefits (ranging from a tremendous discount on plants & product, to actually owning shares of the company!).

ACCOUNTS RECEI VABLE COORDINATO R/ ACCOUNTS PAYABLE ASSIS TANT:

Our Accounting team is looking for an individual that will be responsible for all accounts receivable and collection activity for Gardener ’s Supply and our various divisions. Duties include daily bank deposits, internal employee billings, collections on returned checks, and providing back up to various Accounting depar tment functions. This position will also assist in accounts payable activities including invoice matching and invoice entry. This person must have 2 years work experience in accounting or related fields; proficient knowledge of spreadsheets and word processing (Excel & Word preferred); excellent customer service skills, both internally and externally. A high school diploma or equivalent minimum experience required, associate's degree preferred.

We are a 100% employee-owned company and an award winning and nationally recognized socially responsible business, voted one of Vermont’s “Best Places to Work.” Interested? Please send your cover letter & resumé to Gardener’s Supply Company, 128 Intervale Rd., Burlington, VT 05401 or to jobs@gardeners.com.

www.gardeners.com

DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS

(City of Montpelier, Vermont – population 8,118)

Montpelier, the capital city of Vermont, is seeking a Public Works Director. This high-level management position provides leadership and oversight to three divisions; streets, water distribution / sewer collection, and equipment (fleet operations) and the water and wastewater treatment facilities. Also responsible for managing traffic operations, stormwater, combined sewer overflow long term control plan, , district heat, engineering, facilities, sustainability winter maintenance, capital planning, and a variety of other issues.

Under the administrative overview of the City Manager, the Public Works Director directs the Department through effective communications, planning, staff management, resource allocation, and assures the effective development and delivery of Public Works projects required to meet the City’s goals. Additionally, the Public Works Director provides excellent customer service to the residents and business owners in Montpelier by administering a staff of approximately 40 employees with a budget of $12 million (including general, water, sewer, district heat and capital funds.)

Interested candidates should hold a Bachelor’s Degree from an accredited four-year college or university in engineering, public administration, or a related field. Qualified candidates should have significant experience in managing public organizations, public works projects, including supervisory experience or an equivalent combination of education, training and experience. Knowledge and experience with principles of sustainability are a plus.

OWN YOUR CAREER. OWN YOUR FUTURE. OWN YOUR COMPANY.

YOUR CAREER.

Hypertherm is more than a place to work; it’s a place to call your own. And right now, we’re hiring 2nd and 3rd shift Machine Operators to join our 100% Associate-owned team. Own your future with a $2,000 sign-on bonus, great pay and benefits. Become an Associate and you’ll earn exceptional incentives that include:

YOUR COMPANY.

Hypertherm is more than a place to work; it’s a place to call your own. And right now, we’re hiring 2nd and 3rd shift Machine Operators to join our 100% Associate-owned team. Own your future with a $2,000 sign-on bonus, great pay and benefits. Become an Associate and you’ll earn exceptional incentives that include:

Great pay and benefits – including reduced medical premiums starting on Day 1

The successful candidate will have excellent communications and project management skills and the ability to make strategic decisions around staffing, budgeting, and procedural development. Additionally, they will be a leader able to delegate authority and responsibility while maintaining appropriate levels of operational control. Finally, they will have excellent interpersonal, public presentation, and collaboration skills, have demonstrated ability to track multiple priorities and activities, must be able to work creatively with tight budgets for the best public value. Technical writing skills considered a plus and a sample may be requested. Must have or be able to obtain a valid Vermont driver’s license. Montpelier residency is preferred but not required.

An annual profit-sharing bonus with a target of 20%

Great pay and benefits – including reduced medical premiums starting on Day 1

Hypertherm is more than a place to work; it’s a place to call your own. And right now, we’re hiring 2nd and 3rd shift Machine Operators to join our 100% Associate-owned team. Own your future with a $2,000 sign-on bonus, great pay and benefits. Become an Associate and you’ll earn exceptional incentives that include:

The security of an over 50-year history with no layoffs

An annual profit-sharing bonus with a target of 20%

The security of an over 50-year history with no layoffs

Apply

The position requires significant direct interaction with local elected officials, state regulatory officials, professional consultants, construction contractors and crews, residents, and fellow city employees.

The City of Montpelier offers a comprehensive benefit package. The salary for the position is up to $101,920 based on qualifications.

Interested candidates should electronically submit a letter of interest, resume and list of references to tchambers@montpelier.vt.org. The position will be posted until filled and review process will begin no later than November 1, 2022. The selection process may include background check, drug test and/or psychological exam. A full job description is available at montpelier-vt.org

Hypertherm

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Licensed Mental Health Clinicians

Sought to join established, interdisciplinary mental health practice. Opportunities for both full and part time clinicians in Burlington, South Burlington, Shelburne, Essex, Williston, Richmond, Middlebury, St. Albans, and Montpelier.

Our practice serves children, adolescents, adults and families. We offer individual, couples and group therapy services. We work with all payors and referral sources. Credentialing, intake and billing services available.

Please respond by CV to alesia@ocamhs.com

DONOR SUPPORT & DATABASE COORDINATOR

Seasonal Positions & Flexible Schedule

need to pick up

Want to earn some extra cash?

the The World’s Finest Ham, Bacon and Smoked Meat

schedules, paid training, a fun work environment. Apply in person: 210 East Main St, Richmond (Just 15 minutes from Burlington or Waterbury)

Apply

Employment Opportunities Available:

Elmwood Avenue Shelter Community Champlain Housing Trust has several exciting positions available as it prepares to manage a community that will provide shelter to individuals who have experienced chronic homelessness. All positions require a high level of empathy, tolerance, a positive attitude, excellent customer service and conflict deescalation skills and a strong commitment to the housing first model. Evening and weekend hours are required in all roles.

Site Manager: This individual will be responsible for leading the dayto-day operations of the site including supervision and cultivation of a high performing team, scheduling, managing relationships with vendors and partners, and creative problem-solving. Supervisory experience is required, experience working in social services, housing programs, business management or a related field is strongly preferred.

Assistant Site Manager (2): These individuals will carry out a wide variety of duties supporting day-to-day operations, working closely with the Site Manager and Front Desk Associates to promote a positive experience for guests and staff. Experience working in social services, housing programs, retail, hospitality or a related field is strongly preferred. Supervisory experience is a strong plus.

Front Desk Associate/Community Support (4): These individuals will welcome guests and promote a positive guest experience, providing professional, high quality service. Experience in social services, hospitality, retail or a related field is a strong plus.

One of Vermont’s Best Places to Work in 2022, 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.

For additional details regarding these positions or to apply, please visit our career page: getahome.org/career.

Champlain Housing Trust is committed to a diverse workplace and highly encourages women, persons with disabilities, Section 3 residents, and people from diverse racial, ethnic and cultural backgrounds to apply.

TRAINING SPECIALIST

The Training Specialist supports the Director of Training and works closely with all staff and partners to build and sustain an experience for participants that inspires trust, confidence, deep learning, and ongoing engagement with Recovery Vermont as the field advances and changes. The Training Specialist will provide organization, coordination, and communication support for Recovery Vermont’s nationally recognized and certified training programs.

The Training Specialist is organized, motivated, and creative with excellent verbal and written communications skills, project management skills, and proven experience training. This is a fast-paced job, in a training department that hosts over 50 trainings per year, and is supported by a collaborative team interested in your ideas and ongoing career development. The Training Specialist will help VAMHAR embody our values – including embedding practices to promote equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility – and deepen a culture of resilience and empowerment across our vast network of recovery coaches, recovery centers, the peer workforce, peer-support organizations, and all partners who help celebrate and expand access to recovery resources and services for Vermonters.

Benefits:

• Blue Cross Blue Shield Platinum Plan - VAMHAR pays 80%, employee pays 20%. Dental and vision available.

• 4 weeks paid vacation per year and all State of Vermont holidays off, paid.

• 3% gross annual salary employer match retirement account.

• $1,500 annual Flexible Spending Account.

• Flexible Remote Work Policy: We support employee’s flexibility to work remotely and from the office, with the expectation of in-person meetings at our offices in Montpelier for collaboration, team-building, and events as scheduled in advance.

Read the full job description on our website: recoveryvermont.org This position will remain open until filled. If you’d like to learn more before applying, you are welcome to request an informal interview! Candidates are encouraged to submit resumes and cover letters to: Dru Roessle at info@recoveryvermont.org

EXECUTIVE CO-DIRECTOR

Business Manager

Our team is seeking a person primarily responsible for managing all fi nancial information and reporting of the organization, including internal and external reporting, budgeting, forecasting, and monitoring. The position also manages human resources and payroll, IT, and facilities.

The Addison County Parent/Child Center (ACPCC) is seeking a new CoDirector to lead this well-known and highly respected non-profit located in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1980, the ACPCC is a member of the Vermont Parent Child Center Network dedicated to providing family support services, therapeutic childcare and education, prevention and support for youth, adults and children in Addison County.

The ideal candidate will have a bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance and a minimum of 7 years of progressively responsible, hands-on work experience in a similar role. Previous experience working with nonprofit organizations, either as an auditor or on staff is preferred. A thorough understanding of US GAAP and fund accounting, as well as fi nancial and budgeting processes is necessary. Please send a letter of interest and resume/CV.

Telephone Triage Nurse (RN)

We are seeking a full time Telephone Triage Nurse (RN) who is responsible for providing telephone advice and coordinating patient care for women of all ages in a fast pace practice. The Telephone Triage Nurse is responsible for knowing and supporting the practice with providing direction of care, clinical phone advice, patient education, making referrals, coordinating care and providing high quality care to the women they serve.

The triage team is the primary point of contact for telephone patients with a variety of pregnancy related or gynecological health concerns. The triage nurse will be collecting subjective data related to the presenting problem and medical history, utilizing critical thinking and problem solving skills, assigning acuity, and ensuring timely disposition of all calls. There is also an opportunity to have some direct patient care in the clinic by monitoring blood pressures, giving injections, obtaining urine samples, and performing fetal monitoring in pregnancy.

Co-Director

The Addison County Parent/Child Center (ACPCC) is seeking a Co-Director to LEAD this wellknown and highly respected non-profit located in Middlebury, Vermont. The ACPCC is dedicated to providing family support services, therapeutic childcare and education, prevention and support for youth, adults and children in Addison County.

This is a great opportunity for an innovative, creative, energetic, engaged community leader who is passionate about making a difference in a co-directorship model.

The successful candidate will possess:

• Strong communication skill

• A team-oriented work style

This is a great opportunity for an energetic and engaged community leader who is passionate about making a difference in the community by leading an organization in a co-directorship model. The successful candidate will possess strong communication skills, a team-oriented work style, a passion for working with families and children, and a dedication to social justice issues. The candidate will have experience working with human services and state agencies, experience in all aspects of human resource and personnel management and experience in managing and overseeing data collections and analysis. Candidates must also demonstrate understanding of financial management of multiple funding streams and fund development.

• A passion for working with families and children

Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to jobs@maitriobgyn.com

Staff Attorney Full Time

Disability Rights Vermont is Vermont’s Protection & Advocacy system. DRVT is expanding its legal team and looking to hire a staff attorney with some experience to assist in our advocacy of people with disabilities. Advocacy includes litigation, policy advocacy, outreach and monitoring, and public education.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• A dedication to social justice issues.

The candidate will have experience:

Preference will be given to candidates with a graduate degree in social work, nonprofit management, education, or a related field. For more information, including a full job description, please contact Donna Bailey at dbailey@addisoncountypcc.org

• Draft legal memoranda

• Working with human services and state agencies in all aspects of human resource and personnel management

• Experience in managing and overseeing data collection and analysis

Interested applicants are expected to submit a letter of interest and a CV.

• Assist, advise, and represent clients with disabilities on a wide range of issues from discrimination, getting reasonable accommodations, remedying rights violations, and victims representation

• Identify & review potential cases and develop advocacy strategies

• Conduct outreach and monitoring

• Draft reports, articles, and other publications

• Develop and maintain relationships with community partners

Outreach Position

Interested applicants are expected to submit their letter of interest, resume, and contact information by April 30, 2018, sent by regular mail to: ACPCC Search Committee, P.O. Box 646 Middlebury, VT 05753 or by email to: dbailey@addisoncountypcc.org

We are seeking a staff person to be a part of our outreach team, which provides support to young families through center and home-based services.

Position includes individual and group work opportunities, collaboration with community agencies ,and home visiting.

MSW preferred, a minimum of a bachelor’s degree in a related fi eld is required. Great working environment and benefits. Total hours negotiable.

materials to: Donna Bailey at dbailey@addisoncountypcc.org

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Licensed to practice law in Vermont

• Some legal experience preferred

• Litigation experience is a plus but not required (clerkship or fellowship experience also a plus)

• Experience working with people with disabilities is a plus

• Excellent research, writing, and analytical skills

• Strong interpersonal skills

• Demonstrated commitment to public interest work

• Ability to work with a team

• Compassionate, creative & ability to maintain a sense of humor

• Supervisory or management skills are a plus

Salary is competitive for a non-profit public interest legal organization and is based on experience. DRVT offers a competitive benefit package. This position comes with an opportunity for growth within the organization.

Please apply by October 28, 2022 by sending a cover letter explaining your interest in advocating for people with disabilities, resume, writing sample 10 pages or less & contact information for 3 references to: Nicole Chicoine (she/her), Administrative Coordinator, nicole@disabilityrightsvt.org or 141 Main St., Suite 7, Montpelier, VT 05602.

LOOKING FOR A COOLER OPPORTUNITY?

Payroll & Fiscal Services Specialist

The Winooski School District is a PreK through 12 system that is housed in one educational center. Winooski is one of the most diverse school districts in the state of Vermont. Winooski's teachers and staff are highly involved in professional development programs that help increase student achievement, address the needs of a diverse student population and allow students to thrive in an engaging environment with high expectations. We are looking for our next Payroll & Fiscal Services Specialist to join our amazing staff! The ideal candidate would effectively coordinate and implement employee payroll and related payroll taxes and required federal, state, local, and district reports. Have the ability to apply advanced-level payroll and accounting skills to help ensure payroll is functioning properly and efficiently in accordance with federal and state law and district requirements. Assist in maintaining a professional, friendly, positive, and respectful work environment with an emphasis on teamwork and providing effective, efficient, and timely direct service to school personnel.

Excellent Benefits: The Winooski School District is at the heart of the city and offers competitive pay and benefits for all our full-time positions. Benefits include (but are not limited to) working among incredible educators, administrators, and educational support staff aka superheroes, paid time off, professional development funds, retirement, health insurance, employer-funded health reimbursement arrangement (HRA), free life and dental insurance, and so many more!

The Winooski School District is especially interested in candidates who can contribute to the diversity and excellence of the district. Applicants are encouraged to include in their cover letter information about how they will further this goal.

Follow @SevenDaysJobs

Medical Assistant

Seeking full time experienced medical assistant to join our busy OB/GYN practice clinical team. Experience in women’s health is preferred but not required. Looking for someone that can work accurately and efficiently in a fast paced environment. The position requires competency in taking vitals, phlebotomy, immunization administration, assisting with medical procedures and medical intake. Candidate should also be comfortable with EMR systems, medical terminology, and general computer skills.

Looking for an individual with good interpersonal and communication skills, who understands the importance of providing quality customer service and has a willingness to be flexible with duties in order to meet the needs of the patients and the clinic. Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to jobs@maitriobgyn.com.

If you have any questions or would like to apply, please contact Sarah Haven, Director of Human Resources, SHaven@wsdvt.org, or 802-383-6140

Manager of Information Systems/Union Vacancy

Job Responsibilities:

The Manager of Information Systems is responsible for planning, coordinating, and facilitating the effective operation of WEC's information and telecom munication systems, including geographic information system, and their continuing improvement in response to changing technologies and overall organization requirements. Provides technical assistance to employees regarding their effective access and use of available resources and programs. Monitors and administers the computer ized operating system of WEC's Wrightsville hydroelectric generating plant. Provides backup assistance to the Operations and Engineering Departments, including radio dispatch, as needed. Work is varied in nature with changing priorities. Incumbent applies in-depth knowl edge of computer information and telecommunication systems, elec tric transmission and distribution systems, and safe-work practices applicable to work performed. Works under limited supervision and in compliance with established policies, procedures & regulations.

Submit letter of interest to Teia Greenslit, Director of Finance, PO Box 8, East Montpelier, VT 05651, or teia.greenslit@wec.coop

ADMINISTRATOR

POSITION OVERVIEW:

The Administrator for the NH & VT Council of Charitable Gift Planners provides staff support to the Board of Directors and the Council’s members. The position requires an average of 10-20 hours per month. Administrator must have a computer, phone & internet access. This position is remote except for attending the 3-4 programs per year.

POSITION RESPONSIBILITIES & PREFERRED SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE:

Membership/Sponsorship

• Maintain database of members and prospects; produce reports as needed. Familiarity with Little Green Light (database software program) or other donor database software is beneficial.

• Oversee outreach for membership & sponsorship purposes, including targeted e-mail messages & mailings. Familiarity with Mailchimp/other email marketing programs is beneficial & preferred.

• Engage with board members to follow up with sponsors or lapsed members or to solicit new sponsors or ask new members to join.

• Communicate with individuals representing organizations about the benefits of the various levels of membership. Track payment and follow up when necessary. Familiarity with PayPal or other ecommerce platform is preferred.

Washington Electric Cooperative is an

opportunity provider and employer.

Date of Posting:

Salary Range:

of:

• Ensure that sponsors are acknowledged according to their sponsorship level. This includes obtaining logos and including them, as applicable, on the website, on print materials, and in e-mail communications.

Quarterly Programs & Annual Conference

• Design marketing materials for programs via email marketing platform.

• Create and activate program page on the Council website to include online registration and confirmation processes.

• Maintain database of prospective attendees and members for program marketing purposes; track participants for all programs.

Resume, letter of interest, and salary information requests can be sent to Kim Fine at kfine@kurnhattin.org

fun stuff

HARRY BLISS

JEN SORENSEN

CALCOKU

SUDOKU

“Siri, where is the heart?”

stuff

RYAN RIDDLE

Making it is not :(

KRISTEN SHULL

Fran Krause

neurosis illustrated in these pages.

LIBRA

(SEP. 23-OCT. 22)

Libra poet Wallace Stevens said that the great poems of heaven and hell have already been written, and now it is time to generate the great poems of earth. I’d love to invite all Libras, including nonwriters, to apply that perspective in their own sphere. Just forget about heaven and hell for now. Turn your attention away from perfection and fantasylands and lofty heights. Disregard pathologies and muck and misery. Instead, explore and celebrate the precious mysteries of the world as it is. Be a connoisseur of the beauty and small miracles embedded in life’s little details. Find glory in the routine.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): “We must be willing to let go of the life we planned so as to have the life that is waiting for us.” Aries mytholo gist Joseph Campbell said that, and now I’m passing it on to you just in time for the Sacred Surrender Phase of your astrological cycle. Make sage use of Campbell’s wisdom, Aries! You will generate good fortune for yourself as you work to release expectations that may be interfering with the arrival of new stories and adventures. Be brave, my dear, as you relinquish outdated attachments and shed defunct hopes.

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): Plastic bags are used for an average of 12 minutes before being discarded. Then they languish in our soil or oceans, degrading slowly as they cause mayhem for animals and ecosystems. In alignment with current cosmic rhythms, I’m encouraging you to be extra discerning in your relationship with plastic bags — as well as with all other unproductive, impractical, wasteful things and people. In the coming weeks, you will thrive by focusing on what will serve you with high integrity for a long time.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): Achilleas Fran gakis is a professor of electron microscopy. He studies the biochemistry of cells. In one of his research projects, he investigated how cells interact with the outside world. He didn’t learn much about that question, but as he experimented, he inadvertently uncov ered fascinating new information about another subject: how cells interact with each other when they heal a wound. His “success ful failure” was an example of what scientists sometimes do: They miss what they looked for but find unexpected data and make serendipitous discoveries. I suspect you will experience comparable luck sometime soon, Gemini. Be alert for goodies you weren’t in quest of.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Renowned Brazilian novelist Osman Lins was born under the sign of Cancer the Crab. He wrote, “I will now live my life with the inventiveness of an engineer who drives his locomotive off the tracks. No more beaten paths: Improvisation is the rule.” In the coming weeks, I am all in favor of you, my fellow Cancerian, being an inventive adventurer who improvises liberally and departs from well-worn routes. However, I don’t recommend you do the equivalent of running your train off the tracks. Let’s instead imagine you as piloting a four-wheel-drive, allterrain vehicle. Go off-road to explore. Impro vise enthusiastically as you reconnoiter the unknown. But do so with scrupulous attention to what’s healthy and inspiring.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): In recent years, art historians have recovered numerous mas terpieces that had been missing for years. They include a sculpture by Bernini, a sketch

Eva Sollberger’s

Watch at sevendaysvt.com

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY

ROB BREZSNYREAL

by Picasso, a drawing by Albrecht Dürer and a painting by Titian. I’m a big fan of efforts like these: searching for and finding lost treasures. And I think you should make that a fun project in the coming weeks. Are there any beautiful creations that have been lost or forgotten? Useful resources that have been neglected? Wild truths that have been buried or underestimated? In accordance with astro logical potentials, I hope you will explore such possibilities.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): The most impor tant experience for you to seek in the coming months is to be seen and respected for who you really are. Who are the allies best able to give you that blessing? Make vigorous efforts to keep them close and treat them well. To inspire your mission, I offer you three quotes. 1) Franz Kafka said, “All the love in the world is useless if there is a total lack of understand ing.” 2) Anais Nin wrote, “I don’t want worship. I want understanding.” 3) George Orwell: “Per haps one did not want to be loved so much as to be understood.”

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Here are two top Scorpio pastimes: 1) exploring and deploy ing your intense, fertile creativity; 2) spiraling gleefully down into deep, dark voids in pursuit of deep, dark riches. Sometimes those two hobbies dovetail quite well; you can satisfy both pursuits simultaneously. One of my favorite variations on this scenario is when the deep, dark void you leap into turns out to actually be a lush wonderland that stimulates your intense, fertile creativity. According to my analysis of the astrological omens, that’s likely to happen soon.

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21):

“I don’t want to be made pacified or made comfortable. I like stuff that gets your adren aline going.” Sagittarian filmmaker Kathryn Bigelow said that. With the help of this atti tude, she became the first woman ever to win an Academy Award for Best Director. Her film was The Hurt Locker, about American soldiers in Iraq who dispose of unexploded bombs while being harassed by enemies. Anyway, Bigelow’s approach is usually too hard-ass for me. I’m a sensitive Cancer the Crab, not a bold Sagittarius the Centaur like Bigelow and

you. But I don’t want to assume you’re in the mood for her approach. If you are, though, the coming weeks will be a favorable time to deploy it. Some marvelous epiphanies and healing changes will be available if you forswear stuff that makes you pacified or comfortable.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Author Jan Richardson tells us we can’t return home by taking the same route we used when we departed. This will be wise advice for you to keep in mind during the next nine months. I expect you will be attempting at least two kinds of homecomings. For best results, plan to travel by different routes than those that might seem natural and obvious. The most direct path — the successful passage — may be circuitous.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): In the coming days, maintain strict boundaries between yourself and anyone or anything that’s not healthy for you. Be ultra-discerning as you decide which influences you will al low to affect you and which you won’t. And rather than getting sour and tense as you do this, I recommend you proceed with wicked humor and sly irony. Here are three saucy self-protective statements you can use to ward off threats and remain inviolable. 1)

“The current ambience does not align sweetly with my vital soul energy; I must go track down some more harmonious karma.” 2) “This atmosphere is out of sync with my deep precious selfness; I am compelled to take my deep precious selfness elsewhere.” 3) “The undertones here are agitating my undercur rents; it behooves me to track down groovier overtones.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): While asleep, have you ever dreamt of discovering new rooms in a house or other building you know well? I bet you will have at least one such dream soon. What does it mean? It suggests you want and need to get in touch with parts of yourself that have been dormant or unavail able. You may uncover evocative secrets about your past and present that had been unknown to you. You will learn about new resources you can access and provocative possibilities you had never imagined.

NEW VIDEO!

South Hero's Allenholm Farm dates back to 1870; seven generations of the Allen family have run it. For decades, Ray W. Allen and his late wife, Pam, welcomed visitors and operated a petting zoo there. Today, members of the fifth, sixth and seventh generations run the farm. Eva visited recently and picked some apples.

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WOMEN seeking...

VIVACIOUS FEMME VITALE

Here we are, searching for that special person who can add the missing element. Hoping to find someone genuine and secure in himself; solvent in finances; and enjoying some of the things I like — outdoors, cooking, watching movies, walking in woods or talking over a cuppa something good. Simple pleasures shared can become memorable and cherished moments. I await your call. sunni1sotrue 68, seeking: M, l

LAUGHTER, OUTDOORSY GODDESS

I’m a people person who needs nature and witty friends. I’m politically engaged, but not obsessively so. I’m humanist; love animals and nature. I do improv and teach it. I love traveling and large bodies of water and swimming in them. I love cycling. tobeytomorrow 64 seeking: M, Q, l

INTUITIVE, CARING, LOVE BEING OUTSIDE

I am a passionate, fit, caring, downto-earth woman looking to share adventures. I love to be active — hiking, skiing, running, yoga. I love to travel, as I am fascinated by the different ways people live their lives. I hope to have honest, interesting, authentic conversations where we really get to know each other. Let’s meet for coffee or a drink! lovemountains 57, seeking: M, l

MAN BITES DOG

This is the worst part, because there is no right answer and it’s a pass/fail exam. I’m a Unique Woman (standard package, no upgrades). I like a comfortable silence almost as much as comfortable banter. Lead with your second-best opener, unless it’s late in the season. Pearly_Sweetcake, 41, seeking: M, l

MATURE, INDEPENDENT AND LOYAL

I have a variety of interests and am always open to learning about what others do for fun. I’m not really a couch potato, but I’m not a regular at the gym either. I’m completely comfortable in my own space, keeping myself happily occupied most of the time. That being said, a special someone would be a welcomed diversion. SJ065, 57, seeking: M, l

CREATIVE, WARMHEARTED OUTDOORSWOMAN

I’m taking the risk of “putting myself out there” with hopes of connecting with a man who enjoys getting his hands in the dirt, canoeing, kayaking, walking and hiking. I like carefully prepared whole-food meals, am an avid reader and appreciate lively discussions. I live a quiet, nature-connected life and value spending time with others who enjoy the same. turningleaf, 67 seeking: M, l

INDEPENDENT COUNTRY GIRL LOOKING FOR LOVE

Online dating was a flop, so a friend suggested trying this! While I’m very independent, I want to share this wonderful world with someone! I own my own home, work hard, and love my rescue dogs and horse with all my heart. My dream would be to run a farm and/ or animal rescue alongside my person! SweetasCandie29, 29, seeking: M, l

ENERGETIC, CREATIVE, HONEST, INDEPENDENT

I am a combination of outdoorswoman, ballroom dancer and retired application developer. Hardworking, honest, funloving, romantic. Family is important to to me. I have a log cabin in NEK that I love. Hoping to find someone to laugh, learn and explore with. Friends first. College grad, Caucasian. Cabingirl 66, seeking: M, l

ENJOY LIFE BEFORE I’M DEAD

Looking for someone to share time with. Traveling is one of my passions. I enjoy the outdoors, camping, hiking, walking, snowshoeing, music, dancing and playing cards. I love spending time with family and friends and my little dog. ladyinvt 65, seeking: M, l

GONNA NEED A BIGGER BOAT

I’m definitely a country-city girl who appreciates someone who understands “both worlds.” I definitely tend to be a ride-or-die girl. I’ve lived life’s high highs and low lows — most compatible with the same. Really “get” this song? “Welcome to My House” by Nu Breed featuring Jesse Howard (YouTube/official video). Yes, we’re on same wavelength. No, well, we’ll see. MVIslandDreamin, 50, seeking: M, l

LOVER OF GOD SEEKS SAME

Tall and slender, athletic, active and fun, pretty enough and youthful, mother of adult kids, Swiss German American. I’m passionate and singleminded, vulnerable yet capable. I would love to rest in the arms of a kindred spirit. Love to travel, hate to pack. Ivy League education. Have always asked the big questions of life. Hope you do, too. Govinda, 66 seeking: M, l

UNCANNY INTELLIGENCE, INTENSE WIT, SENSITIVE

I’m an engaged listener. Love to share honestly and laugh a lot. A lot of spontaneous ceremony and joy in communing with nature, as well as people in the most easeful states possible. Unconventional views on just about everything. Disengaged from most news and social media. ISO LTR. femininepersuasion, 50, seeking: M

NATURE-LOVING ARTIST

Looking for a friend for local hikes, dining, concerts, etc. Possible travel partner, and if love grows, that would be awesome. It’s fall 2022, and I just created this account. Will write more soon. Will send photos. If you have a drug or alcohol dependency, please do not contact me. Artfulllife 65, seeking: M, W, l

GOOD RELATIONSHIPS START WITH FRIENDSHIP

Easygoing and loyal woman looking for friends first, casual dating and seeing what the future holds. Love everything about nature and being outdoors. Avid reader. Road trips. Art. Music. Wildlife. Open to trying almost anything! New experiences help us learn and open our minds. Vaccinated, boosted and masked as appropriate. Happy to share photos privately. Artfully_Outdoors 57, seeking: M

NEW TO VERMONT

Just moved to Vermont this year. I have a great sense of humor and like to laugh. I love music and like to take long drives to nowhere discovering new areas of Vermont. For fun, I like golf and bowling, and I am not good at either but have a great time. KelBelle 53, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

OLD-SCHOOL WITH VALUES

Hi, I’m Brian. I’m a hardworking and consistent guy. I prefer happy and positive people. I believe life often gives us what we deserve (not all the time, of course). I feel like dating over 40 is an absolute joke, LOL! I’d like to try some cash dating that hopefully leads me to the right person for me.

IYELLALOT 45, seeking: W, l

BIG DOGS AND BACKYARD FIRES

Looking for someone to make a home with, ultimately. Between now and then, how about dinner dates around Vermont, skiing at Stowe or a heavy beer by the fire? Currently listening to Waxahatchee and Hayes Carll. Thanks for looking! crowe2602 34, seeking: W, l

KIND, CONSIDERATE, LONELY

I hate to admit I’m lonely, but the truth is circumstances combined with COVID to make this the current reality. As the world is opening up again, I’d like to return to international travel, dinners in Montréal, and generally living and enjoying life. snuggle_bunny 54 seeking: W

ABUNDANTLY BLESSED, PLAYFULLY POSSESSED

A moment of happiness, sitting on the verandah — apparently two, but one in soul, you and I. Indifferent to idle speculation as we laugh together. Myself: a passion for the rain forest, soaking in hot tub, giving and receiving massages, enjoying an evening at Savoy cinema, yoga at sunrise, heartfelt intimacy over a cup of tea. You: positive orientation, passionately infused, casually confident. LivingLuxuriously, 56, seeking: W, l

LAID-BACK DUDE IN NEED

I’m in a long-term committed relationship. I run real hot, and I am open to just about anything. Strictly looking for NSA, discreet fun. Been pegged before, and I am open to that or exploring with another dude. Honestly, I am just open to getting into bed with someone and having a blast. Must host. Willing to drive. Justlookin4fun, 30, seeking: M, W, TW, NC, NBP, Cp

EASYGOING

I am a happy, adventurous person who likes to get out and have fun. I love exploring new places and new adventures. I like dancing, hiking, being outdoors, spending time with friends! I’m open-minded. I can find fun in most everything. I am young at heart and enjoy being active. Love listening to rain falling! Like swimming, canoeing, kayaking. Happy63, 63, seeking: W, l

CURIOUS AND FUN

I’m seeking a non-possessive relationship fueled by a shared interest in exploring sensual and sexual pleasures and avoiding the obstacles that more traditional relationships place in the way of such exploration. I am curious about everything and appreciate curiosity and creativity. If you like good conversation (on virtually any topic) and great sex, we may be a match. Kamadeva 72, seeking: W, Cp

WANT TO SHARE

I look and feel 20 years younger than my age. I have an airplane and a sailboat and enjoy both. I have a strong background in theater and promoting the arts. I’m looking for a companion who has a sense of adventure and is a good reader. Orion2 83, seeking: W, l

LOOKING FOR THAT HONEST WOMAN

I’m a loyal, positive guy who is hardworking, and I am a fun-loving, fairly easygoing guy with a love of the outdoors. Looking for someone positive and energetic to share the rest of my life with. hills1, 55, seeking: W, l

LAID-BACK, NO DRAMA!

I am a low-key, physically fit individual looking for the same. I do not need to be catered to. If you like to be creative and like to laugh, we could have a good time. lanshrk, 59, seeking: W, l

HARDWORKING, HONEST DIESEL MECHANIC

I’m just a normal middle-aged guy who works hard and is kind, honest, faithful and not so hot. I’ve got a great little dog whom I’d die for. I own my own home — not much, but it’s home. I enjoy the outdoors! Love hiking, camping, snowshoeing, fly-fishing and RC airplanes! I’m open and honest! Ask me anything! DieselDoc 42, seeking: W, l

ISFJ, WORK IN PROGRESS, KIND, SIMPLE I value honesty, commitment, compassion. Trying to lead a kinder, gentler life and be a source of goodness. IGotAName, 43 seeking: W

FRIENDLY, GRACIOUS, SENSUAL, FUNNY Good guy seeking good woman. I’m a bit of a sapiophile; I enjoy informed, intelligent conversation. If you’re good to me and kind, I’ll return the favor and then some. Healthy, not wealthy, but self-sufficient and definitely fun to be around. I can be quite sensual and open-minded for the right person and situation. Feel free to contact me. NY7CA7VT, 67, seeking: W, l

LAID-BACK LOVE LIFE

I am a trustworthy gentleman. Very sincere. Love conversation. Love watching old movies. Love the simple things in life. Mikegates 69, seeking: W, l

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

T GIRL LIVE IN VT

I’m a feminine trans woman with a good sense of humor. I want a special someone. I like dinner and a movie or a baseball game, ride the bike path and see shows at Higher Ground. I love my record collection and taking care of my house. I’m looking for some companionship and love, building a good relationship. Luv2BaGurl, 62, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking...

REALIST WHO IS OPEN-MINDED

I’m an honest, down-to-earth person who has been through a lot in life and is looking for companionship since I’m new to the area. I’m not like most people in that I feel people are afraid to talk to me. I don’t go out of my way to make friends. I wait for them to come to me.

BreBri2022, 37 seeking: M, W, Cp

COUPLES seeking...

EXPLORING THREESOMES AND FOURSOMES

We are an older and wiser couple discovering that our sexuality is amazingly hot! Our interest is another male for threesomes or a couple. We’d like to go slowly, massage you with a happy ending. She’d love to be massaged with a happy ending or a dozen. Would you be interested in exploring sexuality with a hot older couple? DandNformen 62, seeking: M, TM, NC, Cp, l

SPICING UP OUR LIVES

Married for two wonderful years and known each other for 12. We are honest people. We are looking for another couple to go have drinks with, go on an adventure with. We are very discreet with our lives and enjoy privacy. Good hygiene is a must, and no drugs, please, If you’re out there, we would love to meet you. kjgray8784, 38, seeking: W, Cp, l

LOOKING FOR FUN

We are looking for a man to have sex with my wife as I watch or join in. I want no interaction with the man. Just fun. No STDs, but bareback. Can be more than one man with my wife. tracker17 66 seeking: M, l

COUPLE LOOKING FOR SOME FUN

My husband and I are looking for some fun with a woman or a couple to join us for some drinks and a good time. Let us know if you are interested. Torshamayo 40, seeking: M, W, Cp

BURLY BAGEL BAKERY & CAFÉ

I spied a dude with longish hair working behind the counter. I glanced at you and then again — awkwardly (sorry).

I was wearing a Carhartt beanie and clear glasses. I thought you were super cute and am wondering if you’re single. If so, coffee sometime? When: Sunday, October 16, 2022. Where: South Burlington Bagel Bakery. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915650

PIKMIN DEBATE

SATURDAY NIGHT

Your car group pulled up next to me at a red light in SB and asked if the sprout I had was a Pikmin reference. Just wanted to say it made my night to hear you were debating about a little sprout decoration and to have another fun game reference for my car. When: Saturday, October 15, 2022. Where: South Burlington near Staples. You: Group. Me: Woman. #915649

ARCHIE’S IN SHELBURNE

I saw you being sweet with your kids and wished I could have joined in your Frisbee game. I was in a yellow puffy coat at the next table with my parents. ere was excited talk of the playoffs. Something in your smile and presence struck me, and I wish I knew your name. When: Friday, October 14, 2022. Where: Archie’s Grill. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915648

I WISH...

You’re in my thoughts constantly. I want to reach out to tell you how much I miss you, but we made a deal. I wish our circumstances were different, but here we are, pining over what could have been. I miss our banter and texting you photos of the sunrise, wishing you a good morning. I miss you. When: Saturday, October 26, 2019. Where: Grazers. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915647

GEORGIA MARKET, SUNDAY 10/9/22

It was near 2 p.m. We were waiting to check out. You had two bags of sugar, and you were wearing a black coat and jeans. I was also in a black coat and wearing shorts in the cold weather. If by chance you’re single, I would enjoy getting to know you. Hope your Sunday (and assumed baking) went well. When: Sunday, October 9, 2022. Where: Georgia Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915646

SWIMMING WITH AMY

Looking to reconnect with Amy, whom I met at Bolton Potholes this September. We talked about traveling and ADHD and swimming spots! You sent me a text, but before I could save your number, my phone completely died for good! I would love to reconnect somehow.

When: Wednesday, September 7, 2022. Where: Bolton Potholes. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #915645

PARKING LOT, NNE HANNAFORD

Around 1 p.m. Windy! My door made contact with the door of a parked Nissan black SUV. Saw no dent, moved on. Ten minutes later, I realized there’s a dent in my door, and I should have looked more closely at the other car. Went back, but the car was gone. If this was you, contact me with photo of car/ damage. When: Sunday, October 2, 2022. Where: NNE Hannaford parking lot. You: Group. Me: Man. #915644

INTERVALE FOOD HUB HUBBY

You: in a Subaru ahead of me in line for Intervale Food Hub pickup. Me: minding my business in a Prius until I couldn’t help but wonder if the produce package you drove away with was for one. Us: local food enthusiasts who could maybe make dinner together sometime? When: Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Where: Intervale. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915643

LATE-NIGHT FLIGHT

You: black hair, black leather jacket, black pants, white shirt, a beautiful siren. Me: one row behind diagonally on your left, listening to music, struck by you and trying not to stare but mostly failing there. I felt mutual interest and a potential spark. HMU, let’s find out. When: Sunday, October 2, 2022. Where: airplane. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915642

RIVER DIPPING

You jumped in for a quick dip, and I wish I had said something more than hi. e guy I was with I am not actually with. I’m still trying to hit the river as long as I can; I would love to run into you again! When: ursday, September 1, 2022. Where: Richmond. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915641

BEAUTY WAITING OUTSIDE POCO

You were sitting on the bench outside, right by the door, waiting with a couple of friends. I’m the guy in the jean jacket. We had an eye contact that was electric. Please tell me you are single. If not, my apologies, and your partner is lucky. When: ursday, September 29, 2022. Where: Poco restaurant in Burlington. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915640

LIFEISANADVENTURE

You have been spied, young lady! We should talk! When: ursday, September 29, 2022. Where: here. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915639

GIRL, CHOCOLATE AISLE, CITY MARKET

I was wearing dark colors and carrying macaroons. You were wearing gray leggings and a T-shirt and checking out the chocolate bar options. I’ll just say you’re beautiful. When: Wednesday, September 28, 2022. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915638

GARMIN WATCH DEEP IN A CHICKEN I first laid eyes upon you in the ER. Since then, you’ve utilized the same deft skill you use to eviscerate chickens to grab ahold of my heart. Your kindness, laugh and joie de vivre brighten every room you’re in. Your strength, wit and determination make you an invaluable teammate. And you never waste a Ziploc. Let’s do this together. When: Saturday, August 13, 2022. Where: ER. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915637

De Candi C mudgeon

THANK YOU FOR DOG TREATS

You left some dog treats for Ruby at my car at Shelburne trails. Can I thank you with a drink? When: Saturday, September 24, 2022. Where: Shelburne Bay Park. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915636

SHELBURNE FARMERS MARKET HOTTIE

You make beautiful jewelry. I’ve loved seeing you this summer at the market! I’m the one who is always smiling at you when we lock eyes. Is that your boyfriend who’s always around? If not, I’d love to get to know you. Maybe we could polish our planishing hammers sometime. When: Saturday, September 17, 2022. Where: Shelburne market. You: Woman. Me: Gender nonconformist. #915635

BOOKSTORE ENCOUNTER

To the guy who asked me to catch some live music: I’m sorry my response was so awful and awkward. I have a boyfriend, and I should have just said that. You seem like a nice person, so I didn’t want you to think it had anything to do with you. Hope you were able to find some good tunes. When: Friday, September 16, 2022. Where: Burlington. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915633

GIRL AT THE THRIFT SHOP

We chatted and shared a few laughs. You are the cute brunette with the Tigger shirt. I’m the man who’s gray around the edges and told you a joke. ought maybe we had a moment. Would you like to grab a coffee and chat? When: Saturday, September 17, 2022. Where: Replays. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915632

ON CAMEL’S HUMP SUMMIT

We talked about the trails on the mountain and about your work as a traveling nurse — up here until December. Afterward, I was sorry we weren’t going down the same way. If you’d like to get together for a hike or a coffee, that would be cool. When: Saturday, September 17, 2022. Where: the summit of Camel’s Hump. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915631

BRUNETTE BEAUTY, RDH

I spied you over some apple crisp and a stack of Breton crackers while you sat at the bar. Your eyes locked with mine more than once in a playful manner, but you may have been reacting to my flatulence. Care to meet up again at the same place? I’ll bring some Bean-o. When: Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Where: Winooski. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915630

SEXY SUNDAY BARRIO BOY

Where have you gone? I’ve missed your beautiful face every Sunday. What happened? You know who I am. I miss your killer tunes and beautiful smile. Coffee sometime? Maybe a jam sesh? When: Sunday, June 5, 2022. Where: Barrio bakery. You: Man. Me: Gender non-conformist. #915634

TRASH TALKINGS

Saw you dropping off my trash and recycling at CSWD. You were in scrubs. I was questioning my parking abilities. Your smile made my day, and your encouragement for better parking days ahead felt right. Coffee? Talk trash? When: Wednesday, September 14, 2022. Where: CSWD dropoff center. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915629

CUTIE WITH A DEAD PHONE

I was sitting on my porch. You were walking by and asked to borrow a phone charger. I think you could tell I was into you. You said you hoped to see me again. Maybe responding to my iSpy is easier than catching me on the porch. When: Monday, September 12, 2022. Where: down the hill from UVM. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915627

IF TWO BY SEA

You were spending a lovely day at the beach, as was I. If I had it to do over again, I wouldn’t have changed a thing but maybe would have tried to have been more engaging with you. Just was respecting your and your friend’s space. Perhaps another time, another place. When: Sunday, September 11, 2022. Where: Lake Caspian, Greensboro. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915626

HEY CULLIGAN WOMAN!

To the brunette woman who drives for Culligan (I can’t remember your name): I just wanted to say I think you are totally sexy! Would love to get to know you sometime when you aren’t lugging jugs of water! When: ursday, August 25, 2022. Where: carrying lots of water. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915622

TINY THAI CAT DAD

You had a super-cute kitty in the car while you were waiting for your to-go order outside. I should have told you about how I just started bringing my cat out to the park and how we should have a little cat play date. If you see this and are single, I’d love to do that. When: ursday, August 18, 2022. Where: Tiny ai. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915611

De Rev end,

My 16-year-old son is very mature for his age — most of the time. e other day, he told me that he plans on trick-or-treating this Halloween, but I think he’s too old for that. Should I tell him he needs to grow up?

Candi C mudgeon (FEMALE, 42)

When I was a teenager about a thousand years ago, it wasn’t that unusual for a 16-year-old to be at a keg party in the woods on Halloween. Or throwing eggs at houses and smashing pumpkins. Or causing some other sort of seasonal mayhem. If your son wants to partake in something as wholesome as dressing up to get free candy, you should thank your lucky stars.

ere are a handful of partypooper places in the U.S. that have age restrictions on trick-ortreating, but Vermont isn’t one of them. Personally, I don’t care how old or tall you are; if you come to my

door wearing a costume on October 31, you’re getting a treat. I’m not checking IDs … except maybe for the boozy Jell-O shots I have on hand for the over-21 crew.

Your son will be a grown-up soon enough, so why rush it? Any minute now, you’ll be wishing you could turn back time. Savor all the childhood fun while you still can. Heck, maybe you should toss on a costume and head out with him. You may get a few hairy eyeballs from Negative Nellies, but the Snickers will be worth it.

Good luck and God bless, The Rev end

What’s your problem?

Send it to asktherev@sevendaysvt.com.

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Irreverent

Along life’s highway: 1967 Canadian traditional sedan, high mileage but good steelbelted radials and rust-free, AM/FM radio, power steering, child’s car seat, seeks lightly used sporty 2000 Christian, low-maintenance family van (no child seat), 8-track a plus, for shared travel. #1614

Discreet oral bottom. 54y/o SWM, 5’8, slim, dark hair, blue eyes. Seeking any wellhung guys, 18 to 55 y/o, who are a good top and last a long time for more than one around. Phone only, but text. Champlain Valley. #L1615

Happily married older couples who’ve enjoyed some wonderful sensual encounters with other single M/F and couples. Seeking sensual encounters. Chat, sensual massage for starters. Well traveled, fun and outdoorsy. #1612

41-y/o male, formerly moderately handsome, now world-weary, depressed and socially isolated, looking for 30- to 50-y/o female to share time with. I’m über friendly and considerate, but years of depression and self-doubt have rendered me something of a self-hating loner. Interested to hear about you and your story. #1609

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PUBLISH YOUR MESSAGE ON THIS PAGE!

Submit your FREE message at sevendaysvt.com/loveletters or use the handy form at right.

We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above.

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required!

I’m a GMW (59 y/o) looking for younger guys who like to have fun with older men. I’m very adventurous, like everything and am in need of a good workover. Rutland area. Call or text. #1613

I’m a male, 78, seeking a female, 50-plus, to come live with me and do cooking and house cleaning. I have two dogs to take care of. I like outdoor work and hunting. I need someone to be with me to love. #1611

I’m a female seeking the person who waved at me (almost two months ago) by the liquor warehouse in Winooski. You were interested in me, but I told you I had someone else. Now I realize I’m interested in you. You drove a newer-model gray truck. #1610

Gracious, attentive, educated, humorous soul seeks a fit, tender and natural female counterpart (52 to 65) to bask in autumn splendor. I prefer simplicity over complexity, quiescence over commotion and creativity over conformity. Hot cider and ginger cookies await! #1607

Female, 60, seeks an intelligent, curious and open man to ponder/explore things like the perfect bite of a meal, the wonder of the stars, the meaning behind a piece of art, the answers to a crossword puzzle and more. #1606

Int net-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

Romance is nice, but what I really need is “family.” Are you a bright, well-educated, optimistic, compassionate, older but active person who happens to be alone? I am convinced that there are perfectly wonderful people out there who, due to no fault of their own, have no spouse, children or significant others in their lives. Friends are great, but they are busy with their own families. It has been a particularly difficult summer with many people reuniting with family members after the long period of isolation imposed by the pandemic. Meanwhile, other people have become more lonely than ever! If you have needs similar to mine and meet the criteria set out above, I look forward to hearing from you. 74-y/o female in Addison County. #1599

Chittenden County female, 52, seeking male 52 to 60. I’m veg, progressive, educated, nonsmoker, nondrinker, a dog and bird person. I love art, architecture, museums, documentaries, old classics, organic gardening and DIY projects. #1601

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below: (OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.) I’m a AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL) seeking a AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

I’m a SWM seeking a SBF. Kinkier the better. Love women’s clothes, high heels and stockings. Very clean. Phone. #1605

An open letter to all the beautiful women, couples and men with lifestyle swing interests. WM, 6’1, very handsome and adventurous. Looking for daytime fun! Let’s play! #1603

I’m a 70-y/o male seeking a woman, 60 to 75 y/o. I’m active, love the outdoors, walks on beaches and camping. Alone and lonely. Would like to meet for companionship. #1604

Woman, 57. Healthy, respectful, genuine. I’d like to share the last dance with a man in the country. A man who is kind, healthy and stable. A man who cares about how he treats a person and is well liked by others. Phone number, please. #1600

ISO sympathetic connection with BM stud and his woman. In need of attentive oral service. Mature WM offers body massage and friendly fulfillment of need for compatible couple. #1595

Required confidential info:

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EAGLEMANIA

Friday, October 21 | 7:30 PM

SIDEWALK PROPHETS: I Believe It Now Tour Sunday, October 23 7:00 PM

KIP MOORE: Fire On Wheels Tour Saturday, October 29 | 8:00 PM

THE FRONTMEN Lonestar, Restless Heart, Little Texas 30 #1 Hits, 30 Million Albums Sold! Saturday, November 5 7:30 PM

AMERICAN BALLET THEATRE: STUDIO COMPANY Saturday, November 12 7:00 PM

PHILLIP PHILLIPS: WHERE WE CAME FROM TOUR

Special Guest American Authors (Acoustic) Friday, November 18 | 8:00 PM

RUDOLPH THE RED-NOSED REINDEER THE MUSICAL Friday, November 25 | 3 & 7 PM

SOWETO GOSPEL CHOIR: Hope – It’s Been A Long Time Coming Tuesday, December 13 7:30 PM

PINK FLOYD LASER SPECTACULAR Saturday, January 14 | 8:00 PM

America’s Top Psychic Medium MATT FRASER Friday, January 20 | 7:30 pm

BRIAN GLOWACKI Live comedy taping! Saturday, January 21 | 7:00 PM

NATALIE MACMASTER & DONNELL LEAHY Sunday, February 19 7:00 PM

MENOPAUSE THE MUSICAL Saturday, March 18 | 2 & 7 PM

THE PEKING ACROBATS®

Featuring The Shanghai Circus Friday, March 31 | 7:30 PM

DISNEY’S WINNIE THE POOH: THE MUSICAL Wednesday, April 5 | 6:30 PM

TERRY FATOR Thursday, April 20 | 7:30 PM

WHOSE LIVE ANYWAY? Feat. Ryan Stiles, Greg Proops, Jeff B. Davis & Joel Murray Friday, April 21 | 7:30 PM

TUSK: ULTIMATE FLEETWOOD MAC EXPERIENCE