Seven Days, December 15, 2021 by Seven Days

CRITICAL CONDITION

Surgeries canceled amid virus surge

VE RMO NT ’S IN DEPE NDEN T VO IC E DECEMBER 15-22, 2021 VOL.27 NO.11 SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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A Man of Letters

Writer Tim Brookes creates works of art to save the world’s endangered alphabets BY KEN PI CA RD, PAGE 2 6

GIMME SHELTER

PAGE 15

New refugees in housing crunch

LIKE THE DICKENS

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Willem Lange reads A Christmas Carol

BEYOND BEER

PAGE 42

Halyard Brewing expands into soda

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WEEK IN REVIEW DECEMBER 8-15, 2021 COMPILED BY SASHA GOLDSTEIN & MATTHEW ROY FILE: COURTNEY LAMDIN

A sign at the former Sears Lane encampment

KEYBOARD WARRIOR

Jason Gibbs, Gov. Phil Scott’s chief of staff, trolled academics critical of the administration’s COVID-19 response. Take that, science.

2,000 That’s how many miles of fiber-optic cable Vermont entities have purchased to bring broadband to rural areas.

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TROUBLE BRUIN

DEMOLISHED AND DECONSTRUCTED What remained of the Sears Lane homeless encampment in Burlington’s South End was dismantled last Friday morning when city crews staged a cleanup and forced out the six remaining residents. Loaders moved piles of debris into dumpsters, and trucks hauled in empty trash receptacles as others were filled to the brim. The city had ordered the encampment closed following two arrests there in mid-October. Mayor Miro Weinberger initially gave the nearly 40 campers who lived there just five days to pack up and leave. He extended the move-out deadline after pressure from activists, who called the eviction cruel and inhumane. All but one of the remaining campers agreed to leave the site on Friday morning. Burlington police cited that holdout for trespassing — the city’s first enforcement action against a resident since the camp was ordered closed. Two others were also taken into custody: a camper with outstanding arrest warrants and an activist who, according to the mayor’s office, attempted to “chain themselves to a Public Works vehicle.” On Saturday afternoon, the city council’s six-member Progressive caucus issued a statement calling the eviction “unconscionable.” The group called on Weinberger to immediately find shelter for the people whose homes were destroyed by the city.

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At a council meeting on Monday night, several members of the public and then the Progressives on the council further derided the action. Councilor Joe Magee (P-Ward 3), who was at the site during the clear-out, said he was ashamed to be part of a governing body that “has failed to take action to protect the most vulnerable members of our community.” Councilor Jane Stromberg (P-Ward 8) said she was disgusted. Councilor Zoraya Hightower (P-Ward 1), who said she’s been houseless twice, called for more compassionate policies. Councilor Joan Shannon (D-South District) responded by saying advocates have been wrong to characterize the camp as “some kind of utopia,” adding that neighbors told her that campers regularly confronted and harassed them. Shannon, who lives near Sears Lane, also recalled one encampment occupant who had previously told councilors that she had suffered permanent nerve damage due to extreme cold. The camp had no electricity or running water. “She was offered housing. Having housing allows people to start rebuilding their lives,” Shannon said. “Housing is the humane response. Allowing the hazards and squalor at Sears Lane to continue is not humane.” Read Courtney Lamdin’s full stories at sevendaysvt.com.

POLISHED SHINE

Detail Works, a Williston cardetailing shop that employs at-risk youths, was featured on a national CBS morning show. Wax on, wax off.

SHOCKING CLAIM

A lawsuit alleges that staff at Vermont’s former juvenile detention center abused and neglected teens. The state plans to build a new facility.

2. “Red Hen Baking Confronts an ‘Epidemic of Rudeness’” by Sally Pollak. The popular bakery had to post signs asking customers not to berate staff. 3. “Poorhouse Pies Founders Sell Their Underhill Bakery” by Melissa Pasanen. The tiny selfserve operation has been bought, and a new bakery is being built. 4. “Why Are There New Sensors on Burlington Parking Meters?” by Jordan Adams. No, the city is not trying to photograph you. The sensors tell a parking app whether the space is available. 5. “The Doctor Is Out: Why Independent Physicians Are Disappearing From Vermont” by Colin Flanders. Older, independent doctors may be “irreplaceable,” but not for the reasons you might think.

tweet of the week @erinisinire I was just asked the most Vermont reference question yet: Do you have a book for a 13 year old who loves dairy farming? FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SEVENDAYSVT OUR TWEEPLE: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TWITTER

THAT’S SO VERMONT

JOY TO THE SCHOOL

Williston Joy Brigade volunteers at last month’s party

Two women were cited and fined after they let air out of truck tires belonging to a black bear hunter in Groton. The wildlife wars are raging.

1. “Vermont Teacher Groomed Student From Age 11, Raped Her, Affidavit Says” by Alison Novak. Georgia teacher Matthew Toof has been charged with sexual assault stemming from allegations that he repeatedly raped and molested a former student, starting when she was 11 years old.

One afternoon last month, Angela Filion noticed a hubbub of activity in front of Williston’s Allen Brook School. Worried that she’d missed a memo, Filion, the building principal, rushed outside to see popcorn popping and bubbles floating. A parent DJ was spinning tunes, and students were drawing colorful chalk messages of thanks to teachers and staff. Filion ran back inside to make a PA announcement calling on other staff to join the fun. “Everyone came out in waves. We danced and sipped cocoa and chatted,” she recalled. “It was just lovely to see.” The surprise party was the work of a group known as the Williston Joy Brigade, which aims

to lift the spirits of school staff. It organized after Greg Marino, the lead principal for Allen Brook and Williston Central schools, put out a call for parent volunteers to help. This fall has been tough on school staff. “You can very well get discouraged with all the expectations, protocols and challenges,” Filion said. As kindergarten teacher Jen Canfield put it, “Everyone’s feeling stressed to the limit.” Within 48 hours of Marino’s call, more than half a dozen parents offered to pitch in. Beyond the pop-up party (one is also in the works for Williston Central), volunteers have solicited food and other donations for special meals, gift bags and other random acts of appreciation for those who keep their schools running. The Brigade provided bagels and cream cheese for the weekly staff breakfast to give the

food service team a break. Volunteers threw a cake party for the bus drivers and delivered donated bakery cookies to education support professionals. The group filled 250 gift bags with personal care items and chocolates. “It’s all a bunch of not-joy out there right now. Everyone’s feeling it,” said Angela Arsenault, one of the volunteer coordinators. “This is really about creating small, accessible moments of joy.” Each individual effort may seem small, but they add up. “This kind of thing doesn’t happen without a lot of work,” Canfield said. “I’m so appreciative of the parents taking time in their busy days. Everyone’s going through hard stuff.” To donate time or goods, email willistonjoy brigade@gmail.com. MELISSA PASANEN SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

TO THE LETTERS

publisher & editor-in-chief

Paula Routly

deputy publisher Cathy Resmer AssociAte publishers Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

PRESENTED BY VERMONT BALLET THEATER

NEWS & POLITICS editor Matthew Roy deputy editor Sasha Goldstein consulting editor Candace Page stAff writers Derek Brouwer, Chelsea Edgar,

Colin Flanders, Courtney Lamdin, Kevin McCallum, Alison Novak, Anne Wallace Allen A R T S & C U LT U R E

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 Adams, Jordan Barry,

Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard, Sally Pollak

proofreAders Carolyn Fox, Frank Smecker AssistAnt proofreAders

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

D I G I TA L & V I D E O 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 executive Michael Bradshaw Account executives Robyn Birgisson,

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka

MArketing & events director Corey Barrows sAles & MArketing coordinAtor Katie Hodges A D M I N I S T R AT I O N business MAnAger Marcy Carton director of circulAtion Matt Weiner circulAtion deputy Andy Watts CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Benjamin Aleshire, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Steve Goldstein, Margaret Grayson, Amy Lilly, Kim MacQueen, Bryan Parmelee, Mark Saltveit, Jim Schley, Carolyn Shapiro, Yasmin Tayeby, Travis Weedon, Molly Zapp CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS Luke Awtry, Daria Bishop, Diana Bolton, James Buck, Luke Eastman, Caleb Kenna, Tom McNeill, Tim Newcomb, Oliver Parini, Sarah Priestap, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly C I R C U L AT I O N : 3 5 , 0 0 0 Seven Days is published by Da Capo Publishing Inc. every Wednesday. It is distributed free of charge in greater Burlington, Middlebury, Montpelier, Northeast Kingdom, Stowe, the Mad River Valley, Rutland, St. Albans, St. Johnsbury, White River Junction and Plattsburgh, N.Y. Seven Days is printed at Quebecor Media Printing in Laval, Québec. DELIVERY TECHNICIANS Harry Applegate, Joe Bouffard, Pat Bouffard, Colin Clary, Elana Coppola-Dyer, Matt Hagen, Peter Lind, Nat Michael, Frankie Moberg, Dan Nesbitt, Dan Oklan, Ezra Oklan, Toby Record, David Schein, Dan Thayer, Andy Watts With additional circulation support from PP&D. SUBSCRIPTIONS 6-Month 1st clAss: $175. 1-yeAr 1st clAss: $275. 6-Month 3rd clAss: $85. 1-yeAr 3rd clAss: $135. Please call 802-864-5684 with your credit card, or mail your check or money order to “Subscriptions” at the address below. Seven Days shall not be held liable to any advertiser for any loss that results from the incorrect publication of its advertisement. If a mistake is ours, and the advertising purpose has been rendered valueless, Seven Days may cancel the charges for the advertisement, or a portion thereof as deemed reasonable by the publisher. Seven Days reserves the right to refuse any INFO VISIT advertising, including inserts, at the discretion of the publishers.

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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FEEDback READER REACTION TO RECENT ARTICLES

PROTECT THE VICTIM

I am deeply disappointed in Seven Days’ decision to publish identifying details about the sexual abuse of a Vermont youth by teacher Matthew Toof [Off Message: “Vermont Teacher Groomed Student From Age 11, Raped Her, Affidavit Says,” December 11]. Although you did not publish her name, you may as well have. You shared enough identifying information that it wouldn’t be very difficult for anyone living in her community to figure out who she is. And if that weren’t enough, you chose to share incredibly personal and graphic details about the crime against her, as well as share the actual words she used in describing the crime and her attempts to stop it. Perhaps your intention was to draw attention to this horrific (but not unfamiliar) crime in an attempt to inform the public and express moral outrage. Unfortunately, the impact of your intention was actually one of doing more harm. First, she was repeatedly violated by this man, then utterly failed by her community for not intervening more effectively and, finally, re-violated by Seven Days.

CORRECTIONS

Our December 1 news story “Oh, Goddard” contained several points that need to be corrected or clarified. The Goddard College Alumni Association helped the school raise $80,000, according to the president’s office, which pointed out post-publication that college staff played a role in the effort. Further, the association has a mailing list of 7,300 addresses; that figure is not its number of members. The story also failed to note that Kailina Mills had advance warning from the administration that this fall’s alumni weekend was to be canceled. The section about the association’s accusation that Goddard president Dan Hocoy had misrepresented his credentials — which he disputes — did not make clear that he did serve as a vice chancellor of Metropolitan Community College in Kansas City, as well as president of one of that college’s campuses. Also, Hocoy had already assumed the presidency when the faculty union voted to ratify his contract.

WEEK IN REVIEW

TIM NEWCOMB

I implore you to courageously and thoughtfully consider the impact of this article and to reconsider how you publish these types of stories in the future. Amy Bielawski-Branch BURLINGTON

Editor’s note: Post-publication, we removed several details about the case. We apologize for the initial oversight.

ERRORS AND OMISSIONS

My late wife and I owned the Hardwick Gazette from 1986 to 2017. I have no ongoing financial involvement with the newspaper. In [Off Message: “Media Note: Amid Money Woes, Hardwick Gazette to Sell Its Building,” December 7], your reporter wrote that Hardwick has about 1,000 people. Hardwick’s population is pushing 3,000. The reporter said the newspaper’s building housed, among other antiques, a Linotype machine. Wrong. There is a Monotype machine. They are different. Seventeen people were referenced on the newspaper’s masthead. Yet one died in 2015. I have rarely seen some of these names on stories recently. The article reported that the Gazette lost legal advertising when it went to online-only publication. Municipal ads were in all issues in November and December, including a legal warning for a charter change vote. Your reporter referred to an essay contest I held to find a new owner as a “gimmick.” A Merriam-Webster definition: “a mechanical device for secretly and dishonestly controlling gambling apparatus.” A gimmick? Really?

There was nothing secret or dishonest about the essay contest. There were rules, spelled out in ongoing consultation with an attorney; an entry fee; a panel of qualified judges to assess entries; and start and end dates. Entry fees were returned when the required minimum entries under the rules weren’t received. Had I been interviewed, the reporter could have learned of other essay contests used to transition businesses. Newspapers’ survivability is a complex issue far deeper than vacating a historic building, as sad as that is. An exploration is in order, rather than shining a weak spotlight on one of Vermont’s oldest weekly publications. Ross Connelly

HARDWICK

NO ROOM FOR BULLIES

My name is Holmes Jacobs, and I am one of the owners of Two Brothers Tavern in Middlebury. Your article regarding a new culture of incredibly rude behavior rings all too true [“Red Hen Baking Confronts an ‘Epidemic of Rudeness,’” December 7]. I don’t know how we got here, but it’s ugly. Holmes Jacobs

CORNWALL

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

[Re Off Message: “Burlington School Principals, HR Director on Leave Amid Investigations,” December 2]. I am an educator with the Burlington School District and a colleague of the three individuals discussed. In addition, I am a close friend of Herb Perez. I would like to share just some of the many questions the piece

raised for me, in the hope that there will be additional reporting. The article stated that Herb was placed on leave after he “allegedly restrained a student inappropriately.” What was the student doing that required Herb to make the choice to restrain them? For an educator, restraints are used if a student is posing a risk to themselves or others. How does the district work to provide that understanding to families and support staff with effective training to ensure that all parties are protected? Later in the article, it was reported that “the district will use restorative practices ... ‘to process this complex and challenging situation with adults and then students.’” How does the district plan to restore the faith and trust of the family involved and restore the dignity and belief of the individuals targeted in the article? The colleagues discussed have dedicated many years of service to our district. How will we be able to restore their standing and trust in us? In exploring these questions, the stories of the promise and challenge of public education today can be told more completely. Gavin Wallace

ESSEX JUNCTION

REMEMBERING GODDARD

[Re “Oh, Goddard: The Beleaguered College Reckons With Its Latest President,” December 1]: My experience with the Goddard College board of directors dates back to 1981, about eight months before I, and many of Goddard’s students and staff from the Adult Degree Program, Goddard Experimental Program in Further Education, the MFA in Writing and the Graduate Program, were “sold” to Norwich University. Goddard was in very bad financial shape before that deal was made, and, as the new and first director of development in Goddard’s history, I discovered more than $100,000 in unpaid student tuition, as well as tens of thousands of dollars in FEEDBACK

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contents DECEMBER 15-22, 2021 VOL.27 NO.11

COLUMNS

SECTIONS

11 41 60 64 66 101

24 40 46 52 60 66 68 76 79

Magnificent 7 Side Dishes Soundbites Album Reviews Movie Review Ask the Reverend

A Man of Letters

Life Lines Food + Drink Culture Art Music + Nightlife On Screen Calendar Classes Classifieds + Puzzles 97 Fun Stuff 100 Personals

FOOD 40 Filipino Flair

Kuya’s Sandwiches + Kitchen brings new flavors to Randolph

Spicy Revival

Writer Tim Brookes creates works of art to save the world’s endangered alphabets

Vermont ginger beer brewing company grows and expands to soda

B Y KE N P I C ARD , PA GE 2 6

STUCK IN VERMONT

Online Thursday

COVER IMAGE BEAR CIERI • COVER DESIGN REV. DIANE SULLIVAN

NEWS & POLITICS 13

FEATURES 26

CULTURE 46

From the Publisher

Good Spirits

Home Truths

Once again, Willem Lange’s annual reading of A Christmas Carol brings comfort and joy

Collateral Damage

The COVID-19 surge has pushed hospitals to their limit

Petal Power

Home, Sweet Temporary Home

Soon to close, Sally’s Flower Shop is a Winooski institution

Vermont’s housing crisis complicates Afghan refugees’ resettlement

Book review: Fierce Little Thing, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Blanket Statement

A yearlong multimedia installation in Brattleboro combines sound, poetry, art and community

Find a new job in the classifieds section on page 86 and online at sevendaysvt.com/jobs.

Shelburne Museum focuses on vision with the online exhibition “Eyesight & Insight”

New job opportunities for people convicted of crimes

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Forty years ago, John Murray became an SUPPORTED BY: electrician in his native Ireland. In 1998, he settled in Burlington and founded Murray Electric. He is in the process of passing his business to two employees — Sylas DeMello and Ryan McLaughlin — who are more like family than coworkers.

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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ermont is getting serious about fighting climate change. The state has set an ambitious goal of cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent in the next decade. Helping Vermonters power their homes and businesses with renewable energy is a crucial part of the plan, and Williston-based AllEarth Renewables offers solar energy solutions that can help. AllEarth’s solar trackers reposition themselves as the sun moves throughout the day, allowing them to capture 40 percent more energy than traditional rooftop solar panels. Founder and CEO David Blittersdorf came up with the design; he drew it on the back of a napkin in 2008. Since then, his company has installed more than 7,000 of its solar trackers across the country. Half of them are in Vermont. Blittersdorf’s latest innovation? Packaging solar trackers with energy-efficient coldclimate heat pumps, which heat and cool indoor spaces without using oil or natural gas. Bundling these two products together can cut greenhouse gas emissions — and energy costs — even further. They’re good for the consumer, and for the environment. But installing them requires a big up-front investment. Though many buyers qualify for tax credit incentives, they need help financing the initial purchase. Blittersdorf wanted to create a standard package that would include both solar trackers and heat pumps in one loan, so he went looking for a financial partner. He floated the idea to various lenders, but none saw value in it — until he approached Mascoma Bank. “Mascoma jumped at it,” he said. Through Mascoma, AllEarth customers can now finance up to $60,000 of the cost of trackers and heat pumps over 10 or 20 years. Mascoma was also willing to create a payment schedule that took the tax credits into account, rather than leaving it to the borrower to navigate. Said Blittersdorf: “They’ve made it really easy.” As a Certified B Corporation, Mascoma considers the environmental impact of its business decisions. “Mascoma has figured out that this is the future, and they want to be on the green side, the carbon reduction side,” Blittersdorf said. Blittersdorf also appreciates that Mascoma is a local bank. “When I can get to know my lenders on a personal basis, and they know me, they’re instantly there,” he said. That was a huge help when the pandemic hit, and the Paycheck Protection Program loans became available. “We were in on Day One,” he noted. Reducing Vermont’s carbon footprint is only possible if we all work together. “That all matters,” he said.

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COURTESY OF BRIAN DELABRUERE

LOOKING FORWARD

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

WEDNESDAY 15-SUNDAY 19

Story Time Audience members stomp literal snow from their feet and settle down by a figurative fire for Vermont Stage’s 17th annual Winter Tales fundraiser at Burlington’s Main Street Landing Black Box Theater. Patti Casey and Susannah Blachly sing original songs between seasonal stories read by cast members. Masks and proof of vaccination required. SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 68

SUNDAY 19

THE BAWDY BRUNCH

THURSDAY 16

Emoji Nightmare leads a fabulous cadre of kings and queens in Eleganza and Espresso: A Drag Brunch at the Vermont Comedy Club in Burlington. Bethadone Clinique, Donna Rhea and other local performers lip-synch their way through tables of mimosa drinkers for a hilarious, tip-worthy spectacle. Masks and proof of vaccination required.

Kellogg-Hubbard Library and the Vermont Chapter of the Jane Austen Society of North America host Jane Austen Birthday Tea, a virtual blowout bash for the novelist’s 246th birthday — as “blowout” as a lady of good breeding would wish, anyway. That means BYO tea, dress in full Georgian regalia if that’s your jam, and prepare a favorite declaration of love or a well-worded smackdown to read aloud.

Party and Prejudice

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 70

SEE CLUB LISTING ON PAGE 62

SUNDAY 19

Snowy Stroll Montpelier folks with kids 6 and up who aren’t afraid to get their noses nipped are perfect candidates for the North Branch Nature Center’s Winter Discovery Hike for Families. Trail trekkers of all ages connect with the sleepy winter woods by practicing hearing like a deer, getting up close and personal with trees, and testing their hiding skills in camouflage games.

THURSDAY 16 & FRIDAY 17

Fantastic Four An award-winning quartet of genre-defying string players, the Fretless make stops at Richmond Congregational Church and St. Johnsbury’s Catamount Arts Center. The contemporary trad group incorporates rhythmic and harmonic elements of folk styles from around the world to lend a fresh, deconstructed sound to its jigs and reels.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 70

OPENS SATURDAY 18

The Holly and the Ivy

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 69

Every day through January 2, revelers at Billings Farm & Museum in Woodstock experience Christmas at the Farm, an absolute smorgasbord of old-fashioned cheer. History buffs learn about Victorian holiday traditions, dip their own candles and see the 1890 farm manager’s house re-created in gingerbread. Adventurous types meet the resident Jersey cows and hike in snowshoes along the Ottauquechee River. SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 71

ONGOING

COURTESY OF MATTHEW BURDITT

Puppet Master-Piece

Submit your upcoming events at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

Entering the B. Lynch exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center is like stepping into the artist’s surreal, meticulously crafted universe. In “Pull Back the Curtain,” Lynch uses visual art, digital animation and, most distinctively, puppetry to create an immersive, time-bending face-off between the rich and the poor, the prosaic and the poetic. SEE GALLERY LISTING ON PAGE 58

THIS IS A SAMPLING OF VERMONT’S IN-PERSON AND VIRTUAL EVENTS. BROWSE THE FULL CALENDAR, ART SHOWS, AND MUSIC+NIGHTLIFE LISTINGS AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/EVENTS. SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

M AS K U P AND R OA M O R STR E A M IT AT HO M E

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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FROM THE PUBLISHER

Reporting for Duty

FILE: ED KOREN

There’s no shortage of dire reports about local U.S. newspapers. In the same week that the owner of Vermont’s 132-year-old Hardwick Gazette announced he would sell its building on South Main Street to stay afloat, the Washington Post Magazine devoted an entire issue to chronicling what’s at stake in a growing number of “news deserts” across the country. The Post did more than report the numbers: A quarter of all print newspapers — about 2,200 of them — ceased publication between January 2005 and December 31, 2020. “Showing” instead of telling, the editors uncovered and compiled some shockingly important stories in places where there is now little to no regular media scrutiny. In a companion piece, the newspaper’s media columnist, Margaret Sullivan, summed up the trend in a well-worded quote: “The demise of local news poses the kind of danger to our democracy that should have alarm sirens screeching across the land.” Coming to the rescue? Report for America, a national service program that’s subsidizing and placing “emerging” reporters with local news outlets. LAST WEEK, THE ORGANIZATION SELECTED SEVEN DAYS AS A “HOST NEWSROOM PARTNER” TO EMPLOY THE NEXT GENERATION OF NEWS GATHERERS. An initiative of the GroundTruth Project, a nonprofit media organization, Report for America is structured to harness the skills and idealism of these truth tellers in service to communities that rely on accurate information to stay connected. Seven Days is not the first Vermont media outlet to host a Report for America corps member; Vermont Public Radio, the Valley News and VTDigger.org have all employed young journalists through the program, which provides partial funding for up to three years. More than 270 U.S. newsrooms are currently using these reporters to understand and shed light on under-covered issues and populations. In Vermont, rural areas are prone to media neglect. If local papers such as the Hardwick Gazette disappeared here, news deserts wouldn’t be far behind. With Report for America assistance, Seven Days will commit a regular reporter to a beat we defined in our 2018 “Our Towns” issue. As news editor Matthew Roy explained it in our application: “Most Vermonters live in small towns with aging populations. The state’s lack of school-age children is closing local schools. Houses in many quaint, rural communities have been bought up by wealthy second-home owners from out of state, creating vampire towns that stay dark for months in the ‘off seasons.’ “Our reporter will become versed in small-town life and cover how Vermont’s burgs are adapting, or not, to the dynamic environment and opportunity for regeneration. The reporter will follow real estate, economic development and demographic stories. They’ll write about small-town challenges, opportunities and innovations … as rural Vermont prepares to string fiber-optic cables, host newcomer families and attract companies drawn by our quality of life.” We’ve already started talking with possible candidates for the job, which starts next June. Interested parties can apply at journalismjobs.com, email Roy directly at matthew@sevendaysvt.com — or If you like what we do and can afford to help both. Soon we’ll begin asking for donations. pay for it, become a Seven Days Super Reader! Report for America requires that the host Look for the “Give Now” buttons at the top of newsroom raise a portion of the reporter’s salary, sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your from the community that will be reading what address and contact info to: this lucky journalist writes. Their contributions SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS demonstrate that readers understand and are P.O. BOX 1164 invested in the success of this experiment. Our free BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164 and independent press — and our democracy — For more information on making a financial depends on it. contribution to Seven Days, please contact Corey Barrows:

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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MORE INSIDE

BALINT OFF AND RUNNING PAGE 18

AGRICULTURE

CRIMINAL PAST? NO PROB PAGE 19

PRINTER PRESSED FOR ANSWERS PAGE 21

DARIA BISHOP

Keilani Lime with her dog, Mookie

Collateral Damage

The COVID-19 surge has pushed hospitals to their limit, hurting patients in the process B Y CO L I N FL A ND ER S • colin@sevendaysvt.com

eilani Lime of Vergennes was just two days away from surgery at the Alice Peck Day Memorial Hospital last week when she learned that it had been canceled. The New Hampshire hospital, which is part of the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Health network, needed to free up beds and staff amid a surge of COVID-19 patients. That required postponing some upcoming surgeries, including a lumbar shunt procedure Lime has been waiting on for more than five months, in the hope that it will reduce pressure on her spine caused by a congenital defect and several painful cysts. The pressure has become so intense that it’s started to erode the base of her spine, and Lime recently started losing strength in one of her legs. With no idea

HEALTH

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

when her surgery will be rescheduled, the 32-year-old now fears that the condition could worsen to the point where she can no longer walk on her own. “I feel like the sand is falling rapidly through the hourglass,” she said, fighting back tears. Lime represents the collateral damage of the latest COVID-19 surge, which has clogged New England hospitals with mostly unvaccinated patients in recent weeks, pushing an already overburdened health care system beyond its capacity. The ripple effects hurt many more people than just those infected. Hospitals have canceled hundreds of surgeries such as Lime’s that require overnight stays. That includes roughly 250 procedures at the University of Vermont Medical Center and many more at hospitals across the border in New Hampshire.

The logjam means rural hospitals are finding it difficult to transfer patients who urgently need specialized care to hospitals that can provide it. The surge in COVID-19 hospitalizations is expected to last through the rest of the month. “Getting through the holidays is going to be probably our most difficult time,” Vermont Gov. Phil Scott said last week. Hospitals in the region were strained long before the arrival of the Delta variant in the summer. Dozens of beds are empty because hospitals don’t have enough nurses to staff them. Meanwhile, patients who put off tests or procedures during the early parts of the pandemic are now showing up sicker, requiring more complex care. Also, most hospitals have been unable COLLATERAL DAMAGE

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Organic Dairy Farmers Win a Six-Month Reprieve From Horizon B Y A N N E WA L L A C E A L L EN anne@sevendaysvt.com The French dairy giant Danone has agreed to extend contracts with its Vermont organic dairy farmers by six months to give them more time to find new buyers for their milk. Danone announced in October that it would cut ties with 28 Vermont suppliers in August 2022, leaving them with nowhere to sell their product. The decision included 89 farms in the Northeast that were under contract with Horizon, the organic label owned by Danone. Under the new agreement, which the office of U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.) confirmed, the farmers will receive a six-month optional extension of their contracts, to February 2023, and will also get a small boost in payments for the last six months. Welch’s office on Monday hailed the extension as good news but added that Danone could do more. Danone said in October that it was too costly to ship milk to the nearest available organic processors, in Virginia and near Buffalo, N.Y. The news spurred an outcry among dairy farmers and groups that support them. Danone reported revenues of $27 billion in 2020, Welch said then. “Danone knows that leaving our farmers behind is wrong, and they have the capacity to provide real support for the folks that have done so much for them,” Welch’s office said in a statement on Monday. “It’s why they have adjusted their exit strategy in the face of public pressure.” Chris Adamo, president of government relations for the company’s North American business, said in a letter on Monday that the company will keep working to address the challenges faced by the industry. Vermont’s dairy farmers have been struggling for years in the face of declining milk prices and consolidation that puts smaller operations at a disadvantage. Some are also coming under increasing pressure from regulators who link their practices to phosphorus pollution. The financial pressure has taken a toll. The number of cow dairy farms in Vermont dropped from 4,017 in 1969 to just 636 in 2020, according to a report the state auditor’s office released in May. The state’s Agency of Agriculture, Food and Markets now says it has 700 dairy farms, including ones that milk goats and sheep. m

NOW OPEN IN STOWE

Home, Sweet Temporary Home Vermont’s housing crisis complicates Afghan refugees’ resettlement

3 MAIN STREET BURLINGTON 802.861.7500

BY D ERE K BROU WER • derek@sevendaysvt.com

ust before Thanksgiving, Ben Carlson, an Essex Junction resident who volunteers with refugees, got an unusual request. The Vermont office of the U.S. Committee for Refugees and Immigrants needed someone to drive a large family of Afghan refugees from a Williston hotel to their new residence. Typically, that new residence would be an apartment in Chittenden County. Carlson’s task, however, was to drive the family to another temporary home, a ski condo in the Mad River Valley. Following the hourlong trek into the state’s interior on a dark, snowy evening with four kids in his car, Carlson noticed that their mother, who did not speak much English, was distraught. She wanted to return to the hotel, he recalled. Carlson didn’t blame her. To a family in a foreign land, a small Airbnb in rural Vermont isn’t exactly a vacation, no matter how many volunteers pledge a helping hand. It can mean isolation, uncertainty and further TRACY stress. There must be more opportunities here in Chittenden County, Carlson thought, so we don’t have to move them as far, so they’re not bouncing around as much... “We sort of had to drop them off,” he said. “And we did have folks … coming in to check on them, making sure that they’re safe and they have food. But it still felt like, you know, we could do better.” For the past month, officials and volunteers involved in Vermont’s resettlement efforts have been scrambling to secure housing for the Afghan refugees who are beginning to touch down. Making arrangements for the sudden swell was bound to be difficult in Vermont’s historically tight housing market. The task has been especially overwhelming for a resettlement agency that is seemingly under-resourced. Newly arrived Afghans are assigned to host families or placed in whatever short-term rentals USCRI staff and their network of volunteers can scrounge up.

While some have moved into apartments or have move-in dates, many still don’t. “USCRI has traditionally been very good at finding housing, even when the market is a little tight,” said Tracy Dolan, the recently appointed director of Vermont’s State Refugee Office, which helps coordinate resources. “But this is a unique time.” The Vermont office of the national nonprofit initially secured U.S. Department of State approval to resettle up to 100 Afghan refugees but later increased the ceiling to 130. A separate, new resettlement office in Brattleboro affiliated with the Ethiopian Community Development Council — a Virginia-based nonprofit that works with refugees from many countries — will be seeking homes for an additional 100 or so Afghans in the coming months. The nonprofits are responsible for finding housing for those refugees; federal DOL AN funding typically covers the first few months’ rent. The director of USCRI Vermont, Amila Merdzanovic, did not respond to several interview requests but described the task during an October town hall as the agency’s “No. 1 challenge.” “I think we all understand that we are facing a housing crisis in the state,” she said. Last week, the lobby of the USCRI’s Colchester office was piled high with donations of clothes and other household items waiting to be processed. A USCRI Vermont Facebook post asking for donations on Giving Tuesday seemed to suggest that rollbacks on refugee resettlement during the Trump administration were still hampering the nonprofit. “After years of cuts, USCRI now faces significant challenges with being able to serve the large numbers of Afghans arriving each day,” the post reads. Roughly 75 Afghans had arrived in Vermont as of last week, Dolan said.

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IF THEY DON’T FEEL LIKE THEY’RE TUCKED INTO A COMMUNITY?

HOME, SWEET TEMPORARY HOME

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

11/19/21 11:16 AM

news JAMES BUCK

Mohammad showing a photo he took of the American side of the international airport in Kabul, Afghanistan

Home, Sweet Temporary Home « P.15 Though their resettlement has been expected since September, the window for USCRI and its partners to arrange housing is much shorter. During this first round, officials have typically received just a few days’ notice ahead of each arrival, with no forewarning as to the size of each family unit. In one hectic stretch, 19 people arrived over 48 hours, Dolan said. Housing solutions are being worked out one at a time, day by day. Several individuals and organizations who have contributed temporary housing weren’t willing to discuss the arrangements out of concern for refugees’ privacy or safety. Last week, Seven Days visited several Afghan men at their new apartment in Burlington’s South End. The newspaper is not identifying them by their full names because they have family and friends in Afghanistan whom the Taliban could target. One of the men, a former Afghan government official named Mohammad, had been expecting to resettle in Boston last month, based on papers he was given, but ended up with a plane ticket to Burlington. USCRI met him at Burlington International Airport and took him to the home of a host family, who made him dinner. He stayed there for a few days before relocating to a different family’s house for a few more. In early December, he and three 16

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

other men moved into an apartment that USCRI had secured for them. They’re living there on a yearlong lease, one of Mohammad’s housemates said. In a small, sparsely decorated living room, Mohammad and the men eagerly pointed out a houseplant and ceramic tea set they’d been gifted upon their arrival. They thanked USCRI staff and volunteers for making them feel welcome during an extraordinarily difficult moment in their lives. “They gave us much love,” Mohammad said. After his experience with the anxious Afghan family, Carlson, a marketing-savvy brand strategist, decided to use his social media accounts to encourage others to consider housing new arrivals. He blasted out a USCRI staff email looking for host families to his nearly 1,200 Instagram followers. Carlson’s posts caught the attention of one of his friends. That friend knew Jordan Fronk, an Austin, Texas, woman who was about to close on a second home in Charlotte. Fronk had plans to rent out the house in January but offered to open it in December to a refugee family free of charge. The plan came together “in literally less than 24 hours,” Fronk said. An Afghan family moved in the same day that Fronk closed on the house. Host arrangements like this might normally last no longer than two weeks, but Dolan said they expect some may stretch as long as six. The severity of the housing crisis

in Chittenden County has also prompted resettlement officials to look elsewhere in Vermont. They are eyeing Washington and Rutland counties in particular as places that could foster small enclaves of Afghan refugees, according to Dolan. But there are trade-offs to consider. “The downside is, are people going to stay if they don’t feel like they’re tucked into a community?” Dolan asked. A small number of refugees left Vermont within a few days of arriving, according to the state. It’s particularly hard to find available three-bedroom units, which is the size that some of the larger arriving families need to be comfortable. And units that are available to refugees aren’t always up to code. Asked about the quality of the housing being secured for arriving Afghans, Dolan referred to recent coverage by Seven Days and Vermont Public Radio of substandard apartments that refugees had occupied, owned by landlord Rick Bove, but couldn’t say whether USCRI was continuing to place refugees in his buildings. “We do have some really great landlords. But, of course, we also know that there are landlords who don’t always put the effort into the upkeep that we would like to see,” she said. “Every family deserves respect, in terms of having a safe and comfortable place to live, and so all we can do is continue to work with the landlords we have and make resources available where they are available.”

The new Ethiopian Community Development Council affiliate in Brattleboro, called the Multicultural Community Center, has had more time to prepare, as its Afghan refugees aren’t expected until early January. Director Joe Wiah said the center has worked with subsidized housing providers and private landlords to secure 18 apartments for the pending arrivals in Windsor, Windham and part of Bennington counties. That’s nearly half of the 38 apartments they expect to need, he said. The center will also use host families and has arranged for temporary housing on the campus of the School for International Training. “We have some private landlords that have reached out to us and said, ‘I have this apartment available,’ or ‘This apartment will be ready at this time,’” Wiah said. “That has been helping us a bit.” In Burlington, Mohammad and his three compatriots are squeezed into two bedrooms and share a small kitchen. Now they’re turning their focus to all the other challenges that lie ahead as they build a life in Vermont. Mohammad has two immediate goals, he said. He wants to improve his English within three months. He also wants to find a job. m This story was co-reported with Liam Elder-Connors of Vermont Public Radio. To listen to an audio version, visit vpr.org or sevendaysvt.com.

STATEHOUSE

Gov. Scott to Appoint Three House Members After Resignations B Y SA SHA GOL D STEIN • sasha@sevendaysvt.com On the eve of the legislative session, Scott has traditionally appointed Gov. Phil Scott is tasked with appointing replacements from the same party as three people to serve in the Vermont outgoing members. The governor’s House after resignations by members spokesperson, Jason Maulucci, said in Chittenden, Franklin and Orleans Scott will do the same for these three. counties. Batchelor’s replaceOne year into their ment could be named current terms, Reps. Brian this week, Maulucci said, Savage (R-Swanton), Lynn as the Orleans County Batchelor (R-Derby Line) Republican Committee and Marybeth Redmond has already submitted (D-Essex) have all called three potential candiit quits in recent weeks. dates. The governor’s Local party officials will office is waiting to hear put forward candidates from Essex Democrats for Scott to choose from and Franklin County as successors. Republicans, and there is Batchelor took no specific timeline yet Lynn Batchelor office in 2011 as the for naming replacements representative for for Redmond and Savage. Orleans-1, a district that The legislative sesincludes Derby, Holland, sion starts in January. Morgan, Charleston Meanwhile, Rep. Hal and Brownington. She Colston (D-Winooski) “abruptly retired” in says he’ll retire at the October and moved to end of his term. He will Florida, the Newport not seek reelection in Daily Express reported on November. Monday. Colston also serves First elected in 2008, as deputy mayor on the Savage represented Winooski City Council his hometown and and plans to retire from Hal Colston neighboring Sheldon in that body, as well, once the Franklin 4-1 district. his term is up after He announced last month Town Meeting Day in that he’d leave office to March. The Winooski take a job as Swanton News, an online outlet, town administrator first reported Colston’s beginning on December 1. announcement, which And last Thursday, he made during the Redmond wrote in a letter December 6 council to House Speaker Jill meeting. Krowinski (D-Burlington) Colston said then that she was resigning, that he turns 69 in April effective immediately, to and is planning to move deal with “some health to Aruba by October 1, Marybeth Redmond concerns that require 2022. Colston founded my prompt and focused the nonprofit Good attention.” News Garage and has Redmond first won been on the boards of election in 2018 to the several local nonprofit Chittenden 8-1 district, organizations. which covers the Town of Colston was first Essex. She was reelected elected to the Winooski last year. City Council as a write-in “It has become clear candidate in 2018. Ahead during the past few of the legislative session weeks and months that in 2019, Scott chose my personal health and Colston to fill a vacant well-being must become Chittenden 6-7 seat, Brian Savage my central priorities in the which covers Winooski. coming days,” Redmond Colston won reelection wrote. “The year-round last year. activity of serving my constituents and my “It’s been a great experience to caucus as an assistant majority leader, and represent our city, locally and at the the natural stressors that this work entails state level,” Colston said at the council (particularly during two years of pandemic), meeting. “I hope to keep in touch with have left minimal space for the prioritizaall of you.” m tion of my own health and wellness.”

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POLITICS

Vermont Sen. Becca Balint Announces Run for U.S. House B Y KEVI N MCCAL LU M kevin@sevendaysvt.com FILE: JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

Sen. Becca Balint

Vermont Senate President Pro Tempore Becca Balint (D-Windham) announced on Monday her candidacy for U.S. House, joining Lt. Gov. Molly Gray in the race to replace U.S. Rep. Peter Welch (D-Vt.). Balint’s decision ensures that Vermonters will have at least two women to choose from — and maybe more — when they vote in 2022 for the next member of the state’s historically all-male congressional delegation. If she prevails, Balint, 53, would not only be the first woman whom Vermonters send to Washington, D.C., but also the first openly gay person. “I’m running because I believe that, even with the challenges of today, we cannot back away from fighting for each other,” Balint said in a statement announcing her run. “We have to deliver on some big promises for Vermont working families and that is going to take courage and kindness.” A former middle school teacher, Balint was first elected to the state Senate in 2014. Last fall, her colleagues elected her to be the first woman president pro tem of the Democrat-dominated chamber, making her arguably the most powerful lawmaker in the state. Balint, her wife and more than a dozen supporters gathered in Montpelier late Monday morning for a press conference to kick off her run. If voters sent her to Washington, Balint said, she would fight for a progressive agenda that includes Medicare for all, paid family and medical leave, the Green New Deal, and racial justice legislation. In an interview after her remarks, Balint said she would also support tighter gun control measures, including an assault weapons ban and universal background checks. “I feel like we have been absolutely derelict in our duties in protecting Americans from the scourge of gun violence,” she said. On Tuesday, Balint’s campaign said it had raised $125,000 on the first day — far surpassing Gray’s haul of $111,000 in the first week. m

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

to discharge patients to nursing homes, which are themselves at capacity. Up to 50 beds at the UVM Medical Center were filled on any given day this fall with patients who could otherwise be served elsewhere. The surge has pushed the system to its limit. Vermont’s hospitalizations have increased tenfold since mid-July. Last week brought several grim milestones: The state surpassed its single-day record for hospitalizations (92), ICU stays (31) and new daily infections (740). On Tuesday, 77 people were hospitalized with COVID-19, including 19 in ICUs. Add that to the 70 or so people suffering from other medical issues who are also receiving intensive care, and only 11 of Vermont’s roughly 100 ICU beds were available. The situation was even worse in New Hampshire, where hospitalizations have also spiked this month. State data showed that just 5 percent of its roughly 215 ICU beds were staffed and available. The region’s two largest hospitals, UVM Medical Center and DartmouthHitchcock, have responded by adding capacity wherever possible. But those moves have come at a cost. To create room for five extra ICU beds, for example, UVM shut down seven of its 22 operating rooms earlier this month, and only two have reopened. DartmouthHitchcock officials said last week that they’ve been putting off certain procedures, such as hip replacements and heart studies. The impact of these postponements goes beyond delayed care. Most insurance plans bill on an annual cycle, and many people awaiting procedures have likely already hit their yearly deductible, the amount they must pay before insurance will take over. Lime’s insurance company told her this week that she would need to meet her $5,700 deductible again if her surgery got pushed into next year. “[We] just bought a house,” said Lime, who is the partner of Seven Days culture coeditor Dan Bolles. “We’re living paycheck to paycheck, trying to make it work.” Hospital leaders say they are working with insurance companies to try to resolve such situations, but they’ve yet to find a solution. Surgical patients aren’t the only ones affected. Large hospitals have had to limit the number of patients they’re accepting from smaller, rural hospitals, which typically do not employ specialty doctors best equipped to handle the most complex cases. Staffers at the smaller hospitals must then scramble to

find somewhere else to send their sickest patients. “Our providers are spending an ungodly amount of time on the phone,” said Megan Sargent, the vice president of patient care services at North Country Hospital in Newport. “We’re calling as far out as Connecticut and New York to get people transferred.” At Gifford Medical Center, a 25-bed hospital in Randolph, staffers have had to call up to 24 facilities with a single transfer request. As that process unfolds, physicians often consult with doctors at the bigger hospitals on ways to keep the patients stable until they can be moved. “We start to MacGyver the situation,” said Gifford’s chief medical officer, Dr. Josh White. “We basically just keep trying until we either find a bed, the patient gets better or the patient expires.” Finding somewhere to transfer a patient is only half the battle. Hospitals must then find a way to get the patient there, an increasingly difficult task given

WE BASICALLY JUST KEEP TRYING UNTIL WE EITHER FIND A BED,

THE PATIENT GETS BETTER OR THE PATIENT EXPIRES. D R . J O S H W H ITE

that staffing shortages extend to emergency transport services. Hospitals say it can take hours to secure an ambulance, wasting precious time for someone in acute medical distress. There’s also the question of how patients sent to faraway hospitals can return home. “A lot of folks don’t have family members that can pick up and drive three hours each way on a moment’s notice,” White said. Several times, Gifford has had to send a member of its chaplain volunteer service to pick up patients who were transferred to Albany, N.Y., with no way to get back. Faced with the prospect of a long trip to an out-of-state hospital, some patients decide they’d rather take their chances at the smaller hospitals. Dr. Michael Rousse, chief medical officer at Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital in St. Johnsbury, said some of those patients have been so ill that it’s been unclear whether they would have survived the trip. But others with far better odds have also turned down transfers because of the distance, only to die shortly afterward.

“That’s a tragedy, because they could have been saved,” he said. State officials in Vermont and New Hampshire have taken steps to alleviate the pressures facing their hospitals, with limited success. Vermont has helped pay for traveling nurses to staff nearly 120 beds at longterm care facilities so that there’s somewhere to transfer patients who no longer need hospitalization. Most of those beds are now full. The state is also trying to secure a federal contract that would provide more EMT and paramedic staff. But officials suspect that Vermont will not be high on the list, as other states have been harder hit. In New Hampshire, state leaders have deployed up to 70 members of that state’s National Guard to add staff at hospitals hardest hit by COVID-19. The service members will lend a hand on nonclinical tasks to free up frontline workers for patient care. But officials in both states maintain that the best way to help the health care system is to vaccinate more people. The overwhelming majority of COVID-19 patients are unvaccinated. Lime is now waiting for a new surgery date after last week’s cancellation. Her neurosurgeon, who works at an Upper Valley private practice, has advocated to get her in as soon as possible but doesn’t yet know when Alice Peck Day Memorial will resume overnight procedures. A spokesperson there said the hospital expects to perform most scheduled surgeries in the coming weeks but that the situation could change any day. Lime fears that her prognosis could change, too. The development with her leg suggests that her condition is worsening faster than she and her neurosurgeon had hoped, so they have decided to install a shunt into her brain instead of her spine. The change won’t get her into surgery any quicker, but it should provide faster relief. Still, it’s riskier, which is why she hoped to address the problem before it reached this point. As she steels herself for the prospect of brain surgery, Lime can’t help but feel angry when she considers how she has been swept up in a largely avoidable crisis. She did everything she was supposed to do, from following health protocols early on to getting vaccinated as soon as she could. But because so many others decided not to protect themselves by getting vaccinated, she’s left with no choice but to wait for the surge to subside. “Their decision may put me in a wheelchair,” she said. m

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“The Great Resignation” creates new job opportunities for people convicted of crimes

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BY A NN E WALL ACE ALLEN • anne@sevendaysvt.com

he worker shortage is tough on businesses, but it’s a boon to people whose legal problems have made it difficult for them to find work. “If you want a job, and you are under Department of Corrections supervision in this community, you can find a job,” said Leona Watt, a senior officer for the DOC’s Probation and Parole office in Springfield. “I believe everyone deserves a chance, and I think that’s what is happening. More people are being given an opportunity to progress with their lives.” Working Fields is one of many nonprofits and state entities that help connect people who served time in prison with work opportunities. Before the pandemic, companies didn’t approach the organization. Now, “we have plenty of employers coming to us,” said Mickey Wiles, who started the South Burlington nonprofit employment agency in 2017. Working Fields has four offices in Vermont and opened a fifth in Manchester, N.H., in October. Vermont has long had a workforce shortage. That has intensified during the pandemic, when thousands of people — particularly those in the service industry — retired or decided to step away from their jobs. As part of what has been dubbed nationally as “the Great Resignation,” workers left to train for other positions, turned hobbies into businesses or found other ways to leave their jobs behind. The need for workers is so acute that some restaurants, stores and post offices have had to limit their hours. Hourly pay has risen sharply, and many businesses are offering bonuses to people who stay on the job for a number of months or recruit friends. In this environment, Working Fields has had no trouble placing its associates in jobs all around Chittenden County, Wiles said. The nonprofit provides an array of services, including recovery coaching and rides to work. It’s a new era, said Wiles, a former Ben & Jerry’s CFO who spent two years in jail after pleading guilty in 2005 to a federal charge of wire fraud for embezzling more than $300,000 from the company. Before the pandemic, he said, he was

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accustomed to hearing from people who couldn’t even get a job interview because of past crimes. “Or if they get in the door and a background check is done on them, the discussion discontinues,” Wiles said. “In some cases, they may have even started the job, and the background check comes back and they are terminated.” Federal law prohibits federal employers and those that contract with the government from asking about conviction history until a conditional offer of employment has been made. And most states, including Vermont, have passed “ban the box” legislation. Such laws bar questions about convictions and arrests from job applications and delay background checks in the hiring process. Vermont’s ban-the-box law went into effect in 2017.

MORE PEOPLE ARE BEING

GIVEN AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROGRESS WITH THEIR LIVES. LEON A WAT T

Such measures affect a lot of people. About 70 million people nationwide, nearly one in three adults, have an arrest or conviction record, according to the National Employment Law Project. Bias against those with convictions disproportionately affects people of color, the project says, because of systemic racial bias in the criminal justice system. Vermont has thousands more job openings than it does jobless people, according to the state Department of Labor, which recently estimated that 7 percent of all the jobs in the state are unfilled. People with criminal records can make a difference. On any given day, there are about 1,300 people in DOC custody, more than 90 percent of them men, according to the department. A sizable number of people in Vermont have had some sort of experience with the department. In fact, 4,500 people are currently under “community SECOND CHANCES

» P.20

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news supervision,” most through probation and parole, two programs that allow people who have been convicted of crimes to live outside of prison under agreed-upon conditions. Many are required to get a job. Will Hunter runs a large housing program, Community Restoration Corps in Springfield, for people emerging from prison or struggling with addiction or mental illness. As a result of the workforce shortage, he said, many of his tenants have been able to leave jobs they didn’t like for better ones. Okemo, the largest employer in neighboring Ludlow, often hires his tenants, he said. “There’s one guy who has been in and out of the system all his life and has multiple felonies, and he’s working there, and they will give him a bonus if he can bring some other people on,” said Hunter, a former lawyer and state senator who was disbarred in the 1990s after pleading guilty to mail fraud. Hunter knows this worker well and said he has mental health problems. “When he has gotten angry in the past, he has beaten people up; when he has wanted to steal drugs from a drug dealer, he has beaten up the drug dealer,” Hunter said. “But he loves working there, and he’s not a ticking time bomb as far as working at the ski area goes.” A spokesperson for Vail, which owns Okemo, did not respond to requests for interviews on the topic. As Seven Days reported last month, ski resorts have had difficulty hiring this year as they prepare for what is expected to be a busy season. Some employers hesitate to hire a person who has been convicted of a crime because they’re afraid of how it might affect their workers or company culture, said Michele Asch, the VP of leadership and organizational development at Twincraft, a skin-care products manufacturer. The Winooski-based company doesn’t ask

TOM MCNEILL

Second Chances « P.19

Leona Watt

job applicants about their criminal history and does not conduct criminal background checks. Twincraft employs some workers with criminal histories. “People that have made mistakes and paid the price for their mistakes are often really excited for a second chance

and excited not to be in that situation anymore,” she said. That doesn’t mean it always works out. “We have 300 employees and have been in business for 50 years, and we’re a manufacturer,” Asch said. “If you can imagine it, it has happened.”

The big impediment for many people in getting a job now, said Hunter and others, is drug testing. “If the employers want to do drug tests, a lot of people don’t apply,” he said. “I don’t know whether they care about pot, but I think they care about crack and heroin and fentanyl, and there are just an awful lot of working-age people in Springfield who would test positive for those things.” Watt, of the DOC, said about 80 percent of the people she sees through her position are ready to work. The rest need counseling, instruction and other help — sometimes lots of it — to fit in at the workplace and stay on the job. Companies such as Dunkin’ and McDonald’s have always been willing to hire people who have been in DOC supervision, Watt said. She also commonly places people in landscaping, construction and highway flagging positions, as well as with a nearby slaughterhouse, Vermont Packinghouse. “And then we have new places that have opened up recently to taking those under supervision,” Watt said. She said it helps to find employers who are patient and who understand that some people need to learn to show up for work on time and stay all day. Sometimes it takes a while for workers to get used to that reality, she said. “It’s about having a team who supports those who are working,” Watt said. “People’s lives are not simple.” Former inmates may have basic problems with transportation and housing. Some need to attend substance abuse classes during the day. Watt hopes the newfound acceptance shows employers that people who have served time in jail are not somehow different. “Let’s be honest: They are desperate for employees, so they’re opening up to what they will allow,” Watt said. “And I think they’re realizing, ‘This is just like my son or my nephew.’” m

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Printing Problems Mount for Several Vermont Newspapers B Y A NNE WA L L ACE ALLEN anne@sevendaysvt.com Printing problems are causing chaos at the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus and Rutland Herald newspapers, holding up home deliveries and annoying readers who count on getting the paper at the same time every day. “Our newspapers have not been getting into the hands of our motor route carriers on time,” editor Steve Pappas wrote on November 29 to Times Argus readers, explaining the problems. A similar editorial ran in the Rutland Herald. “Certain inserts have not been in the papers, or delayed beyond their usefulness, which is unacceptable to us.” Pappas works for Sample News Group, the Pennsylvania-based parent of the Times Argus, Rutland Herald, and Ludlow’s Vermont Journal. He’s asking readers to be patient while the printer, Upper Valley Press in North Haverhill, N.H., finds a way around the supply chain and worker shortage crises that are delaying production. Neither the Burlington Free Press nor Seven Days prints at Upper Valley Press. The former moved production to Portsmouth, N.H., in 2020. Seven Days, a former Upper Valley Press client, has been printed by Quebecor Media Printing in Laval, Québec, since 2018. The Upper Valley Press delays have also hit the Stowe Reporter and the four other newspapers published by the Vermont Community Newspaper Group. Janice Heathman, vice president of customer service at Upper Valley Press, confirmed that at least some of those papers have stopped using the printer. Community Newspaper Group publisher Gregory Popa did not return a phone message on Monday. But in a note to readers on November 24, news editor Tommy Gardner said the company had discussed moving online-only for a few issues to cope with printing delays. It decided not to, in part because the company publishes legal notices for 20 communities. And “it’s important to remember that not everyone has adequate access to the internet, and they rely on getting their news in their mailbox or from the newsstand,” Gardner wrote. Meanwhile, Heathman said Upper Valley Press is coming up with a plan to get things working properly again. But the worker shortage, she said, is having the greatest impact on assembling the papers for delivery. m

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uncollected alumni pledges. I immediately proposed that we gather as many volunteers as possible at the Haybarn offices, as well as people at home, to call all those who owed money. This was taken to the board, which denied permission for the effort. The word that came back to me from the board’s deliberations was that it would be “unseemly” to have random phone calls going out to people and harassing them. I was also a 1980 graduate of Goddard’s Adult Degree Program and was, to say the least, stumped by this denial.

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GOT BIAS?

[Re “Oh, Goddard: The Beleaguered College Reckons With Its Latest President,” December 1]: When I was working as a journalist, objectivity was utmost in my mind. It seems Seven Days reporter Chelsea Edgar did not get that memo. The article about Goddard is so lopsided, I had to diligently search for legit information about the alumni 12:54 PMstudent side of the issue. President Dan Hocoy and the current administration’s side of things was front and center. They are serious about the issues. On the other hand, the alumni student points of view were glossed over and mocked. Students were represented as naïve and silly for wanting to maintain the integrity of the Goddard tradition. And including the opinion of Tom Greene, founding president of the Vermont College of Fine Arts, about the matter is akin to asking No. 45 how he thinks the Biden presidency is going. I attended both VCFA and Goddard. The experiences were starkly different. There was never any doubt that VCFA was a business first. Goddard always put students first. The title of the article, “Oh, Goddard,” is particularly apt — a foreshadowing of the overall tone. All that is missing is an image of someone with the back of their hand over their forehead, suggesting: Oy, vey, here go those ridiculous Goddard students again. Sequana Skye

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[Re “Weighing the Options,” November 17]: When Winooski superintendent Sean McMannon says that “We’ve been doing this work for decades, and we’ve developed programs; we’ve cultivated staff and trust in the community,” he does so without being able to point to concrete outcomes for the majority of the Winooski student body. Look at the “Winooski School District Integrated Field Review Report” on the Vermont Agency of Education’s website. The Winooski School District has been on a continuous improvement plan for quite some time, and, still, teachers continue to be lacking clarity in how data is explicitly used to determine continuous improvement needs. Time’s up, WSD. You absolutely cannot be trusted to spend more money. Infinite Culcleasure

BURLINGTON

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Letters and articles in recent weeks talk about a lack of housing in Vermont, as well as a lack of medical care resources and a lack of good jobs. Increased traffic congestion and deadly violence are sources of concern, as are rising taxes to pay for the increased demands on social welfare programs. Yet government officials, among others, call for more people to move to Vermont and suggest paying them to do so. We are moving every day toward the ills we bemoan in Los Angeles; Chicago; Washington, D.C.; etc. Kendel Stafford

WATERBURY

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memories are the band Chicago Transit Authority, later known simply as Chicago; Saint Michael’s College basketball player Ralph Coleman smashing a glass backboard with a dunk in warmups, forcing a postponement to the next day at the Rice Memorial High School gym; selling programs for a 5th Dimension concert; and annual boat shows. As cherished as the memories are, I think that the auditorium’s viable days are over. I would be open to Memorial Senior Housing.

12/2/21 2:54 PM

I very much appreciate the retrospective on Memorial Auditorium [“Memorial Days,” December 1]. Among my

ALCOHOLICS INVISIBLE?

[Re “Lifting Spirits,” November 17]: Good article, though there’s no mention of who’s picking up the tab for recovery for the drinkers who become alcoholics. Addiction is kind of like the elephant in

WEEK IN REVIEW

the middle of the living room. Kind of shortsighted on the distillers’ part, too. Mike Kemsley GRAND ISLE

TOXIC SITUATION

[Re Off Message: “Volunteer Group Finds PFAS in Water Samples From Winooski River,” November 30] I read with interest and worry the article reporting that dairy farmer John Belter filed a suit in September 2021 against Burlington over his well water contamination with per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, aka PFAS. Contamination was present despite the fact that PFAS usage for firefighting purposes by the Vermont Air National Guard stopped in 2015. Since then, the implementation of various decontamination strategies in the area, such as the installation of filtration systems, provided drinking water. However, we learn from your article that the groundwater is still highly contaminated after six years. You reported that the PFAS concentration in Belter’s well in June 2021 was 13 times higher than the Vermont legal standard and that the creek’s level was 31 times higher. It is actually rather surprising that the suit was filed only recently, as the contamination was revealed in 2017. This is another reminder of the need for swift action and preventive legal measures against the usage of many dangerous substances, including PFAS, which have been demonstrably shown to be toxic and hard to eliminate once released in the environment. Unfortunately, in Vermont, S.20 — a law banning the use of a series of products containing PFAS, including Class B firefighting foam utilized by the Vermont Air National Guard — will only take effect in July 2022. We now know that banning these substances will not solve the consequences of existing contaminations. We should not be waiting for environmental degradation and for people to get seriously ill to prohibit these chemicals. Francesca Whitecross MIDDLEBURY

SCHOOL DAZE

Thanks to Alison Novak for “Level Best?” [November 24]. It provided much new information about the decision to build a new Burlington High School. When I first heard about the old school being closed due to PCB contamination, a plethora of ills flashed through my mind: the asbestos ceiling at my elementary school; the lead in the paint from China; the lead in the water in Flint, Mich.; the dust in the Kentucky and West Virginia

coal mines. As if the PCB issue weren’t enough for children to have to deal with, there’s COVID-19. So, closing the school was for me a no-brainer. Now I can put all that in perspective. I was particularly struck by the information that 15 nanograms per cubic meter is close to the PCB concentration that we typically breathe indoors. Also, I have come to understand the dilemma of physical versus mental health, especially when it comes to certain children: the homeless; the institutionalized; the victims of various types of abuse; those drug-addicted from birth; the ones lacking stability because their parents have had too many mates; the ones lacking stability because the only guardian they have left is working extremely long hours; the LGBTQ students in the process of defining themselves. All of them are children for whom a hug from their best friend or unconditionally loving favorite teacher has meant everything and is the only thing that has kept them on track to being academically successful.

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Thank you for the article on the woes of the U.S. postal system [“Delivery Debacles,” December 1]. From 2015 to 2019, I was the concierge at a Vermont residential retirement community. The young, upbeat women who delivered the mail were always hustling to get through their own route and usually someone else’s. I learned about their working conditions: switched routes, added routes when short-staffed, overtime, denied requests for earned time off, and inconsistent hours. I don’t think we can appreciate how demanding it is to deliver mail. My daughter lives in a residential part of Istanbul, Turkey, where I can send letters that arrive in two weeks — or never. I can’t send packages. Mail is not delivered to homes through a national system; there are private couriers. I don’t think that Americans realize how spoiled we are with the U.S. Postal Service, which is underfunded, shortstaffed and swamped with our internet orders. We can do more than complain. Before it is too late, we can demand that Congress undergird this national treasure. How much do you want to bet that Amazon will buy out the postal system? Then let’s watch to see how much it costs to mail things and where the mail ends up. Johanna Nichols

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lifelines

OBITUARIES, VOWS, CELEBRATIONS

OBITUARIES Linda Henzel

Roger W. Dorwart

SEPTEMBER 23, 1950DECEMBER 9, 2021 MONTPELIER, VT.

Born on September 23, 1950, in Ridley Park, Pa., to John and Leah Henzel of Philadelphia, Linda graduated from Lower Merion High School, then earned a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MS in natural resources planning from the University of Vermont. She moved to Stowe in 1981 to work in the family business at Miguel’s Stowe Away. She had career interests in dance performance and teaching, wildlife and watersheds preservation, and emergency planning and training. Her performing career included opera ballet with the Philadelphia Grand Opera Company as a member of the American Guild of Musical Artists. She performed with other dance and theater groups in Philadelphia and Vermont. She taught ballet and jazz in Stowe and at the Vermont Conservatory of the Arts in Montpelier. She choreographed for Lamoille County Players in Hyde Park and Lyric Theatre in Burlington, for shows such as West Side Story, and was the fiddler in Lyric’s production of Fiddler on the Roof. Linda enjoyed singing in her dad’s church choirs. She worked with the State of Vermont at the Department of Fish & Wildlife promoting the Nongame Wildlife Fund on Vermont tax returns and Conservation license plates. Later, working with foresters and biologists in the Agency of Natural Resources, she advanced public outreach and planning efforts for State Forests, Parks and Wildlife Management. As coordinator with Lewis Creek Association for 10 years, she worked with Addison and Chittenden county teachers, students and volunteers in assessing water quality. She helped establish the Addison County River Watch Collaborative. She enjoyed

years to come. Much more than that, he was a kind and loving husband, a wise and supportive father, and a doting grandfather. He was also an enthusiastic world traveler and devoted sports fan. He will be missed very much. Roger was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on September 22, 1936, and lived in Washington, Pa., until 1949. He then moved to Hartford, Conn., with his parents, the late Dr. Harold and Carolyn (Yeisley) Dorwart. He graduated from Bulkeley High School in 1954

and then received a BS from Trinity College in 1959, both in Hartford. He went on to receive both bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1960 and 1963, respectively. He worked for a year between 1960 and 1961 as an engineer for STS in Chicago before returning to RPI for graduate school. He then worked for several years as an instructor in civil engineering at the University of Vermont. There, he met Stephen Knight, with whom he went on to cofound Knight Consulting Engineers in Williston in 1964. He retired from KCE in 1998, having served as president of the firm for the last several years of his tenure. Roger was a lifetime member of the American Society of Civil Engineers. He was also a member of the Vermont Society of Engineers and the Chi Epsilon Civil Engineering Honorary Society. He was a

past copresident, together with his wife, of the Flynn School PTA in Burlington; a past president of the Sunset Cliff Homeowners Association; and a past president and treasurer of the Vermont chapter of the Construction Specifications Institute. In his retirement, he retained emeritus status as road commissioner for Sunset Cliff, a duty he gracefully accepted, much to the delight of family and friends. He is survived by his wife of 56 years, Elita Dorwart of Middlebury; his son Jon and his wife, Betsy Ward, of Burlington; his son Rich and his partner, Veronica Valle, of Aptos, Calif.; four incredible grandchildren, Rei, Erika, Alisa and Ivy; Elita’s sister Silvia and her husband, Ed Dauenheimer, of Arlington, Vt.; family and friends throughout the eastern U.S., Germany and Latvia; and one grumpy orange tabby cat. A graveside service will be held at Lakeview Cemetery on December 27 at 11 a.m.

and to organize otherworldly exhibits for the Fleming Museum — all while becoming an artist like no other artist on Earth. Elaine was fiercely intelligent, incredibly funny and endlessly inventive. In addition to her work as a performance artist (The Real Donald Duck, the Big Little History of Art, Fun

With Dick and Jane, Every Poor Girl’s Dream), as an NPR commentator (“November,” “the Prophet,” “Remember That Babysitter,” “She Loves You”), as a creator of picture books (“novels poured into thimbles”) for adults (Waiting for the Mikado, Mein Honeymoon, Can You Forgive Her, She Loves You), Elaine filled the walls with astonishing works of art at North Union Street in Burlington, a household that was a true beehive of artistic activity that she shared with her loving husband and artistic partner, Lance Richbourg, and her beloved dogs Kaspar and Sparkle (who predeceased her). Elaine gave it her all, according to Daniel Pinkwater, a fellow NPR commentator. Elaine didn’t leave anything unused. Elaine used to say,

wryly, that she was NPR’s least-loved commentator — another way of saying that what she was doing wasn’t meant to be heartwarming. There was never a shred of sentimentality about anything Elaine created; her art was always spectacularly gorgeous to look at, hilarious, brilliant and heartbreaking. As those of us lucky enough to have been counted among her friends know, Elaine was a rare and irreplaceable being; in addition to her husband, Lance, and her dog Kaspar, she is survived by her sisters Myra Friedman and Susie Bernstein, her daughter-inlaw Gaelle, and her three adored grandchildren, Paul, Anna and Cosmo. A memorial is planned for the spring.

SEPTEMBER 22,1936NOVEMBER 19, 2021 MIDDLEBURY, VT.

training students in the Governor’s Institute for Science and Technology and the Huntington Conservation Commission in water-quality monitoring. As a contractor, she assessed the Winooski River basin’s agricultural resources and assisted the Montpelier Conservation Commission with municipal forest resources plans. She served as adviser, board member and volunteer with organizations in the Capital City, her home for 20-plus years, including Friends of the Winooski River, Lost Nation Theater, North Branch Nature Center and Central Vermont Medical Reserve Corps. She is survived by brothers Thomas R. Henzel of Philadelphia, Pa., and John Michael Henzel of Shelburne, Vt.; stepdaughter and husband Emma and Micah Tompkins of Kettering, Ohio; an aunt; an uncle; and many cousins, nieces and nephews. Her mother, Leah, predeceased her in 2016, as did her father, John, in 2020. Funeral arrangements are by McCausland-GarrityMarchesani Funeral Home & Crematory in Glenolden, Pa. Her remains will be interred in the family garden at Glenwood in Broomall, Pa. Please consider a donation in her memory to her favorite Montpelier organizations: North Branch Nature Center, Lost Nation Theater or Friends of the Winooski River; to Vermont’s Nongame Wildlife Fund; or to the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation. A remembrance event will be planned for Montpelier in the spring of 2022.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Roger W. Dorwart passed away on the afternoon of Friday, November 19, 2021, after a brave battle with cancer. He was 85. He was surrounded by loved ones in his last days and passed peacefully at the Eastview retirement community in Middlebury, Vt. He lived for many years on Sunset Cliff Road in Burlington, where he was well known as the neighborhood fixer: a mover of shore stations, mender of roads, engineer to a number of neighborhood projects, builder of sturdy furniture and ipecac-giver to the odd chocolate-eating dog. For 43 years he poured his heart and soul into creating the perfect cliffside dock, which will remain an important part of his family’s heritage in the

Elaine Segal

FEBRUARY 2, 1951DECEMBER 4, 2021 BURLINGTON, VT. Elaine Segal, blazing force of nature and night owl to the end, escaped this mortal coil and a body racked by Crohn’s disease shortly before midnight on Saturday December 4, 2021, accompanied by Glenn Gould playing Bach. Elaine was born in Minneapolis, on Groundhog Day, in 1951. Following a brief stint at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, she fled the midwest for Vermont, where she began her new life by making harpsichords and tending goats before going on to provide sex education classes at the Vermont State Hospital, to work in the Writers in the Schools program, to teach at Goddard College and UVM,

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

Thomas Harris Astore

AUGUST 10, 1961DECEMBER 3, 2021 HOPKINTON, MASS. Thomas Harris Astore, 60, of Hopkinton, passed away unexpectedly at his home on Friday, December 3, 2021. Born in Astoria, Queens, New York, he was the son of Ann Astore of Long Island, New York, and the late Anthony Astore. As he would say, he was married to his lovely wife Tina for 17 years. His sons Henry and Liam, of Vermont, were the most precious people in his life. He also leaves behind his sister Stephanie VanEckhart and her children, Sarah and Jake; his brother Richard and his wife, Corinne, and their children, Andy and Mary; his stepson Jeremy MacLeod and his wife, Cynthia, and their children, Madison and Brendan; and several cousins, nieces and nephews. A Hopkinton resident for the past three years, Thomas was formerly of Newton and South Burlington, Vermont. He received a bachelor’s degree from Hofstra University, a law degree from Fordham Law School and then became a CPA and practiced as a tax accountant, most recently as tax partner at Rodman & Rodman. This summer, he achieved his goal of becoming a bogie golfer and anticipated playing four under par next year. Based on his diligence in practice, that most likely would have happened. He was also meticulous about playing with clean balls; he would wash a batch in the kitchen sink, scrub them with the vegetable brush and then dry them with a white dish towel. Thomas would wake up singing and never stop all day; usually he’d sing the same song for a week. Thomas was a caregiver for his mother-in-law, whom he called Mother Duff. His strong hands enabled her to get up steps and move about. He loved her dearly. He would subtly, and often not-so-subtly, instigate family discussions that he knew could get contentious, while he would sit on the sidelines and chuckle.

Thomas was a lifelong learner of both the mundane and the complicated facets of our lives, always inquisitive and open to new experiences. He had in-depth knowledge of history, religion, politics, movies and literature. Retiring early enabled him to realize his lifelong dream of getting involved in community theater as an actor and a playwright. He also took the time to become more reflective about life in general, which was reflected in his writing. When the play that he was rehearsing was canceled due to the coronavirus, he was asked to write scenes for two local theater groups. Three of those scenes were performed by local actors on Zoom and then posted on YouTube, while the other was performed live, just prior to Massachusetts closing its local theaters. From there, his playwriting blossomed. His play, Friends in Black in White won first prize in the Millis Theater Group amateur playwriting contest. The play was adapted and produced under the name Tommy and Michael, and will be shown in January at the Ashland Community Theatre. Recent roles include: Claudius in Hamlet, at the Dragonfly Theatre; Magee, lead role in Seven Keys to Baldpate, with the Whitinsville Players; Wadsworth the butler, lead role in Clue, performed with the Milford Players; Banquo in Macbeth, at Enter Stage Left-Hopkinton Center for the Arts; and many more. Tom was a regular, fun and frivolous performer at Friday Nite Live (FNL) Adult Improv Group at Milford Performing Arts Center. Visitation will be held on Friday, December 10, from 4-7 p.m., at the Chesmore Funeral Home of Hopkinton, 57 Hayden Rowe St. Visitation will also take place on Saturday, December 11, from 10:00-11:30 a.m., at the funeral home, followed by a funeral mass at Saint John the Evangelist Church, at 12:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Massachusetts Adoption Resource Exchange, mareinc. org or 19 Needham St., Suite 206, Newton, MA, 02461, or to the Milford Performing Arts Center, 150 Main St., Milford, MA, 01747.

IN MEMORIAM Alice Murdoch 1944-2020

Bold, beautiful, passionate about life, family, friends and her art. Her death a year ago is still incomprehensible and her loss palpable. We miss her terribly. In lieu of a memorial service there will be a retrospective show of her art in celebration and in her honor at the RCK Gallery in Stuart, Fla., on April 22, 2022. To view her paintings, visit alicemurdoch.com.

Dr. John Carl Langfeldt MARCH 9, 1944DECEMBER 3, 2021 MIDDLEBURY, VT.

Dr. John Carl Langfeldt died early on Friday morning, December 3, 2021, of complications related to cancer, two weeks after his beloved wife of nearly 50 years, Ursula, also departed. He was at his residence at the Eastview at Middlebury Retirement Community with his children by his side and under the loving care of Addison County Home Health & Hospice and the MeadowSweet nursing team. John was born on March 9, 1944, in the Bronx, N.Y., to Dorothy Nagle Langfeldt and Dr. Ray Carl Langfeldt, DDS. At the time of John’s birth, his father was stationed in England with the U.S. Army, awaiting the imminent invasion of Europe. As an infant, John lived with his mother and his aunt in New York City, before heading west to McCook, Neb., where his family settled after the war’s conclusion. Ray opened a dental practice, and Dorothy was a homemaker and mother to John and his older brother and best friend, Gene, and his two much-loved younger sisters, Mari and Cathy. John went to St. Patrick Catholic elementary school, followed by McCook High School, where he was student council president during his senior year and lettered on the football team. He graduated in 1962. John then attended the University of Nebraska, where he earned both his undergraduate and dental school degree. It was at dental school where he made a number of lifelong friends, who bestowed upon him the nickname “Zeus.” Upon graduating with his doctorate of dental surgery in 1969, John immediately enlisted in the U.S. Navy. He attended officer candidate school at Parris Island, S.C., a formative experience that earned him commission as a second lieutenant before shipping out for Okinawa, Japan. Returning stateside in 1971, John was assigned to Naval Station Newport, R.I. Soon after arriving, a friend of his set him up on a blind date with a young nurse who would become his lifelong love, Ursula Carney. Following a quick courtship and engagement, they were married in West Roxbury, Mass., in June 1972, and shortly thereafter moved to Middlebury, Vt. A devout believer in civic duty, John served on a variety of boards over the years, including as president of the Vermont State Dental Society, president of the Frog Hollow State Craft Center, board member of the Eastview at Middlebury Retirement Community (where, later in life, he and Ursula resided) and appointee by governor Jim Douglas to the Vermont State Board of Dental Examiners, which he chaired. John also volunteered for decades with the Special Olympics, served on the Ilsley Public Library fundraising committee, painted the M on the 50-yard line before every Middlebury Union High School home football game (even for years after his children had graduated), donated blood on a monthly basis, and was an early and enduring proponent of Vermont’s Dr. Dynasaur free pediatric dental care program. John’s sense of humor can favorably be described as “unique,” and he was never at a loss for words or a wisecrack in order to elicit a smile and a chuckle from a friend, patient, colleague, nurse, grandchild or virtually anyone within earshot. He delighted in making others laugh or, at least, smile. As a dentist,

Dr. Langfeldt was highly respected by peers and patients alike, and his office staff became like a second family to him; their tenures measured in decades, not years. If John’s vocation was dentistry, his avocation was undoubtedly the outdoors and, more specifically, hunting. He spent his adolescence stalking the prairies and high plains of Nebraska with his father and brother. Upon his arrival in Vermont in the early 1970s, he transitioned easily to eastern partridge, duck and goose hunting with his always poorly trained but loyal and energetic Brittany spaniels and Labradors. In the Green Mountains, he also found a new love of deer hunting, particularly after joining the close-knit and gregarious Camp Manhattan. For the rest of his life, he looked forward to those two weeks in November all year long. He remained a proud Nebraskan and westerner throughout his life, but the Green Mountains became just as much a part of his DNA after half a century in Vermont. Family meant everything to John. He and Ursula succeeded in raising three children, Carl, Evan and Gretchen, to be as close with one another as they remained with their own treasured siblings. Despite John’s work schedule, their kids cannot remember a game that he missed throughout many years of athletic competition. He was always there, cheering loudly from the stands or the sidelines, home or away, or recording video for the coaches’ later use. His children will always remember him as a larger-than-life personality, generous, optimistic and intelligent — a voracious reader, full of wit and laughter, and a dedicated, supportive and loving husband, father, father-in-law and grandfather. His adage of “Happy day!” will echo in their ears and memories for the rest of their lives. John was predeceased by his beloved wife, Ursula Carney Langfeldt; his parents, Dr. Ray C. Langfeldt and Dorothy N. Langfeldt; and his brother Gene Langfeldt, sister-in-law CarolAnn Langfeldt and niece Jessica Langfeldt Haverkate. He is survived by his sons, Carl (Amanda) and Evan (Elizabeth), and his daughter Gretchen; and his grandchildren, Harper and Rowan Langfeldt of Laguna Niguel, Calif., and Louisa Langfeldt of Charlotte, Vt. He is also survived by his sisters Cathy (Mark) and Mari (Bill); and his 17 nieces and nephews; as well as much-loved in-laws, cousins and so many friends. John was one of a kind and will be greatly missed. While heartbroken to lose both John and Ursula in quick succession, their three children, family and friends are comforted by the knowledge that they were quickly reunited and will be celebrating their 50th anniversary in one another’s arms this coming June. There are too many people to thank here for their loving help and care over these last few years, but we would particularly like to express our gratitude to the skilled caregivers at Porter Medical Center, Middlebury Regional EMS, Eastview at Middlebury Retirement Community, and Addison County Home Health & Hospice. Throughout his cancer journey, Dad never lost his sense of humor or quick wit, and we are grateful to all of his health care providers for both tolerating it and giving it right back, to his great joy. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Dr. John C. Langfeldt’s honor to Addison County Home Health & Hospice (achhh. org/memorial-gifts.html). A joint funeral service for Dr. John and Ursula Langfeldt will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, January 15, 2022, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Middlebury. SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

A A Man of

Letters Writer Tim Brookes creates works of art to save the world’s endangered alphabets BY K E N P IC AR D

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

handful of sheep knuckles rattled across the dining table like molars knocked loose in a barroom brawl. The dried yellow bones, called shagai, came to rest on a round felt mat resembling an astrological chart. Around the mat’s perimeter, eight letters hand-stenciled in Mongolian calligraphy spelled out the four seasons. Nearby, a stack of brightly colored playing cards bore elaborate illustrations of heroes, gods and monsters from Mongolian history and mythology. The cards, mat and shagai are elements of Ulus: Legends of the Nomads, a multiplayer board game and latest creation from the inventive mind of Tim Brookes — British expat, longtime Vermont resident, writer, college professor, former NPR commentator and lover of words. The game is the product of his passion for the world’s rare and beautiful alphabets, many of which, like Mongolian, are in danger of extinction. Brookes is the one-man force behind the Endangered Alphabets Project, the nonprofit he founded in 2013. He has worked with scholars, activists and Indigenous peoples worldwide to document and share such threatened writing systems as the Afáka script of French Guiana, Takri of India and Naasioi Otomaung of Papua New Guinea. Some of his efforts have been intellectual and scholarly. Brookes created the online Atlas of Endangered Alphabets and, just months ago, launched a campaign to establish a “red list” of alphabets — akin to the international Red List of Threatened Species — to highlight those scripts on the brink of disappearing. Other work has been artistic and rooted in the physical. About a decade ago, Brookes took up wood carving, inscribing sinuous scripts into slices of Vermont maple that he exhibits as part of the campaign to raise public awareness about threatened letters and symbols. His research into these unusual and often enigmatic writing systems raises larger questions, among them: What is the importance of an alphabet to the language it communicates — and to the people who created it? In short, what lies hidden within the myriad ways we humans write? “When a culture is denied the chance to use its own traditional script … within two generations everything written in that traditional script is lost,” Brookes said. “It’s incomprehensible to the very people who created it.” Ulus: Legends of the Nomads is many things. It’s a game made, in part, by the Indigenous people of Southern Mongolia, an autonomous region within China. The game is also an elegantly rendered work of art and a meticulously researched representation of the Mongol Empire, which

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Tim Brookes working on an Abenaki piece that reads “Please honor the pledge,” which is directed to students in the Abenaki course at Middlebury College to speak Abenaki rather than English outside of class time

A nation without a language is a nation without a heart. W E LS H PROVERB

at its height stretched from the Korean Peninsula to Poland. But at its heart, Brookes said, Ulus: Legends of the Nomads is a tool to help the people of Southern Mongolia resist the Chinese government’s campaign to eradicate their culture. “The Mongols defeated the Chinese, and the Chinese government is trying to rewrite history as though it never happened,” Brookes explained. “The way to maintain control over a minority is to convince them that they’re worthless.” Those who study the world’s languages see great value in Brookes’ efforts.

“When a spoken language dies that’s never been written down, it’s as if it has never been,” David Crystal, an honorary professor of linguistics at Bangor University in Wales, explained by email. “Writing adds permanence, whether in an alphabetic system or any other. And that means we have access to the unique vision that a language expresses.” For decades, scholars have conducted research and fieldwork on endangered languages. Crystal, one of the world’s preeminent language scholars, said that what was missing was an effort to raise awareness about their rapidly disappearing alphabets, too. Brookes’ work — his website, art and games — is helping to fill that gap. Brookes has no formal schooling in anthropology, foreign languages or alphabets, nor has he traveled to most of the countries where endangered alphabets are found. He speaks only a smattering of French and German — and can swear in Spanish, he said. But having spent most of his life as a writer, journalist and storyteller, Brookes seems suited to the task of documenting and preserving humanity’s multiform palette of letters. “One of the great things about journalism is, you’re paid to be curious and find out new things,” Brookes said. “At the heart of every story is a mystery. If you haven’t found the mystery, you haven’t found the story.”

‘THE ORIGIN OF WRITING’

Brookes shared his own story in what he calls “the crow’s nest,” his attic office at the top of a tight spiral staircase in his home in Keeseville, N.Y. The 19th-century farmhouse, where Brookes has lived since January, overlooks Lake Champlain and offers stunning views of the snow-dusted Green Mountains. At dusk, the sun’s amber glow reflects off the windows of Burlington, 10 miles to the east. “I vowed that I would never again in my life live anywhere but Vermont,” Brookes said wistfully, as he settled his 6-foot-3inch frame into a desk chair on a recent morning. But his partner, Kristi Brennan, has work that requires her to live in New York, so after more than five years in a commuter relationship, Brookes moved from the Green Mountain State, which he’d called home since 1980. “I feel as though I’m still in Vermont; I’m just at the end of a very long driveway that’s prone to flooding,” he said with the humor that characterizes much of his writing. Brookes has written 18 books on subjects ranging from America’s bestselling musical instrument (Guitar: An American Life), to a first-person account of living with a chronic respiratory disease (Catching My Breath: An Asthmatic Explores His Illness), to an ill-fated National Geographic assignment to report

on weather forecasting in India during monsoon season (Thirty Percent Chance of Enlightenment). It was that talent for astute observation that earned him a slot as a monthly commentator on NPR’s “Weekend Edition Sunday” from 1989 to 2008. Regardless of the subject, Brookes can turn a phrase like a Ferrari on a country road. In April 1993, he treated NPR listeners to a comparison of a Vermont rainstorm to one in Britain. Vermont rain, he said, “falls with a sense of purpose, even of drama. British rain, on the other hand, is a condition. It’s not weather, but something between a recurring mood and a congenital disease.” In an August 1996 piece, Brookes described buying a rebuilt lawn mower from a trailer park resident: “He was a tall, handsome man in his thirties, I’d say, with thinning dark hair and a grin that came and went too easily, as if he oiled that, too.” An American might speculate that Brookes’ way with the English language is at least partly the result of his British upbringing and University of Oxford education. He was born in London in 1953 to a family of modest means. His father’s work led to frequent moves, and by the time Brookes left England at 21, he had lived in 18 different houses. That pattern continued well into adulthood, usually by choice. “I was very easily bored,” he explained. “I would feel very much in a rut or trapped if I was anywhere for more than a few months.” While still attending Oxford on government grants, Brookes crossed the Atlantic in the summer of 1973 to thumb his way around North America. His journey became the subject of his 2000 book, A Hell of a Place to Lose a Cow: An American Hitchhiking Odyssey, which the New York Times listed as one of the best travel books of the year. He played guitar throughout that trip, and in 2006 he wrote Guitar: An American Life about the crafting, history and role of the instrument in the U.S. After graduating from Oxford in 1974, Brookes spent seven years traveling between England and the U.S. on various work-related and romantic adventures (he has been married three times and has two grown daughters). “None of the important decisions of my life have been made on the basis of facts or information,” he quipped. In 1983, after losing a part-time instructor job at the University of Vermont, Brookes began writing music and film reviews for a Burlington alt-weekly, the Vanguard Press. He found he had a knack for the work, perhaps thanks to the British

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Cards from the game

DIANE SULLIVAN

educational system that tested knowledge through essay writing. “I was used to taking everything I knew about any given subject and, in 45 minutes, putting it together with a beginning and an end,” he said. One week, he wrote nine stories for the Vanguard. As a freelancer, Brookes honed a writing style that would come to define his books, first-person narratives and Dave Barry-style radio commentaries. “Tim wrote some of my favorite sentences ever when he wrote for the Free Press,” said Candace Page, then an editor of the Burlington daily, who hired Brookes as a features writer after his stint at the Vanguard. “It didn’t matter what the subject was, you wanted to read the story because Tim had written it,” said Page, who is now a consulting editor at Seven Days. After leaving the Free Press, Brookes cobbled together an income as a freelancer until Vermont Public Radio hired him to produce its program guide, which at the time was little more than a monthly calendar. Brookes turned it into a magazine called North by Northeast, which featured original writing and artwork from around the region. Brookes, who taught writing, literature and composition on and off at UVM throughout the 1980s and ’90s, landed at Champlain College in 2006, where he became director of the professional writing program. In the late 1980s, he met an independent radio producer who enjoyed his writing and recommended him to her NPR producer, who was seeking a smart, funny commentator. Brookes submitted samples of his film and music reviews, which were often offbeat, witty and irreverent. One review he wrote as a single long sentence. Another he penned in sentences of no more than three words to reflect the film’s short, choppy editing. Brookes once found a movie so awful that instead he reviewed the Kit Kat bar he had eaten in the theater. Soon, the commentator gig expanded to include monthly NPR commentaries. Brookes’ contrarian voice didn’t always go over well. In the early days of the first Iraq War, when American cable news was dominated by videos of U.S. air strikes on Iraqi buildings, Brookes penned a tonguein-cheek opinion piece about the Iraqis’ temerity in firing back Scud missiles, most of which either missed their mark or exploded midair. He titled his commentary “Scuds against the ’80s.” NPR’s vice president of news heard

Brookes’ piece before it aired and promptly scuttled it. “I was, of course, in the doghouse for doing it,” Brookes said. He didn’t lose his NPR gig but was moved to “Weekend Edition Sunday,” which actually gave him more airtime and creative license. In all, Brookes produced about 250 commentaries for NPR, including coverage of the 1989 Velvet Revolution in Prague. “It was quite a time,” he recalled with a satisfied smile.

CARVING A NICHE

In 2009, Brookes’ passion for words took another turn. He began carving letters into wood as Christmas presents for his family members to hang outside their homes, offices and bedrooms. His early attempts, using the Latin alphabet, proved surprisingly difficult. “The Latin alphabet has been more influenced by the mechanical process than any other,” he said. “Consequently, it consists of shapes that are inimical to the human hand.” The Latin alphabet is “the one that won … because it had the most lawyers, guns and money,” he said, quoting a Warren Zevon song. Latin traveled with military and religious conquests for so many centuries that it’s now the primary or secondary script in three-quarters of the world’s countries. Consequently, those who use it

Shagai

are largely incapable of seeing anything in it beyond its utilitarian value. It has become, in Brookes’ words, “linguistic duct tape.” The carved gifts were a hit, and, excited to find more characters and symbols to inscribe, Brookes chanced upon a website that changed his life: omniglot.com. The site aims to document all of the world’s writing systems,

past and present, living and extinct, real and fictitious. Brookes was astounded to discover that, while there are more than 6,000 extant languages in the world, there are just 130 to 140 written alphabets. As many as one-third of those scripts are disappearing because they’re not taught in schools, are forbidden by their governments, or are used by only a small number of elders

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Ulus: Legends of the Nomads

HOW TO PLAY ULUS: LEGENDS OF THE NOMADS

games are based on authentic shagai games of chance and fortune-telling and are played by tossing or flicking the shagai like jacks or marbles. Whichever player ends the game with the most points wins. While the first half of the game is strategic, the second is more about dexterity, making the game a fair competition among people with different levels of gaming knowledge and experience.

SULLIV AN

The object of the game, played by two to six players, is to achieve a god’s vision of Ulus by defeating monsters, trading and accumulating asset cards, and winning traditional Mongolian games of chance. The first part of the game is nomadic in nature: Players move around a circular felt game mat from one season and sacred site to another. Each player gets four shagai, or dried sheep knuckles, whose four sides represent a goat, a sheep, a camel or a horse. But unlike dice, the shagai faces are irregular, making some faces harder to roll than others. In the first half of the game, players toss the shagai like dice to move their champions from site to site, defeat monsters and win assets such as prayer flags, Tibetan mastiffs, snow leopards and shamanic drums. Some assets benefit all gods equally; others help particular gods. After the champions visit all the sacred sites on the board, players move them to the center of the mat for the game’s second phase, called Naadam. At Naadam, or annual summer festival, players compete in mini games that represent three Mongol sports of wrestling, horseback riding and archery, as well as storytelling. All the mini

DIANE

About 800 years ago, Genghis Khan (1162-1227) united the nomadic tribes of the Mongolian plateau to create the largest contiguous land empire the world has known. But as Khan and his descendants conquered huge swaths of Asia, Europe and the Middle East, they faced an existential question: What kind of empire should they create? Should it be urban or nomadic — based in a great city or in their people’s traditional traveling existence? The game Ulus: Legends of the Nomads stages a fictional but culturally accurate version of this question. Ulus is a Mongolian word meaning “land” or “nation,” and in the game, each of seven gods has a plan for what should be done with Ulus, the Mongol lands. Etügen Eke, the Earth goddess, for example, wants an empire based on herding, farming and self-sufficiency. Tengri, the sky god, prefers one based on manufacturing, trade and commerce. Mergen, the deity of abundance and wisdom, wants one oriented around scholarship and wisdom. Players choose a god card at random but don’t reveal its identity to the other players. Each player then selects a champion card, which the other players can see, to achieve their god’s aims. All the gods and champions are derived from Mongolian history and/or mythology.

and religious leaders, sometimes for secret rituals or sacred texts. Brookes found many of the alphabets’ calligraphic flourishes more expressive than Latin letters and thus easier and more pleasurable to craft. To demonstrate, he pointed to a carving in Nüshu, a script from China’s Hunan province and one of the world’s few forms of calligraphy created by and for women. Its fine, threadlike lines resemble embroidery. “Concealment was part of its very identity,” Brookes explains in the Atlas of Endangered Alphabets. “This fact underlies almost every aspect of Nüshu — not just because women were not permitted to learn to read and write, but because it was used to capture and communicate aspects of women’s lives that were also personal, private or secret.” Brookes found another advantage to carving scripts he couldn’t read. If one stares at a letter or symbol long enough without knowing its sound or meaning, he said, one begins to recognize in it the human hand that created its graceful curves. In other words, it becomes a work of art with its own intrinsic value and meaning. Brookes treats them as such. The modest wall space in his house is dominated by his finely crafted pieces, which feature enigmatic characters etched into slabs of Vermont maple with the bark still attached. Brookes gazed at one vertical carving of geometrically shaped letters — Aboriginal syllabics used by the Cree, Inuktitut and Ojibwe of northern Canada. “To me, this looks like the origin of writing,” he mused about the inscriptions, which are reminiscent of prehistoric cave drawings. “It’s like some god split open this tree, and writing was revealed inside it.” Some of the alphabets resemble pictures but are really ideograms. Like emojis, they are symbols that represent not just words or phrases but also complex ideas. The ideogram aya, which Brookes etched from the Adinkra symbol system of Ghana, looks like a fern that flourishes throughout the West African country. But the ideogram compresses scads of information into one symbol — in this case, resilience and resourcefulness, Brookes said. Ideograms, he explained, “have been regarded traditionally in the West as childlike because they’re pictorial, as though our alphabet were superior because it can be A MAN OF LETTERS SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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A Man of Letters « P.29 used to express abstract thought,” Brookes explained. “But the very resurgence of ideograms, such as on road signs and emoji, show that we actually want that.” Another wall carving, called a pamada, is a Balinese symbol. Neither word nor letter, the symbol announces, like a trumpet fanfare, that the text that follows is sacred. “It means that you need to read this differently … with an open heart, with less haste, with a more reflective sense of purpose,” Brookes said. “I realized that these are instructions for bringing out the best in a writer.”

GODS AND MONSTERS

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Tim Brookes working while his dog, Flash, is of no help at all

Warren Baker, who worked with Brookes as a professor in the professional writing program at Champlain College. “That ties right into what he’s doing now with the endangered alphabets and his love of the language. It’s a noble and necessary pursuit.” Among others who attended Brookes’ exhibition were several stonecutters from Barre. They suggested he try carving in stone, Brookes recalled, and emphasized the importance of the work he had undertaken. “That was the first time I thought of this [project] as anything but documentation,” Brookes recalled. “So if it’s art, what do I do with it now?” Ulus: Legends of the Nomads became one answer to that question. For centuries, the traditional script Mongol Bichig was the universal alphabet of the Mongol people. In 1946 it was replaced by the Cyrillic alphabet currently used by the independent nation of Mongolia. Southern Mongolia is the last place where Mongol Bichig is used — and it is rapidly falling into disuse there. In September 2020, Brookes read about the Chinese government’s ongoing campaign to, as he put, “emasculate the Indigenous populations of China.” Henceforth, schools in Southern Mongolia would be required to teach Chinese rather than Mongolian. A government-subsidized

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Energized by the omniglot.com trove of beautiful symbols, Brookes set out to obtain translations from researchers, scholars and Indigenous people of a single phrase in as many different alphabets as possible. He chose Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which reads: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.” Some alphabets used in the translations were very mathematical and geometric, he found, while others, such as Baybayin, native to the Philippines, were thin and reedy and required that he use his smallest carving tool. He assumed that some scholar had already discovered why the alphabets were so different. Not so. “This is where it helped that I was not a linguist,” Brookes said. “A linguist will look at an alphabet and ask, ‘What rules of language does this script obey? What do I learn from it about the spoken word? Did this descend from something else?’ I was asking, ‘Why does it look like this?’” As he discovered from an anonymous Spanish account from 1590, Baybayin scribes didn’t write with ink but cut the surface of bamboo bark with the tip of a knife or sharpened iron, then rubbed ash into the thinly incised letters to make them stand out. Brookes’ Article 1 carving project, begun in early 2010, proved more timeconsuming that he had expected. Recognizing that the temptation to quit would be powerful, he committed himself to displaying his works in May 2010 in the Champlain Mill in Winooski. In all, he carved versions in 13 different alphabets. His exhibit was well attended and attracted media attention. “Tim is just a really inventive guy … and he’s a storyteller at heart,” said

A carving from 2014 that says “Happy New Year” in Mongolian

historical exhibit about the region, due to open in France, was forbidden from mentioning Genghis Khan, using the word “Mongol” or even referencing the Mongol Empire because of its conquest of China in the 13th century. Around the same time, Brookes saw a photo on the website of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center in New York City. The image showed a Mongolian boy at a protest holding up traditional Mongolian calligraphy.

It’s like some god split open this tree, and writing was revealed inside it. T I M B R O OK ES

It read, “A foreign language is a tool. Our mother tongue is our soul.” As soon as Brookes saw that photo, he said, he knew he’d carve those words, though he was unsure what he would do with the carving. He considered presenting his work to the Mongolian embassy. Still, that gesture didn’t seem sufficient. “I knew this one-person nonprofit was going to take on the Chinese government,” he said. “It just became a question of how.”

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Tim Brookes presenting his wood carving to Enghebatu Togochog, director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center

Brookes sought the advice of a friend from Poland who had lived for years under Communist rule. The friend warned Brookes not to do anything that would enrage the Chinese government and worsen conditions for the Southern Mongolians. Instead, he suggested doing something that would help document and preserve elements of Mongolian culture. He suggested creating a game. Brookes had invented games before but never one imbued with such significance. So he drew in Jovan Ellis, who had written his master’s thesis at Champlain College on how games and interactive media can help preserve dying cultures. Brooks had been his thesis adviser. “I always thought the Endangered Alphabets [Project] was fascinating,” Ellis recalled. What began as a single chat about a board game turned into more than half a dozen consultations on game development. Ellis shared his research and game design philosophy, as well as his suggestions for translating Brookes’ ideas into a physical medium. In their efforts to preserve Mongolian calligraphy, Brookes and Ellis were determined to avoid cultural appropriation or tokenism. “What Tim was really mindful about with this project was not making it a game about Mongolia and its people, but making it a game from Mongolia and its people,” Ellis said.

To that end, Brookes sought guidance from Amgalan Zhamsoev, a professor in Russia and a teacher of Mongolian calligraphy. Tamir Samandbadraa Purev, whom Brookes called one of the most famous living Mongolian calligraphers, also provided advice. Ellis described Brookes’ approach to game design as “extraordinarily humble.” Brookes would let go of his own ideas about how the game should be played if they didn’t work from a game-design perspective, he said. In the latter stages of the game’s development, Tselmegtsetseg Tsetsendelger, a Mongolian American woman who lives in the U.S. and promotes traditional Mongolian culture, reviewed the rules of the game and suggested further changes that would more accurately and authentically depict Mongol culture. “Ignorance often can be painted as a bad thing. Ignorance isn’t the enemy, especially when you’re doing cultural projects. Arrogance is,” Ellis said. “Tim understands that it’s OK to be ignorant and talk to people who know more about your project than you do.” For the game’s artistic design, Brookes enlisted two Mongolian and two American illustrators. Burlington designer Alec Julien, who had worked on the redesign of two new editions of Brookes’ books and A MAN OF LETTERS

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In 2010, Tim Brookes carved 13 versions of Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights: “All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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on other aspects of the Endangered Alphabets Project, turned those illustrations into the games’ playing cards. “Tim is a dynamo of energy and ideas, and some of us have just sort of gotten swept up in his expansive magnetic field,” Julien wrote by email. Designing the look and feel of the game posed considerable challenges for Julien, particularly grasping the history and culture of people about whom he knew little. Another was working with a completely foreign alphabet. “Imagine trying to check for misspellings when you can’t read the language,” he said. “The far-flung teams that Tim puts together are always challenging to keep in touch with and keep to deadlines. And, of course, money’s always tight,” Julien added. “I’m still not quite sure how I’ve become so enmeshed in the Endangered Alphabets Project, though I’m damn happy I am!” Brookes launched a Kickstarter campaign in 2020 to raise $20,000 to fund the creation of Ulus: Legends of the Nomads; the effort raised more than $37,000. Donors began receiving versions of the game in late September. The standard version of the game sells for $55; the $125 deluxe version comes with a felt game board handmade by craftspeople in Southern Mongolia, a box of illustrated playing cards and 25 shagai, made from the bones of Vermont sheep. There’s also a “vegetarian” version, made with plastic shagai, Brookes noted. The game cards and rule books are printed in the U.S., but the felt game mats — made from the same material the Mongolians use to make clothing and yurts — are hand-stenciled in a village outside Ulaanbaatar, the capital of Mongolia. This week, Brookes traveled to New York City to present the game to Enghebatu Togochog, director of the Southern Mongolian Human Rights Information Center, and to play it with him and other Mongolian exiles who fled Chinese persecution. Brookes also gave the director the wood carving of the Mongolian boy’s protest sign. Togochog seemed excited to see the game for the first time. “Mongolian communities in the United States, especially the Southern Mongolians, are extremely grateful to Tim for his effort to raise awareness of the human rights conditions of Southern Mongolia through his game,” he wrote by email. Togochog referred to China’s current ban on Mongolian language and calligraphy as “cultural genocide.”

PRESERVATION OR EXPLOITATION?

As a white man of British heritage, Brookes is acutely sensitive to the perception that his work at the Endangered Alphabets Project could be perceived as cultural appropriation. In 2016, Brookes said, he worked with Julien; Melody Mackin, an Abenaki educator, activist and artist; and other citizens of the Elnu, Missisquoi and Nulhegan bands to create a script that incorporated motifs from Abenaki artwork. Then, in January 2019, Brookes was at the Vermont Statehouse presenting his Abenaki carvings when he received “a very valuable talking-to” by some Abenaki women asking whether he should be carving Abenaki letters. Though the women didn’t tell Brookes to stop, he recalled, “They asked, ‘How can you justify putting something in writing that was traditionally an oral language?’” It was a fair question, and one he hadn’t previously considered. As Brookes pointed out, the written word can be a particularly sore point for Native Americans because the U.S. government has used the absence of documents such as treaties, deeds and family records to deny tribes their rights and land claims. But Brookes’ goal has never been to profit from a culture by putting its letters on beer mugs or T-shirts. Rather, he has tried to spread the message that the Abenaki and other marginalized people wished to share: “We are still here.”

Mackin, past chair and vice chair of the Vermont Commission on Native American Affairs, described Brookes as a “wonderful ally to our community.” Brookes has produced carvings for several Abenaki bands, created playing cards using their alphabet and helped develop an Abenaki font. “He always asked, ‘What can I do for you? What do you need?’” Mackin added. “Tim is a go-getter and a wonderful friend to have. I cannot speak more highly of him.” Crystal, the language scholar from Wales, now serves on the advisory board of the Endangered Alphabets Project. In 2010, Brookes sent him a wood carving of the Welsh proverb Cenedl heb iaith, cenedl heb galon, which means, “A nation without a language is a nation without a heart.” Crystal, author of two encyclopedias, The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language and The Cambridge Encyclopedia of the English Language, said that Brookes’ work is vitally important to raising public awareness of this alphabet extinction. “Go into the street and ask people — as I did for a radio programme once — if they’re aware of the ecological crisis affecting plants, animals, etc., and all will say yes,” he wrote in an email. “Ask if they’re aware of a language crisis, and almost all will say no.” It’s not just the aesthetic dimension that is lost if these alphabets disappear, Crystal wrote. Also lost is the intellectual dimension, “because they can be the only way that we have access to how the users think about the world in their myths and

legends, their knowledge of landscape and the balance of nature, the medical value of plants, and so on. “Imagine what would be lost if Latin had never been written down, or, for that matter, English,” he added. “That tiny language in the middle of a jungle somewhere also has a lot to tell us, if we can get at it.” On rare occasions, Brookes gets to make such excursions. Once, during a trip to Morocco, he met a group of people of Amazigh heritage. This largely nomadic people of North Africa, who once ranged from Egypt to the Canary Islands, have their own writing system. During the 1960s, he explained, a group of intellectuals designed an Amazigh flag featuring horizontal stripes of yellow, green and blue. Each color corresponds to an aspect of their territory: blue representing the sea, green for the fertile lands, yellow for the vast desert. In the heart of the flag, Brookes said, is the letter yaz, which resembles Leonardo da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man. It’s an iconic letter in their alphabet, he explained, revived from a writing system carved into desert stones 2,000 years ago. That one symbol seemed to encapsulate a universal theme in Brookes’ work. “It says, ‘We have been here all along,’” he said. “‘We have been pushed aside, we have been beaten and shot, but we were here first. And this is who we are.’” m

INFO Learn more at endangeredalphabets.com. Ulus: Legends of the Nomads can be viewed and purchased at ulusgame.com.

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Willem Lange

harles Dickens’ A Christmas Carol has more adaptations than most pieces of classic literature. From Bill Murray’s Scrooged to the Muppets’ whimsical take to the incredibly dark 2019 miniseries starring Guy Pearce, the story is almost too familiar in the Western holiday tradition. Phrases such as “Bah, humbug,” “decrease the surplus population” and “God bless us, every one” are pop culture touchstones, ingrained enough to be caricature. But the story’s message remains relevant with each repetition. Every year since 1975, Willem Lange of East Montpelier has performed a public reading of an abridged version of A Christmas Carol. With his grandfatherly demeanor and impassioned delivery, the 86-year-old radio commentator, television host, writer and former remodeling contractor reawakens Dickens’ classic.

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In 2020, Lange brought A Christmas Carol to Montpelier’s Lost Nation Theater for the first time. Pandemic restrictions ruled out an audience, but the show was livestreamed. He returns to the Capital City playhouse on Friday, December 17, this time with a small live audience. The performance will also be webcast and available on demand through Christmas Day. Lange’s gripping recitation includes atmospheric detail and societal context that are sometimes lost in the translation from page to screen. Most importantly, he exudes warmth and empathy for the story’s coldhearted antihero, Ebenezer Scrooge, who transforms overnight from surly pinchpenny to benevolent humanitarian with help from a handful of specters. “He was a deeply injured person,” Lange told Seven Days by phone, then listed the reasons why Scrooge ended up such a nasty fellow. An orphan who struggled to find love, “He was comfortable in his miserable life,” Lange said.

For Lange, Dickens’ story is multifaceted in its meanings, but one theme stands out. “No matter how big a jerk you are, there’s a possibility you might be transformed,” he said. “There’s a Scrooge in every one of us. If only one person in the audience is stirred to generosity, that’s enough for me.” Gruff but tender, Lange’s distinctive voice was heard for many years in short segments on Vermont Public Radio, in which he often reflected on the natural world. His free-form column, “A Yankee Notebook,” appears in regional newspapers such as the Valley News and the Barre-Montpelier Times Argus. Granite State residents will recognize him as the longtime host of “Windows to the Wild,” an outdoorsy series airing on New Hampshire PBS. And children might know him as the author of Favor Johnson: A Christmas Story, a wintry picture book about a rural, Scrooge-like curmudgeon.

For his yearly tradition of reading A Christmas Carol, Lange drew inspiration from one of his college professors, Delbert Giles Lean. A professor of speech at Ohio’s College of Wooster, Lean recited the story every year from 1908 to 1959, using the abridged version that Dickens penned for an American tour in the late 19th century. Lange uses the same text — but, because no print version was available in the 1970s, he had to go through the low-tech ordeal of creating a transcript. Listening to a vinyl recording of Lean’s rendition, Lange started and stopped the disc by lifting and lowering his record player’s arm, copying the story bit by bit on an electric typewriter.

THERE’S A SCROOGE IN EVERY ONE OF US. W I L LEM L ANGE

Initially, Lange held the readings in his Hanover, N.H., home. His late wife, Ida, would prepare a traditional English trifle (also called a “tipsy parson,” Lange noted) to serve to their guests. In 1976, the event’s popularity doubled, with Lange reading the story on two nights and Ida making two trifles. “She said, ‘That’s it, we’ve got to find a bigger place,’” Lange recalled. From then on, he read the story at Hanover’s St. Thomas Episcopal Church, occasionally bringing it to schools and other community gatherings. Lost Nation is known for staging seasonal favorites in December. For many years, it produced a radio-play version of Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life. More recently, the company’s program “Stories for the Season” showcased multicultural short works from around the world. Last year’s reading of A Christmas Carol was Lost Nation’s first production since the pandemic disrupted live events. Even without an audience, Lost Nation producing artistic director Kathleen Keenan recalled, “It was so moving for us.” For that broadcast — as for this year’s production — Lost Nation ensconced Lange in a full-blown set. That meant the trappings of a festive Victorian-era drawing room: a gusseted armchair, ornate rug, garland-wrapped hearth, poinsettia-lined window, side table with tea service and Christmas tree.

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During last year’s livestreamed performance, Lange’s voice overflowed with charisma and empathy for the story’s characters. With subtle adjustments to his timbre and accent, he embodied the varied London denizens that cross Scrooge’s path. He dropped into an Irish brogue as one of the gentlemen seeking donations for the poor and destitute. He nearly broke into tears when he voiced future Bob Cratchit lamenting the passing of Tiny Tim. And, as Scrooge, he captured the anguish beneath the miser’s gruff exterior. “Willem is the perfect actor-slashpersonality to do this particular oral interpretation,” Lost Nation president and founding artistic director Kim Bent said. “[He brings] a very pure kind of storytelling experience.” “He’s very good at putting on that irascible old gentleman [character],” Keenan added. “He’s kind of a throwback to another time.” Lange noted that, besides the central theme of redemption, class struggle and consumerism are particularly relevant themes in the play. “The plight of the poor — how we treat them says a lot about our society,” he said. As a widower in his eighties, Lange noted, he’s gained new insight into Scrooge in recent years. “I appreciate how living alone in old age can be comfortable,” he said, emphasizing that Scrooge achieves a miraculous transformation despite being lonely and set in his ways. Some essayists and historians have described A Christmas Carol as the spark that reignited the public’s interest in the holiday as well as the generosity, nostalgia and humanism associated with it. Lange and the folks at Lost Nation echo that sentiment. “I think, particularly at the end of the year in the northern hemisphere, we’re really returning to light and a particularly reflective moment,” Bent said. “We get so caught up in our daily lives … It’s important that we all take care of one another,” Keenan said. “It’s a lesson we need to learn over and over.” m

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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Petal Power

Soon to close, Sally’s Flower Shop is a Winooski institution B Y S A LLY POL L AK • sally@sevendaysvt.com PHOTOS: LUKE AWTRY

t Winooski’s only florist, the rhythm of the year is marked by blooms: roses for Valentine’s Day, lilies at Easter, spring bouquets for Mother’s Day and carnations for prom corsages. The annual cycle of Sally’s Flower Shop comes to its close with a festive display of poinsettias. Pots of deep-green leaves crowned in vibrant colors — crimson, pink and fuchsia — all but announce that Christmastime is here. This season, wreaths and ornaments decorate the shop on Main Street, and teddy bears are decked out in red ribbons. A dove figurine peeks out from a bouquet of red carnations and mini-poinsettias, paired with white Christmas mums, pine cones and greens. Normally, the annual cycle of Sally’s would pick up again in January and build to the busiest flower holiday of the year: Valentine’s Day. But not this year. Leftover wreaths will be packed up along with spools of ribbon, empty vases and stacks of paperwork — and owner Sally Tipson will close her shop for good on Christmas Eve. Tipson, 77, opened Sally’s with her late husband, Skip, 29 years ago. “It’s time,” she said. “I got to the point where I knew I couldn’t do it anymore. The body doesn’t want to move like it did 10 years ago, 20 years ago.” Tipson is a lifelong Winooski resident whose contributions to her hometown go far beyond running a flower business. She served on the city council from 2009 to 2015 and was deputy mayor for four of those years. She chaired the board of the Winooski Food Shelf and served on a restorative justice panel. In 2004, Tipson spearheaded an initiative called Season’s Greetings, for which volunteers team up to decorate the town for the holidays. This good-cheer effort continues today and includes the annual October Festival of Pumpkins, in which hundreds of candlelit jack-o’-lanterns light up Winooski. “It takes a village,” said Chris Frenette, a friend of Tipson’s who works part time at the flower shop. “And Sally’s the leader of the pack.” Sally and Skip Tipson weren’t planning to get into the flower business in 1984 when they visited Floral Emporium, a wholesale flower company in Winooski. Sally had been running a home ceramics

Sally Tipson working on an arrangement

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

studio with her neighbor; the couple was looking for a new location to expand that business. Instead, the Tipsons decided to buy Floral Emporium itself. “It was an adventure,” Tipson said. “It was completely on-the-job training. I don’t know if I’d do it again: just jumping in and getting your feet wet.” The Tipsons ran Floral Emporium for eight years before moving a few blocks north on Main Street. There, they changed the business’ name to Sally’s Flower Shop and transformed it into a retail store. Together, the couple raised sons Scott and Kyle and managed their small business. Tipson has owned and operated the store on her own since Skip’s death in 1995. Tom Brennan, a former University of Vermont men’s basketball coach, was a loyal customer of Sally’s Flower Shop. “That lady is an angel,” he said of Tipson. “When I was at UVM, I’d always get myself in jams, and I’d have to send flowers to people,” Brennan continued. “Originally, the flowers were just mea culpas.”

They became more than that for the recipients. “Her arrangements were so spectacular that I never sent flowers to anyone when they didn’t say, ‘Oh, my God. I got the most beautiful arrangement,’” Brennan said.

IT TAKES A VILLAGE, AND

SALLY’S THE LEADER OF THE PACK. C H R IS F R E NE T TE

An ample supply of flowers, sourced from South America via Green Mountain Florist Supply in South Burlington, keeps Sally’s in blooms year-round. Tipson herself is fond of bringing home tulips in the winter — in every color and for no occasion. “They’re springy and happy,” she said of her favorite flower.

But the defining feature of Sally’s Flower Shop is “more than flowers,” Tipson said. “It’s what flowers do for people. They bring joy. They bring happiness.” Flowers also bring beauty and meaning to occasions such as weddings, anniversaries and graduations. Tipson found particular gratification in providing flowers for funerals. “I truly enjoy funeral work,” she said. In years past, that might have meant supplying large numbers of flowers for wakes that spanned two days. These days, flowers for a funeral could be one piece at the front of a church. “The hardest ones to work with are folks who have lost a child,” Tipson said. “Sometimes you just have to listen.” Tipson, the youngest of the three children of Ethel and Fred LaFerriere, grew up on Franklin Street in the first of three houses in Winooski where she’s lived throughout her lifetime. Her father worked at the woolen mill,

Complete your holiday décor with beautiful Claussen’s Poinsettias An arrangement at Sally’s Flower Shop

Sally Tipson

and her mother was a cook at Trinity College. Through her mother’s job, Tipson was eligible for free tuition at Trinity. She earned a teaching degree there in 1966 and returned to her alma mater, Winooski High School, to teach. That’s where Tipson first met Frenette, who’s now her employee; she was Frenette’s social studies teacher. The 68-year-old former student has fond memories of field trips with Tipson, and she recalls Tipson’s interest in teaching teens about the risks of alcohol and drug use. “She was a wonderful teacher,” Frenette said. “Now she’s a wonderful friend, and I love coming here.” The shop has always been a place where Tipson could engage in her community work: She kept a cooler there for donations to the food shelf and made candles to place in the festival pumpkins.

“Winooski is a very special place,” Tipson said. “When I was growing up, everybody knew everybody, and people took care of each other. Things have changed a lot; it’s lost some of that [smalltown] ambience.” But Tipson has a knack for bringing people together and balancing the needs and interests of newer and longtime Winooski residents, according to Sister Pat McKittrick, an outreach nurse at the University of Vermont Medical Center. She has worked with Tipson on several community projects, including serving on the food shelf board. “Sally’s an amazing community member … [who] was interested in making a difference for everybody,” McKittrick said. “She’s the kind of person who would roll up her sleeves and go to work.” Tipson’s years of working 40 to 50 hours a week at the flower shop will come to an end in 10 days. Now that the shop is closing, Brennan said, it’s “just another little piece of Americana that we’re losing.” For her part, Tipson is hoping to find a buyer for the business to keep Winooski’s sole flower shop alive. This week, she’ll stock poinsettias and holiday centerpieces, make bouquets and fill online orders. On Christmas Eve, Tipson will close up shop at noon, one last time, and head home for a family gathering. “Kyle said, ‘Mom, are you going to cry?’” Tipson said. “And I said, ‘I have no idea.’” m

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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Want a Fresh Pastry With That Maple Latte? Head to Black Cap Coffee & Bakery

From left: Black Cap general manager Danielle Dolisie, owner Laura Vilalta and Stowe manager Maria Cabezas

here are many places in Vermont where you can find a decent cup of coffee. But if you’re looking for a maple latte and a fresh-baked pastry — served in a casual café with an authentic local vibe — try Black Cap Coffee & Bakery. There are now three of them: in Stowe village, at the head of the Lamoille Valley Rail Trail in Morrisville, and on Burlington’s Church Street Marketplace. Black Cap is popular with travelers looking for a real Green Mountain State experience — and with locals who keep coming back for sandwiches, baked goods and espresso drinks made from Waterbury’s Brave Coffee & Tea. Black Cap’s Google reviews confirm it: “My fiancé and I are from out of town and we have really enjoyed this coffee bar during our stay,” writes one reviewer. “The staff is so friendly and the drinks are amazing ... We will certainly miss it when we leave!” “So happy that a Black Cap opened on Church Street!” writes another. “Their maple latte is my absolute favorite afternoon treat, especially with the chocolate almond torte, which I’m recently obsessed with.” On a weekend afternoon at the rustic-urban Burlington café, you’ll see a steady stream of holiday shoppers, college students, families and tourists. Some might have seen Black Cap on Thrillist’s “8 Must-Do Itinerary Ideas for a Killer Vermont Getaway,” alongside iconic destinations such as the Ben & Jerry’s factory and Cold Hollow Cider Mill.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Fueling Black Cap’s success are the women who run it — owner Laura Vilalta and general manager Danielle Dolisie. Vilalta, a Stowe resident, is originally from Barcelona. She had a career in marketing and taught at a Spanish business school before moving her family to Vermont in 2010. She bought the first Black Cap location, in Stowe, in 2012. Dolisie, who lives in Johnson, owned and/ or ran several coffee shops and cafés over the last couple of decades before taking a break from the industry. In 2015 at a spinning class, mutual acquaintances pointed them out to each other. Vilalta “kind of cornered me in the locker room, or vice versa,” Dolisie recalls. Before long, they were a team. Together they opened the second location, in Morrisville, in 2017, and the third, in Burlington, in 2021. “It worked out perfectly,” Dolisie says. Vilalta agrees, noting that they have complementary skills. “She’s a good hands-on person,” Vilalta explains. “I’m a good computer-on person.” Vilalta does the books and closely

PHOTOS: CAT CUTILLO

Orange zest morning bun at Black Cap Coffee & Bakery

BLACK CAP COFFEE & BAKERY LOCATIONS BURLINGTON 42 Church St., Burlington 802-540-1744 STOWE 144 Main St., Stowe 802-253-2123 MORRISVILLE 53 Lower Main St., Morristown 802-521-7197 BLACKCAPVERMONT.COM

monitors sales data and industry shop fare — think buttery croissants trends. In 2016, she rebranded the and perfectly spiced pumpkin bread business as Black Cap Coffee & Beer — and unexpected items with a little and introduced to-go sales of popular more flair, such as the orange zest local craft brews from the Alchemist, morning bun, which has inspired a as well as those from up-and-coming few Google reviews. brewers not available at grocery or “This was hands down the best liquor stores, such as Ten Bends, pastry I’ve ever had in my life,” Lost Nation, Stone Corral one fan raves. “The outside and Hermit Thrush. The was perfectly delicate cafés have coolers full and flaky with the of them. perfect amount of A few years later, caramelization, and Vilalta noticed a the inside was soo spike in demand soft. The flavor was for baked goods spot on.” and decided Black Cap offers to pivot again. gluten-free and She invested in vegan options, as equipment; hired a well. Three locations six-person team, led by and increased volume a New England Culinary make that possible, Vilalta The Sophia Loren sandwich at Black Cap Institute-trained head baker; notes. and rebranded as Black Cap She also curates an array Coffee & Bakery. It was good timing, of products for sale at each location, because in 2020 Mirabelles moved such as note cards, Vermont goat’s from Burlington to South Burlington, milk soap and the book Catching leaving the downtown with fewer Murphy. Written by Wilson Ring, a bakeries. journalist and Vilalta’s husband, it’s the Today, all three Black Caps offer endearing tale of a beloved golden pastries baked fresh in-house. The retriever who went missing in Waterselections include standard coffee bury and the community that pulled

together to bring him home more than a year later. The eye-catching and reasonably priced art on the walls comes from Stowe Kitchen, Bath & Linens — Vilalta works with the company to source it. Dolisie developed Black Cap’s menu, incorporating some of the most popular items from her previous cafés and giving them a unique twist. For example, Black Cap serves a Caprese sandwich of pesto, tomato and fresh mozzarella on toasted ciabatta but calls it the Sophia Loren, after the Italian actress. “My dad was a big fan,” Dolisie notes. Then there’s the Dope Sandwich, made of applewood-smoked bacon, tomato, Cabot cheddar and guacamole. Once, when Dolisie described it out loud, a teenager sitting with her said, “That sandwich is dope.” The name stuck. “Bernie Sanders has come in, and he’s ordered it,” she says. Dolisie also offers a sandwich known almost universally as the Vermonter. Black Cap’s version features smoked turkey, crisp apple slices, Cabot cheddar and caramelized onions. Dolisie’s got an eye for trends, as well. “You have to keep up,” she says.

For example, coconut milk is out. “Everyone wants oat milk now.” She also emphasizes that Black Cap staff aren’t coffee snobs. They’ll serve drinks the way the customer wants them. Both women are proud of how they’ve grown the business, which now employs more than 40 staff members at their three locations. Vilalta notes that most of the decision makers — including Maria Cabezas, one of the senior Black Cap managers, are women. Just keeping the cafés running is a real achievement during the pandemic; the Starbucks located across from Black Cap’s Burlington café closed in October. Black Cap, on the other hand, is thriving. Vilalta wasn’t surprised to see the Starbucks go; why get coffee in a place that you can find anywhere? “It’s like going to McDonald’s or KFC when you’re in Europe,” she says. Visitors to Vermont want to experience a real local shop. “This is part of the adventure.” 

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PHOTOS: SARAH PRIESTAP

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BITE

Filipino Flair Kuya’s Sandwiches + Kitchen brings new flavors to Randolph

Filipino bánh mì

B Y JOR D AN BAR RY • jbarry@sevendaysvt.com

t first glance, Kuya’s Sandwiches + Kitchen looks like any other small-town Vermont sandwich shop. Peering through tall windows from Randolph’s Main Street, passersby will find a familiar scene of mismatched wooden chairs, art-filled walls and handwritten chalkboard menus. What’s on those menus is what makes Kuya’s stand out. Besides making classic Italian, veggie, Reuben and French dip sandwiches, Patty and Travis Burns fill sandwiches with the flavors and ingredients of the Philippines, from pork belly marinated in pineapple barbecue sauce to roasted chicken with yellow curry and bananas. Kuya is the Tagalog word for “brother,” used widely in the Philippines as a term of endearment and sign of respect, said Patty, 36, who moved from the Philippines to the United States in 2006. She settled in San Francisco, where she helped a friend run a Filipino American restaurant for nearly 10 years. Travis, 31, found his way to California after graduating from Randolph Union High School in 2008. Having worked at Randolph’s now-closed Three Bean Café

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

and a deli his father owned in Waitsfield, he continued his restaurant career in the Bay Area. The two met at Trabocco Kitchen and Cocktails, an Italian restaurant in Alameda, Calif., where they bartended side by side. “We remained friends,” Patty said with a chuckle. “And years later, we ended up being romantic.” By 2019, they were married and had moved to Nashville, Tenn., to open a restaurant of their own. But after the pandemic broke out, they decided to return to Randolph instead. The timing was right: A friend who owned a deli in town was ready to move on, leaving the space on Main Street available. “We had confidence that we could build something and enough knowledge to thrive and survive pretty much anywhere you put us,” Patty said. “Being from the Philippines, I’m resilient and used to hardships and hard work.” The couple opened Kuya’s on February 26, 2021. They started with takeout, and when the state lifted its pandemic restrictions in June, they added on-site dining. “There’s nothing like seeing diners

really enjoy your food and seeing their reaction to the first bite,” Patty said. “Especially with the kind of stuff we have — we’re a bit out there for many people here.” It’s no surprise that many of Kuya’s customers are unfamiliar with food from the Philippines; Vermont’s only other Filipino restaurant is Pica-Pica in St. Johnsbury. Patty tells customers it’s all about flavor. “It’s a melting pot of flavorful food that is mainly eaten at home. And, you know, we were colonized by Spain for, like, 300 years, so there’s a lot of Spanish influence,” she added. When I had my first bite of a Kuya’s sandwich, that flavor blew me away. I shouted an emphatic “Yum!” across the restaurant to Patty, who lit up in reply. It was a bit of a strange time for sandwiches — around dusk on a Sunday — and my husband and I were the only ones in the restaurant. A crowd wouldn’t have stopped my outburst, though. I’d ordered the Filipino bánh mì ($11), which Patty described as a “fusion” take on the popular Vietnamese street-food sandwich and Kuya’s best seller. The

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warm baguette was stuffed with the usual pickled carrots and radishes, cilantro, and sriracha aioli. But it also had a big slab of grilled pork belly marinated in a tangy pineapple barbecue sauce. “That’s like the nationwide marinade for the whole country,” Patty said. “It’s a standard Filipino flavor that you find in the streets and in people’s houses.” I made the mistake of giving my husband a bite. He then coyly suggested that we share, offering me half of his French dip sandwich ($11). The thinly sliced roast beef on the French dip is topped with horseradish mascarpone, caramelized onions and Provolone cheese. After a dip in the rich, savory jus served alongside, the meat melted in my mouth. It was a perfectly composed sandwich and reflective of the Burnses’ love for food from around the world. But I was pretty stuck on the powerful flavors of the bánh mì. As we left, I regretted not ordering a second one to go. Kuya’s menu has plenty more that will draw me back. For instance, the Swede FILIPINO FLAIR

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POORHOUSE PIES FOUNDERS SELL THEIR UNDERHILL BAKERY From left: Josh Bewlay, Nan Bewlay, Sidney Bewlay and Riley Schmidt of Alpino Vino

Valley Terroir ALPINO VINO WINE BAR OPENS IN WAITSFIELD

Many businesses in the Mad River Valley close for a post-foliage season break in the late fall. JOSH BEWLAY bucked the trend: He opened his new wine bar, ALPINO VINO, at 6163 Main Street in Waitsfield in late October. “We wanted to open during stick season,” Bewlay said. “I’ve never done this before, and we thought it would be a calmer experience.” Bewlay spent 30-plus years working in the insurance industry in the New York City area. His interest in wine started with wanting to “be the guy holding the wine list” at client dinners, he said. He took classes on wine, but he never envisioned it as more than a hobby. In March 2020, he and his family were skiing in the Mad River Valley when the pandemic shut everything down. The family stayed in Vermont. Bewlay worked remotely until “I was ready for a change, so I quit my job and opened a wine bar,” he said. Bewlay tends to favor Italian wines, he said, but Alpino Vino features bottles and glasses from around the world. Glass prices range from $10 to $16. “There are so many great grapes out there,”

Bewlay said. “I thought, Let’s use this wine bar as a way for people to try new stuff.” Bewlay and his wife, NAN BEWLAY, renovated the cozy, rustic space, which had sat vacant for the past few years after holding a series of pubs and restaurants. An outdoor deck with heat lamps will be open all winter. JACK GARVIN, previous manager of the Warren Store, is among the locals Bewlay has hired to join what is otherwise a family affair. The Bewlays’ daughter, SIDNEY, a senior at the University of Vermont, comes down from Burlington on weekends to work with her boyfriend, RILEY SCHMIDT. Over the winter break, the Bewlays’ son PIERCE will join the crew. The food menu features cheese and charcuterie boards and simple snacks that pair well with wine. Of the 11 items currently on offer, nine are produced in Waitsfield. The other two are cheeses made elsewhere in Vermont. All of Alpino Vino’s beer, cider, hard seltzer and nonalcoholic offerings are also local, and Bewlay plans to host events with Vermont winemakers in the New Year. “You won’t find Bud on the menu, much to some people’s chagrin,” he said with a laugh. “But it’s just cool that we have

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CUISINE

JAMIE and PAULA EISENBERG

have sold POORHOUSE PIES to SUZANNE TOMLINSON for an undisclosed amount. Tomlinson will expand the Underhill business and move it from the Eisenbergs’ backyard to a new commercial bakery space under construction around the corner at 419 Route 15. A veteran of restaurant work, Tomlinson said she expects to open the new pie shed in early January. To Poorhouse Pies’ established roster of pies, ranging from apple to chocolate cream, she will add gluten-free and vegan options as well as savory pies, such as chicken pot pie and shepherd’s pie. Weekly doughnuts will also return. The Eisenbergs started the home-based bakery in 2009 with a self-serve pie shed in their Underhill backyard. Despite their resolution to keep the operation small, the couple built a devoted following, due in part to being featured twice on PBS television shows. A Vermont native, Tomlinson is an Underhill resident and friend of the Eisenbergs. She has worked in restaurants since she was young; most recently, she spent seven years serving and managing the front of the house at JERICHO CAFÉ & TAVERN. As she considered launching her own food business, Tomlinson sought advice from Jamie Eisenberg. “Suzanne said she was thinking about SIDE DISHES

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A variety of Halyard Brewing ginger beer and ginger ale

Bill Hunsinger (left) and Kenny Richards

Spicy Revival

Vermont ginger beer brewing company grows and expands to soda B Y M E L I SSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

enny Richards has spent the last five years explaining to people that his Halyard Brewing ginger beer is a brewed alcoholic beverage, as its name implies, though it technically is not beer. This task is made tougher by the fact that America’s leading ginger beer brands are nonalcoholic. “Before Prohibition, all ginger beer was alcoholic, right?” Richards, 39, said. “That’s why it’s called ginger beer.” Since founding his company in South Burlington in 2016, Richards has successfully revived the original incarnation of the British-born, Colonial-era drink that was dealt a nearly mortal blow by America’s 13-year ban on alcohol. Now, he is complicating matters by launching a Halyard ginger ale that is neither ale nor alcohol. The company’s new River Pirate ginger ale, available in stores throughout Vermont as of December, is a soda made with fresh ginger. Halyard will begin selling it regionally in time for “dry January,” when many people take a break from alcohol after an indulgent holiday season. 42

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Pre-pandemic, when Halyard’s taproom was open at its Ethan Allen Drive headquarters, Richards made small batches of ginger ale for teetotaling visitors. Its production method is similar to that of his ginger beer, minus the yeasted fermentation, so it was a natural brand extension. “We know how to do it,” Richards said. “We’ve had customers asking us to do it for a while.” Richards also saw an opportunity to add value to the category. Most nonalcoholic ginger beers and ginger ales are “sugar bombs,” he said. “I wanted to bring a product to market that had all the flavor and kick of a really strong ginger beer but a third of the sugar.” On a personal level, Richards is happy to finally offer a Halyard product suitable for a specific pair of demanding customers: “My kids are always asking me if they can have some ginger beer,” said the father of two. “Now I can say yes.” Richards’ primary focus, though, will remain the company’s ginger beers. They are currently distributed throughout New England, New York, New Jersey and

Maryland, as well as in the Jacksonville, Fla., area where Richards grew up. Notably, Halyard has earned prized shelf space at Whole Foods Market’s New England locations, select regional Trader Joe’s and all Vermont Hannaford supermarkets. The ginger beers are also offered on draft and as a cocktail mixer at a number of bars and restaurants, largely in Vermont. Halyard began shipping cans of ginger beer in earnest in the summer of 2018, averaging 13,000 monthly. January 2022 shipments are projected at 72,000, more than a fivefold jump, plus another 13,000 cans of ginger ale. Because January is the company’s slowest month, a summer-to-summer comparison would show even more growth, Richards noted. Halyard’s ginger beers and ginger ale start with U.S.-grown, raw cane sugar; freshly juiced, fair trade-certified, organic ginger; and molasses. The company adds other ingredients depending on the brew. The Breeze layers hibiscus and lime over base tropical flavors. Nicole’s Extra ginger beer is the least sweet, with hints of nutmeg

and cayenne. Volcano Juice is a shandy-style ginger beer and lemonade blend. The Octopus Queen, the spiciest of all, is made with cinnamon and Madagascar vanilla. The Boston Globe recently called it “a ginger snap cookie, with a kick.” The ginger beers range from 4.1 to 6 percent alcohol by volume. Emily Morton, bar and general manager for the 126 (formerly Deli 126) in Burlington, has been serving Halyard ginger beer and deploying it in cocktails since its launch. She was familiar with ginger beer in its nonalcoholic form as an ingredient in classics such as the Moscow mule and the dark ’n’ stormy, but alcoholic ginger beer was novel for her. “It was great to have something new that was cool and gluten free, and delicious on its own and as a mixer,” Morton said. She likes to pair the not-too-sweet ginger beers with traditional holiday baking spices, as well as tropical flavors, such as citrus, pineapple and passion fruit. She uses Nicole’s Extra in her Industry Mule No. 3 with Fernet-Branca, pineapple and lemon juices, and cinnamon simple syrup. She’s also planning to use River Pirate ginger ale in the bar’s “temperance” list of zero-proof cocktails. (See sidebar for Morton’s cocktail recipes.) Since June 2021, Halyard has partnered with Shacksbury Cider in Vergennes to brew and can its ginger beer and ginger ale under a co-packing agreement. Shacksbury’s production team works closely with Halyard head brewer Bill Hunsinger. On a recent tour of the massive concrete bunker-like building, cans of the Breeze were making their way from the canner through the pasteurizer to the labeling line. Co-packing is a common way for small food and drink companies to scale up without needing their own manufacturing plant. “It’s great to work with a successful company like Shacksbury,” Richards said. “It allows us to grow without having to invest too much.” It’s a reciprocal relationship, said

food+drink Shacksbury cofounder Colin Davis. The hard cider company expanded into 40,000 square feet of new production space in 2020, anticipating future growth of its own line. “Any time you expand, it’s about how far ahead do you want to jump,” Davis said. “It can be herky-jerky. [Co-packing] helps us smooth it out.” Shacksbury works with a few other Vermont beverage brands in addition to Halyard, Davis said. “It’s also really fun,” he added, noting that everyone learns from each other. He pointed out that ginger beer is similar to hard cider in some ways. “It has a long and interesting history like

cider,” he said. “It was pushed to the back and is making a comeback.” That history was what originally piqued Richards’ interest and contributed to a radical career shift. In 2016, he was well on his way to earning a religious studies PhD at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when he reluctantly concluded that academia was not for him. Richards had first read about ginger beer while doing doctoral research on religious freedom during the Colonial era. “I’d never heard of alcoholic ginger beer before, and I wanted to try it,” Richards said. When he could find no examples SPICY REVIVAL

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A Hibiscus River mocktail (left) and an Industry Mule No. 3 cocktail

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COCKTAILS BY THE 126 MADE WITH HALYARD BREWING GINGER BEER AND GINGER ALE

Bar and general manager Emily Morton at the 126 (formerly Deli 126) shared the following recipes for two cocktails: one that’s zero-proof, using Halyard’s new River Pirate ginger ale; and one with alcohol, featuring Halyard Brewing’s Nicole’s Extra ginger beer. Each recipe makes one cocktail.

Hibiscus River INGREDIENTS:

• 2 ounces (1/4 cup) strongly brewed hibiscus tea (such as Red Zinger), chilled • 1 ounce (2 tablespoons) fresh pineapple juice • 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) freshly squeezed lemon juice • Halyard Brewing River Pirate ginger ale • To garnish: dried or fresh hibiscus flower and/or pineapple frond DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a Collins or highball glass. Add ice and top with ginger ale. Stir. Garnish with a hibiscus flower and/or a pineapple frond.

Industry Mule No. 3: The 126 Original INGREDIENTS:

• 1 and 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) Fernet-Branca • 3/4 ounce (1 and 1/2 tablespoons) fresh pineapple juice • 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) freshly squeezed lemon juice • 1/2 ounce (1 tablespoon) cinnamon simple syrup (Substitution: simple syrup with a pinch of cinnamon) • Halyard Brewing Nicole’s Extra ginger beer • To garnish: candied ginger and lemon wheel DIRECTIONS:

Combine all ingredients in a mule mug or rocks glass. Add ice and top with ginger beer. Stir. Garnish with a piece of candied ginger on a cocktail pick stuck through a lemon wheel.

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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($11), another of the six house sandwiches that anchor the menu, combines roasted chicken with housemade yellow curry sauce, red onions, banana, cilantro and maple-smoked cheddar. The couple initially envisioned opening a casual fine-dining restaurant, but the constraints of the pandemic led them to opt for sandwiches instead. “Travis cooks for me, so I know what kind of products he can make,” Patty said. “I knew that if we did a sandwich shop, he would just kill it.” Some of the sandwiches are also available as rice bowls, along with a bowl of Korean beef bulgogi ($12) and occasional specials, such as a Sicilian caponata the night we were there. When Kuya’s opened, the couple offered giniling — a picadillo-like ground beef dish with carrots, peas and fried plantain — and chicken adobo rice bowls. Both are classic Filipino dishes, Patty said. But it was a challenge for the two-person team to produce them consistently. Now that they’ve found their rhythm and added a few employees to their team, Travis and Patty plan to slowly incorporate new plated dishes, such as Southeast Asian-inspired noodles, into the dinner menu over the next few months. They’d also like to source more ingredients from local farmers. “We have to get a dishwasher first, though,” Patty joked. In the meantime, diners looking for Filipino flavors outside a sandwich or rice bowl can opt for sides of tomatocucumber salad ($4) or macaroni salad ($4.50). Special and rotating soup options have included a traditional bone marrow broth with cabbage, corn, carrots and fish sauce; and arroz caldo, a popular rice porridge that the Burnses topped with pork rinds, a squeeze of lime, scallions, hard-boiled egg and crispy garlic.

Crispy garlic also appeared in a little snack that Patty brought to our table as we waited for our sandwiches: adobong mani, or garlic peanuts. The food at Kuya’s takes time to prepare, and peanuts are something crunchy and salty for diners to nibble on while they wait. In the Philippines, “You’ll see a lady selling them from a basket for really cheap, as just a snack,” Patty said. For the holidays, she’s spiced up jars of those peanuts with Thai chiles. She’s also making a festive cake called sans rival — similar to her sylvanas, cashew meringue cookies that are filled with buttercream and served cold. The cake is gluten free, and many of Kuya’s menu items are adaptable to fit dietary restrictions. The Swede, for instance, can be made vegan by swapping cauliflower for the roasted chicken and skipping the cheese. The rice bowl version of the Filipino bánh mì is gluten free; it’s also the most traditional way to eat the pork belly, Patty said. The adaptable menu and welcoming service have earned the 9-month-old business a growing list of regulars. Outof-towners, on their way down Interstate 89 are drawn to the hard-to-find Filipino flavors at Kuya’s. In the Philippines, Patty noted, “You can call anyone kuya, whether they’re your family or a stranger.” The restaurant displays works by local artists, both up-and-coming and established, and the Burnses donate a portion of art sales to local nonprofits and the high school. Their meet-andgreet events with the artists have been a big hit, Patty said. “I didn’t really know what to expect coming here,” she added. “But even in this small town, people are hungry for culture, for travel, for something different.” m

PHOTOS: SARAH PRIESTAP

Filipino Flair « P.40

Korean beef bulgogi with house-pickled ginger and broccoli

YOU CAN CALL ANYONE KUYA, WHETHER THEY’RE YOUR FAMILY OR A STRANGER. PAT TY BUR NS

INFO Kuya’s Sandwiches + Kitchen, 29 N. Main St., Randolph, 565-8130, facebook.com/kuyasvt.

Filipino sans rival, made with buttercream, cashew meringue and crushed cashews

Patty and Travis Burns

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

food+drink Side Dishes « P.41 buying the building around the corner to start a catering company, and I joked, ‘Why don’t you buy Poorhouse Pies?’” Jamie recalled.

“We’ve been wanting to get out for a few years.” Paula will work for Tomlinson part time, and Jamie will help with the transition.

The new owner plans to expand Poorhouse Pies’ volume and variety while maintaining the farmstand-style, selfserve approach. “We want to capture the pie shed magic,” Tomlinson said, “but there will be way more pie.” Read a longer version of this story at sevendaysvt.com. Melissa Pasanen

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

Suzanne Tomlinson at the new Poorhouse Pies shed

Spicy Revival « P.43 other than a mass market import, RichHalyard’s sales have been robust ards started investigating how to make it throughout the pandemic, Richards said. himself. “I’m always fermenting and cook- Next year, the company will begin selling, making things and curing, gardening ing in Pennsylvania, Ohio, and probably and growing,” he said. Los Angeles and San Diego. 2021 sales by Though there were “terabytes of infor- volume is double that of 2020, and the mation about how to jump isn’t merely due homebrew beer and to expanded distribucider,” Richards found tion, Richards noted. very little on how to Vermont sales are up brew hard ginger beer. by 68 percent since last He began what he KE NN Y RICHARDS year, but the company’s called an “inventive number of accounts process” of trial and error and finally landed has increased by only 15 percent, so strong on a recipe that he and friends really liked. repeat sales are driving growth. Richards said it wasn’t important to His ginger beer “fills a lot of what people him that it be an accurate historic repre- are looking for,” Richards said. “It’s gluten sentation. “Reviving to me isn’t so much free. It’s low sugar. It’s whole ingredients. about doing what was already done,” he It’s craft-made. It fits into the better-forexplained, “but taking what was done and you drinks. It fits into this beyond-beer growing off of it.” moment.” When Richards and his wife, dancer In 2022, Halyard will grow to an eightand teacher Nicole Dagesse, moved from member team, and Richards hopes to Chapel Hill to her home state of Vermont reopen the South Burlington taproom, in 2016, he decided to try bootstrapping his where he still makes pilot brews of new way into beverage entrepreneurship. flavors. While he declined to share dollar “I’d never professionally brewed before sales, he said revenue is strong. He started and never run a business before,” Richards paying himself regularly last year, he said, said. But, he added dryly, “being a grad “but I still skip paychecks every now and student is really great training for running then.” a business, because you just beat yourself There are now a few other small, up and don’t make any money for years and artisan alcoholic ginger beer makers in years.” the U.S., but Richards’ goal remains to Richards named his company after the become “the American craft ginger beer,” rope used to raise and lower a sail. It reflects he said. “I’ve been on the bleeding edge his own background growing up on the of this.” m water and the genesis of ginger beer in the ocean-spanning spice trade. “It’s a call to INFO the history of the product,” he said. Learn more at halyardbrewing.us.

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otherworldly way that Home was my true home, that on this land, I would be safe.” Bonding with four friends her own age, Saskia becomes committed to keeping Home safe from the outside world. Meanwhile, in the present day, Home has long since disbanded. The adult Saskia has found refuge in her late grandmother’s mansion, where she has spent the past 16 years as a shut-in.

FIERCE LITTLE THING IS LESS A TWISTY THRILLER THAN

AN IN-DEPTH, LYRICALLY WRITTEN STUDY OF A TROUBLED MIND.

Miranda Beverly-Whittemore

Home Truths

Book review: Fierce Little Thing, Miranda Beverly-Whittemore B Y M ARG OT HAR RI S ON • margot@sevendaysvt.com

hat induces someone to join a cultlike group? As a child in the 1970s, watching the adults around me float in and out of various questionable belief systems, I was convinced that kids were too grounded to heed the siren song of cult leaders. But the opposite is true in the fifth novel from Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, a recent transplant to Vermont. Much of Fierce Little Thing takes place in a short-lived commune in the Maine woods, known as Home and guided by a charismatic fellow named

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Abraham, who urges his flock to “Unthing” themselves of material concerns. At age 13, Saskia, the novel’s narrator, falls under Abraham’s spell. Later, he will tell her that he always excelled at manipulating the children of Home: “It was so easy with you. So much easier than with the adults.” The young Saskia is no ordinary child, though, and she has her own reasons for getting on board with Abraham’s program. The full significance of their bond emerges gradually in this devious novel that jumps rapidly back and forth between two timelines: one beginning in the early ’90s, when Saskia is a preteen, and one in the present.

Fierce Little Thing opens with an indelible chapter that sets the stage for a family tragedy — the loss of Saskia’s younger brother. She addresses him in second person throughout the novel. Saskia’s father goes to prison for his son’s murder, while her socialite mother flees abroad, abandoning her remaining child to a wealthy grandmother. Saskia lands in the care of bohemian family friends, one of whom eventually brings her to Home. In this off-the-grid commune where people speak of being “Unthinged from the patriarchy,” the grieving Saskia believes she detects spectral traces of her brother. She imagines him “telling me in your

Her solitude is broken when one of her Home friends arrives with sobering news. Messages have arrived from someone who claims to know the terrible secret the five friends have been keeping since they left the commune. If they don’t return together to the site of Home, the sender will reveal the secret. It’s the perfect setup for a suspense novel. But Fierce Little Thing is less a twisty thriller than an in-depth, lyrically written study of a troubled mind. BeverlyWhittemore builds tension by parceling out her story in tiny pieces: 143 chapters, some as short as a paragraph, alternating between past and present. This structure makes for a reading experience as fractured and disorienting as Saskia’s experience of the world. It’s also an effective way to tease later revelations. By the time the full truth emerges, it isn’t much of a surprise; reading between the lines of Saskia’s two narratives tells us what we need to know. The past sections of the narrative, in which we watch Saskia being drawn in by Home and Abraham, are by far the most compelling. Beverly-Whittemore excels at showing us how a grieving mind broods over its loss and creates phantoms to fill the void. “[In] those days, I found you in anything small — kittens, stones, acorns,” Saskia tells her dead brother. Later, she notes that “it was exhausting to hold the whole possibility of you inside every minute.” In the Maine woods, she feels able to lay down that burden, hearing echoes of her lost sibling in nature itself: a “living thrum in a language I didn’t yet speak.”

FROM FIERCE LITTLE THING Seven A.M. The kitchen tumbles with lighttossed dust. Outside, the northern cardinal harangues, a bird so proud they named him twice: Cardinalis cardinalis. I sip my Ceylon tea. I check on the sourdough starter, better known as the Mother. She’s ravenous on this June dazzler, and I sate her: one part starter, one part water, one and a half parts flour; mix to a tangy slop; shroud in linen by the window, below a fast-moving herd of cumulus clouds. Next, I marry last night’s leaven with a pile of flour and a splash of water. And so the Mother and I begin again what we began yesterday and the day before, and all the days before that, since the very day sixteen years ago that I made Grandmother’s grand, white, shuttered house my own: tomorrow’s loaves. The gate bell rings. Sludge covers my hands. I think to wash them, but the ring returns, relentless, insistent. This happens sometimes. City folks get lost. What a relief to discover an unfamiliar, dark SUV appearing now on the blackand-white screen just inside the front door. I’ll just slap on a charming voice to send the lost soul on their merry way. “You’ve made a wrong turn,” I say into the box beside the door, pretending a slop of dough isn’t slipping down my elbow. “What’s your final destination? You’ll need—” “Saskia.” The screen pixilates the man’s face, but I’d know Xavier anywhere. Topsy’s all the way at the top of the stairs, hidden in my drawer. Already, my palms ache to rip him from his hiding spot. I’ll bury my face in his scalp, so the smell of you can make me whole. “Saskia, let me in.” Xavier knows better than this. He knows to leave me alone — unless. Unless what’s coming is worse than what I do.

Saskia’s interactions with the wild landscape, Abraham and the other adults at Home crackle with tension. Sarah, a baker with a dark past who teaches Saskia to nurture a sourdough starter she calls “the Mother,” is a particularly fascinating figure. Saskia’s four peers aren’t as carefully drawn, however. As adults, they continue to be sketches rather than vivid characters, their conflicts more programmatic than organic, and the present-day parts of the story suffer as a result. Perhaps the problem is that our narrator has a hard time seeing beyond her own obsessions. “You are so out of touch,” one of her friends tells her, accusing her of living in a “castle on a hill.” The phrase recalls Shirley Jackson’s We Have Always Lived in the Castle, whose unreliable narrator resembles Saskia in other ways, too: her bereaved status, her longing for safety and domesticity, and her willingness to resort to violence to keep out the outside world. Also like Jackson’s Merricat, Saskia is a creature of whimsy. That tendency manifests itself in Beverly-Whittemore’s prose as a wealth of sentence fragments and poetic uses of verbs: “the adults gust toward departure”; “[t]he dog gingered forward”; “the door might tussle open.” At one point, a room is “clatter[ing] with spoons and slurps and sighs.” It’s a clever and creative style but, as the book stretches on, an increasingly exhausting one. One starts to wish for a little less picturesque indirectness and a little more grounding. Unreliable narrators exert a powerful magnetism, but they tend to be better in small doses — something that is true of both Saskia and Abraham (each a storyteller in their own way). Fierce Little Thing might have had a stronger impact if Beverly-Whittemore had told her story as succinctly as Jackson told hers. Still, the novel keeps us reading with its convolutions and its unique and convincing take on the dynamics of paranoid enclaves. One of Saskia’s friends says he feels as if “Home infected us with a virus that meant we couldn’t live like normal people.” For anyone who’s ever lived in an insular intentional community, whether they loved or hated the experience, I suspect that description will strike home. m

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

12/6/21 2:15 PM

culture

Blanket Statement

A yearlong multimedia installation in Brattleboro combines sound, poetry, art and community DAVID SHAW

B Y D A N BOL L ES • dan@sevendaysvt.com

ART

From left: Jonathan Gitelson, Diana Whitney and Weston Olencki

t the stroke of midnight early on Sunday, December 19, beneath the full moon, an invisible force field of sorts will cover Brattleboro. While denizens of the small, artsy city in southern Vermont won’t be able to see this force field, they will be able to hear it — provided they’re awake and near an FM radio. A unique new transmission called “Sonic Blanket” will, for the first time, emanate from the tower at WVEW 107.7 FM Brattleboro Community Radio, bathing the city in an aura of sound and poetry intended to ward off bad spirits — at least for 15 minutes, anyway. It will rebroadcast every night at midnight for one year. “The idea is protection and comfort,” explained Brattleboro’s Jonathan Gitelson. He’s a professor of art and design at Keene State College in nearby Keene, N.H., and the original architect of “Sonic Blanket,” a collaborative multimedia installation combining music, field recordings, poetry and visual art. The nightly WVEW broadcast is the project’s centerpiece, featuring a poem by Brattleboro poet Diana Whitney read aloud by community members and set to music by Brattleboro composer and sound artist Weston Olencki. But the radio piece, which is the same every night, is just one metaphorical square in the quilt that is “Sonic Blanket.” 48

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

The endeavor includes a year of related programming supported by grants from the Vermont Arts Council and Keene State. In addition to the radio broadcast, the project kicks off this week with posterlike visual artworks created by Gitelson running on full-page spreads in both the Brattleboro Reformer and the Commons newspapers. All year long, monthly midnight listening parties will be held at J O NATH AN Epsilon Spires, a Brattleboro performance and exhibition space in the town’s former First Baptist Church. The Vermont Center for Photography will host an exhibition of related artworks currently still in development. And listeners will be invited to post their own images and thoughts on social media. Other yet-to-bedetermined programming is expected to evolve between now and December 2022. “For me, it’s a new way of creating art,” Gitelson explained. At its core, “Sonic Blanket” is public art that reflects the resilience and interconnectedness of the Brattleboro community during a time of isolation and trauma due to the pandemic. The seeds that sprouted the project’s many branches were planted in the early days of lockdown. Shortly after the pandemic struck

Vermont in March 2020, Gitelson sought solace the way many did in those uncertain first weeks: He took walks. While wandering in the cold, he was moved by the contrast between warm, yellow light spilling from house windows and the dark, lonely streets. “You could see that everybody was home, and everybody was cut off,” Gitelson recalled. “It was just pure fear.” As he pondered the isolation, the visual GITE L S O N artist was reminded of a previous passion: radio. Gitelson was once a board member and DJ at WVEW. “The thing I was always drawn to about radio is the idea of radio waves,” he explained. “That there’s this thing above us, like a force field, a barrier that’s gonna protect us from this outside thing, which is the pandemic.” That idea of radio waves as a protective barrier became the framework for the project — specifically, WVEW’s 10-mile broadcast radius. All three artists involved live within range of the station, and all of the programming will occur within that bubble, as well. In fact, the bubble itself will be part of the installation. Early in the project, Gitelson drove every road out of Brattleboro to find out where WVEW’s signal ended. He plans to put up signs

IT QUICKLY BECAME CLEAR THAT IT WAS A PROJECT ABOUT

THE IDEA OF LOCALNESS.

letting people know when they are entering and exiting cover of the blanket. “It quickly became clear that it was a project about the idea of localness and about place and about site-specific creation,” Gitelson said. “Sonic Blanket” is also intimately rooted in changing seasons. Whitney’s poem cycles through winter (“Winter night, cloud cover / low pressure, no light”), spring (“Remember sunlight, remember”), summer (“The loon opens her throat / and wails into the heat wave”), fall (“the trees turn crimson, letting go”) and winter again (“a quilt of snow feathers / perpetually falling”). Whitney said her poem “reflected the going inward that happens in the dark season,” along with “the resilience that we need” to weather the changing seasons in Vermont. “There have been seasons of the pandemic,” Whitney said, “and I think this project reflects that, too.” Composed largely of field recordings taken in and around Brattleboro, Olencki’s composition tonally follows Whitney’s poem through those meteorological and metaphorical seasons, from the rippling of Whetstone Brook and the Connecticut River to the bells of the First Baptist Church to Abenaki drums, rattles and rain sticks. “I really like to work with the sounds of the world around me, rather than sounds or musical ideas from my own head,” Olencki explained by email. “Throughout making the piece I imagined what this land might have heard throughout the centuries — a kind of ‘tuning’ of a geographical space, one that remembers and holds histories of who and what have lived upon it.” As for those currently living in Brattleboro, Whitney said she hopes that, through the project, her neighbors experience “the power of the imagination to connect us.” They might also discover a new appreciation for their hometown, as did Gitelson. “I’ve lived here going on 12 years, most of that looking outward,” he said. “But there is something special about here, which I hope other people feel.” Though he’s a relative newcomer, having moved to town during the pandemic, Olencki seems to have gained similar perspective. “As I’ve grown older, I’ve come to really believe that everything is interconnected through geography and temporality,” Olencki wrote. “Every place is a center in and of itself.” m

INFO “Sonic Blanket” debuts at midnight, early on Sunday, December 19, on WVEW 107.7 FM Brattleboro Community Radio. Learn more at sonicblanket.org.

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

12/9/21 3:29 PM

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

WE'RE SUPPORTING FOLKS THROUGH

Christina Brown, Basic Needs program manager; Hannah Hutchens, AmeriCorps food coordinator; Faith Hughes, youth coach

SOME OF THE HARDEST TIMES IN THEIR LIVES.

CAT CUTILLO

Christina Brown

From Hanging Out to Healing Vermont Teens Find Support Through Spectrum Youth & Family Services

n a cold and blustery Vermont winter day, it’s a relief to duck inside and warm up. Young adults with no place else to go can come to the Spectrum Youth & Family Services Drop-In Center, at 177 Pearl Street in Burlington.

The Drop-In Center serves youth ages 14 to 24 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. The well-lit, newly renovated space has a full-service kitchen, and colorful art hangs on the walls. Open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday, it offers a safe place to hang out. 50

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Visitors can take a shower, do laundry, charge their phones, get free hygiene products or pick up winter clothes. They can work on a jigsaw puzzle or an art project or even cook a meal with a Spectrum staff member. “It’s a cozy space. It’s a warm and welcoming space,” said Basic Needs

program manager Christina Brown. “That’s what I feel when I’m there.” This homey place can provide comfort and stability to youth unaccustomed to either. Many of the young people whom Spectrum serves are struggling with a wide range of issues, from housing and food

insecurity to substance-use disorders and other kinds of trauma. “We’re supporting folks through some of the hardest times in their lives,” Brown said. The Drop-In Center functions as a kind of front door to Spectrum and all of its services, which have expanded since the organization was founded in 1970. Today, Spectrum provides counseling, housing and job training to roughly 1,500 youth and their families each year through its facilities in Burlington and St. Albans. Its counseling program, Riverstone, serves youth in Spectrum programs and is also open to local families. Brown said she and the Drop-In Center’s four staff and two AmeriCorps members focus on building relationships and trust with the young people they meet. Over time, the youth might take an interest in Spectrum’s other services, including living in transitional housing. “We can make all of those referrals right out of the Drop-In Center,” she said.

YOUTH IN CRISIS Spectrum’s work is more important than ever: The U.S. is in the midst of a youth mental health crisis. On December 7, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy issued an advisory about it. “Even before the pandemic, an alarming number of young people struggled with feelings of helplessness, depression, and thoughts of suicide — and rates have increased over the past decade,” he said. “The COVID-19 pandemic further altered their experiences at home, school, and in the community, and the effect on their mental health has been devastating.” Two days later, Riverstone counseling manager Kristen Breault-Bolio delivered that message to the Vermont House Committee on Health Care. During a virtual meeting, Breault-Bolio reported seeing an increase in depression and anxiety among Vermont youth during the

SHELTER — AND SO MUCH MORE Though she’s working on the front lines of this mental health crisis, Brown loves her job. She started at the Drop-In Center as a youth coach in 2018. After a stint in the senior staff position, she moved up to manage Spectrum’s Basic Needs program. She points out that the winter can be an especially challenging and scary time for a young person experiencing homelessness in Vermont. She knows how valuable it is to them to have access to the Drop-In Center during the coldest and darkest time of the year.

Detail Works staff

DETAIL WORKS FEATURED ON ‘CBS MORNINGS’ Spectrum’s car-detailing business, Detail Works, appeared on the nationally televised “CBS Mornings” show on December 9. Correspondent Christina Ruffini visited the Williston shop in the fall to talk with its employees, as well as with Spectrum executive director Mark Redmond. Spectrum started the business in 2017 as a way to give teens and young adults experience with holding down a job. And it works: 86 percent of participants stay for at least 90 days. At Detail Works, they learn communication skills and accountability while earning a paycheck — and achieving tangible results. Cleaning up a mess can be very satisfying. “Here, you know you accomplished something,” Redmond quipped. Ruffini also interviewed several Detail Works staffers, including

She’s seen firsthand that this supportive place can help people change their lives. Often, someone will come to the Center just for a meal or a new coat. From there, they may get connected to Spectrum’s Warming Shelter, giving them a safe place to sleep. Over time, the Drop-In staff will get to know them and will help these individuals move through Spectrum’s Supported Housing programs, watch them start to build life skills, and

COURTESY OF SAM SIMON

pandemic, as well as an increase in suicide attempts and ideation. She told lawmakers that about 30 percent of youth who come to Spectrum are experiencing thoughts of suicide at intake. Spectrum works to connect these youth to intensive outpatient or inpatient treatment, but the state needs to increase the number of beds available in hospitals and treatment facilities, said Spectrum executive director Mark Redmond. He pleaded with lawmakers to do more to fund acute mental health services: “I’m begging you today,” he said. Counseling appointments are also in short supply, said Breault-Bolio. Though Spectrum recently doubled the size of its counseling staff, the waiting list for appointments is still growing. It takes an average of three months just to see a counselor. “Three months is a really long time to wait for services,” she said.

former employee Charles Hemingway, who worked there before landing his current job, which he’s had for four years. “Detail Works has taught me everything I know about my work ethic, about communication, about making sure I take care of myself, as well as my job, so that I never wind

maybe get a job with Detail Works, the car-cleaning social enterprise business that Spectrum runs to provide job experience to the youth it serves. This journey can take years, for some, and Brown is grateful for the opportunity to be part of it. “It’s really powerful,” she said. It’s especially moving when people who’ve left the program successfully return to visit. “We see a lot of youth come back who want to donate or

up in a situation where I’m jobless or homeless again,” he said. Ruffini noted that Hemingway recently donated $250 to Spectrum to help others have the same chance to learn as he did. See the “CBS Mornings” segment on the Spectrum website, spectrumvt.org.

cook meals or volunteer for events,” Brown said. Many of them have experienced a lot of change and turmoil in their lives, and Spectrum is one constant. “It’s a place they can keep coming back to,” she said.  COMMISSIONED AND PAID FOR BY:

HOW YOU CAN HELP • Make a donation. Find out how at spectrumvt.org/donate. • Volunteer as a mentor. Spend a few hours a month with a youth who has been recommended for the mentorship program. Contact Spectrum at mentoring@spectrumvt.org. COURTESY OF SAM SIMON

• Cook meals and deliver them to the Drop-In Centers. Sign up to bring meals to the centers in Burlington and St. Albans at spectrumvt.org/ volunteer.

• Have your car cleaned at Detail Works. Schedule an appointment at detailworksvt.com. • Sign up for the Spectrum Sleep Out. Raise money for Spectrum by pledging to spend a night outdoors in solidarity with homeless and at-risk youth on March 25, 2022. Email Spectrum at events@spectrumvt.org for more details.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

art COURTESY OF ANDY DUBACK

H.L. Adams Optician’s Trade Sign, maker unknown

Seeing Things

Shelburne Museum focuses on vision with the online exhibition “Eyesight & Insight” BY PA ME L A POLSTON • ppolston@sevendaysvt.com

theme is the interlacing of visual clarity and developments in science, literacy, entertainment and personal agency. “Eyesight & Insight” is divided into four chapters, each with a different focus. The exhibition as a whole is about way more than spectacles. But the first chapter, titled “Early Optics in American Art,” makes a logical observation: Eyeglasses were infrequently pictured in 18th- and early 19th-century paintings because few people actually had them. The text does not note that a fellow in 13th-century Italy was thought to have crafted the first pair of primitive eyeglasses — this show is restricted to American art, after all. But nearly half a millennium later in the New World, corrective lenses were not yet widely available. One early adopter was Benjamin Franklin. What schoolchild in this country has not seen an image of the founding father with wire-framed glasses perched on his nose? “Eyesight & Insight” offers one such portrait, painted in 1767 by Scottish artist David Martin. In fact, as the curators point out, Franklin — no slouch as an inventor — “has long been credited with the development of lenses that allow users to see

COURTESY OF THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART

he term “visual art” implies being able to see it, so it’s paradoxical that artwork itself rarely depicts visual impairment, such as a person wearing glasses. That’s one eyeopener — pun intended — provided by the Shelburne Museum’s current exhibition, “Eyesight & Insight: Lens on American Art,” curated by Katie Wood Kirchhoff and Carolyn Bauer. Even those of us with faulty vision may not have noticed this absence, as if throughout history “20-20” were considered not just the ideal but also the norm. Contemporary data tell a different story. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, about 12 million Americans older than 40 have some kind of visual impairment, and it’s one of the most common disabilities in younger people, as well. That’s a big cohort in this country alone. Many of those folks would surely be intrigued by “Eyesight & Insight.” And they could tune in from anywhere: The exhibition is entirely online, preceding a gallery installation that will open in May. For now, viewers can scroll through a thoughtfully curated selection of artworks in which sight — physical or metaphorical — is the through line. What enriches this

REVIEW

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

“Reading the Scriptures” by Thomas Waterman Wood

objects both nearby and at a distance.” He called them “double spectacles”; we call them bifocals. Like Franklin, fellow Philadelphian Charles Willson Peale was a polymath; he also was an accomplished artist. This exhibition includes two of his well-executed paintings of men wearing glasses: an 1804 self-portrait and an 1822 painting of his brother James sitting at a table and studying another small portrait by the light of

an oil lamp. The latter work is one of the earliest to depict artificial illumination in a domestic scene, according to the curators. It’s notable, too, that the development of indoor lighting — soon to become ubiquitous in American homes — facilitated such activities as reading in the evening hours. The parallel advancement of optical and lighting technologies in 19th-century America incidentally encouraged literacy. All the paintings in this chapter speak

VERY ACTIVELY PURCHASING to similar contingencies, but one, “Reading the Scriptures” by Thomas Waterman Wood, makes a deeper point. In the 1874 watercolor, a “solitary, literate Black man,” as the curators describe him, sits reading a large Bible on his lap. Given the year, it’s likely this elderly gentleman had previously been enslaved. But he learned how to read and does so with the aid of corrective lenses. The curators write: “These glasses provided a conduit for personal agency and the freedom—both of body and soul—

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the slide projector, was sometimes used to project images of spirits or ghosts for aficionados of phantasmagoria, a type of “horror theater,” note the curators. Perhaps we humans have always liked to see scary things from a safe remove. Chapter Two, “Newspaper Vision,” discusses how the rapid evolution of printing technologies — including screaming-headline typefaces — furthered a public appetite for reading. Newspapers, magazines and books became more affordable and available.

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“Andy X 4” by Duane Michals

VIEWERS CAN SCROLL THROUGH A THOUGHTFULLY CURATED SELECTION OF ARTWORKS IN WHICH

SIGHT IS THE THROUGH LINE.

that only an educated populace could hope to achieve in the years following the American Civil War.” Reading, of course, wasn’t the only entertainment abetted by optical science. Invented in the 1830s, the stereoscope allowed viewers to look at a pair of identical two-dimensional images and perceive them as three-dimensional. It was a precursor to the View-Master, a hugely popular mid-20th-century toy, and to the 21st-century virtual-reality headset. The “magic lantern,” first developed in the 17th century and a forerunner of

“With this new sea of printed verbiage,” the curators write, “sight became the primary, favored sense, and the ability to clearly read was rendered even more important for everyday people navigating their surroundings.” This chapter offers several paintings that depict individuals engaged with newspapers, as well as an 1844 broadside with eye-catching fonts touting the Eclipse, a horse-powered ferry that once transported passengers across Lake Champlain. The following chapter, “Seeing Identity,” brings us into more recent times and explores the modern notion of selfhood. Eyeglasses are both commonplace and individualistic expressions of fashion and identity. “Spectacles,” write the curators, “have … come to shape and inform our impressions of each other and ourselves.” Perhaps the most familiar example included here is a 1980 black-and-white photograph of Andy Warhol by Duane Michals, titled “Andy X 4.” Actually, it’s a detail of the pop artist’s face — one eye framed by his signature clear-plastic spectacles and a lock of his iconic silver SEEING THINGS

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Scan the QR code to view all items SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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art ART EVENTS

Folklife Center and Gamma Imaging of Chicago. On view during business hours in the building’s entry hallway. Through December 31. Info, info@ bigheavyworld.com. Howard Space Center in Burlington.

2021 WOMEN’S FESTIVAL OF CRAFTS: Due to the ongoing pandemic, browse the 32nd annual event virtually for locally made crafts and other items by more than 100 artisans and makers at womensfestivalofcrafts.com. Online. Through December 18.

WOLFGANG SCHWARTZ: “Divided as One,” an exhibit of ink on paper, gel works and limited-edition screen-prints that bring together nature and the last two years of our collective, and sometimes divided, emotional roller coaster. Through December 31. Info, 406-223-1333. Flynndog Gallery in Burlington.

MINIATURE CHRISTMAS TREE RAFFLE: Online auction of artist-decorated tiny trees for the holidays. View trees and place bids at henrysheldonmuseum.org. Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, Middlebury. Through December 21. $5 for one ticket; $20 for five. Info, 388-2117.

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ADRIENNE GINTER & ERIKA LAWLOR SCHMIDT: Hand-cut paper works that tell stories from nature, and monotypes that reflect the natural world and the interconnectedness of all life, respectively. Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through January 31. Info, 865-7296. Pierson Library in Shelburne.

‘PANDEMIC PASSAGES’: A monthly online workshop presented by the Passing Project using art to open the unexpected gifts that the pandemic life has given us. Participants can explore their experiences through writing, drawing, dancing or other means. Details at passingproject.org. Sunday, December 19, 4-5:30 p.m. Sliding-scale donations $10-25. Info, infopassingproject@gmail.com.

ELLIOT BURG: Photographic portraits shot on the streets of Havana, Cuba. Gates 1-8. Through December 31. SHANNON O’CONNELL: Paintings with phosphorescent and UV-sensitive pigments mixed into the paint, allowing secondary paintings to be revealed. Skyway. Through December 31. ERIKA LAWLOR SCHMIDT: Relief monotypes. Skyway. Through March 31. MAREVA MILLARC: Acrylic paintings. Gates 1-8. Through March 31. Info, 865-7296. Burlington International Airport in South Burlington.

ONGOING SHOWS burlington

ARTWORK AT UVMMC: Oil paintings of cows by Stephanie Bush, wood shadowboxes by Sam Macy and abstract butterfly paintings by Maria Angelache in the Main Street Corridor and Ambulatory Care Center 3; mixed-media paintings by Kathleen Grant in McClure 4; acrylic paintings and monotypes by Elizabeth Powell and photographs by Kristina Pentek in ACC 2. Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through January 24. Info, 865-7296. University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington. ‘UNBOUND’: Painting, sculpture and works on paper by Kirsten Reynolds, Rob Hitzig and Rachel Gross that explore contemporary approaches to abstraction as it relates to architecture, space and materials. BRADLEY BORTHWICK: “Objects of Empire,” sculptural installation that evolved from the artist’s research on the Dorset marble quarry and ancient Roman storehouses, and ponders shared cycles of civilization. Through February 5. Info, 865-7166. BCA Center in Burlington. HUNT 6TH GRADE ART SHOW: Artwork by students at the Lyman C. Hunt Middle School in Burlington. Through December 17. Info, 863-3403. Fletcher Free Library in Burlington.

Small Is … Seasonal Like every other retailer this time of

year, galleries do their best to entice holiday shoppers. For some, it’s become a

tradition to offer diminutive artworks with budgets and Christmas stockings in mind. Of course, a painting would have to be really tiny to actually fit in a mantelhung sock, but still. Three local galleries have recently opened size-conscious exhibitions. In

JACKSON TUPPER: “Mayo,” a solo exhibition of paintings by the Vermont artist made in response to domestic isolation during pandemic lockdown. Through March 9. Info, 233-2943. Safe and Sound Gallery in Burlington.

Burlington, S.P.A.C.E. Gallery is hosting its annual Small & Large Works holiday

‘THE LARGE WORKS’: Locally made 2D works two to six feet in size hang in the hallway outside the S.P.A.C.E. Gallery. Through January 29. Info, 578-2512. The Soda Plant in Burlington.

Annual Smalls group show. And Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury has filled both

MALTEX ARTISTS: Paintings by Dierdre Michelle, Judy Hawkins, Nancy Chapman and Jean Cherouny and photographs by Caleb Kenna and Michael Couture in the building’s hallways. Curated by Burlington City Arts. Through March 31. Info, 865-7296. Maltex Building in Burlington. ‘THE SMALL WORKS’: An annual unjuried exhibition of locally made works smaller than 12 inches each. Through January 29. Info, 578-2512. The S.P.A.C.E. Gallery in Burlington. WILL GEBHARD: “So It Goes,” a solo show of vivid, graphic paintings by the Vermont artist. Through January 22. Info, 324-0014. Soapbox Arts in Burlington. ‘...WILL YOU SING?’ MURAL: A 43-foot, wall-size mural, a project of Big Heavy World, features photographs of more than 200 Vermont musicians and audio clips of their music. Collaborators include photographers Luke Awtry and Jim Lockridge, design firm Solidarity of Unbridled Labour, Vermont

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

exhibitions. (The gallery is packed with little works, and big pieces hang in the Soda Plant hallway.) Axel’s Frame Shop & Gallery in Waterbury has mounted its its locations — on the Green and at the Falls — with paintings under the title “Small Works, Big Impact.” What does “small” actually mean? It depends. In a call to artists, S.P.A.C.E. Gallery proprietor Christy Mitchell specifies work no larger than one foot square. At Axel’s, pieces just a few inches wide hang next to somewhat larger works by the same artist. And at Edgewater, director Theresa Harris says established gallery artists simply bring in paintings that are smaller than their usual mid- or largescale works. The unspoken mantra at all these exhibits, of course, is that small is (relatively) affordable. Perhaps best of all, a one-of-a-kind piece of art is both a thoughtful gift and helps support the local creative economy. Can’t Amazon that. Pictured: “Front Yard” by Susan Abbott, at Edgewater Gallery on the Green in Middlebury.

‘EYESIGHT & INSIGHT: LENS ON AMERICAN ART’: An online exhibition of artworks at shelburnemuseum.org that illuminates creative responses to perceptions of vision; four sections explore themes ranging from 18th-century optical technologies to the social and historical connotations of eyeglasses in portraiture from the 19th century to the present. Through October 16. ‘IN PLAIN SIGHT: REDISCOVERING CHARLES SUMNER BUNN’S DECOYS’: An online exhibition of shorebird decoys carved by the member of the Shinnecock-Montauk Tribes, based on extensive research and resolving historic controversy. Through October 5. ‘PATTERN & PURPOSE: AMERICAN QUILTS FROM THE SHELBURNE MUSEUM’: The museum presents 20 textile masterpieces from its collection dating from the first decades of the 1800s to the turn of the 21st century, organized by associate curator Katie Wood Kirchhoff. Online only at shelburnemuseum.org. Through February 1. WINTER LIGHTS: The museum’s buildings and grounds are bedecked with multicolored lights for this holiday extravaganza. Purchase timed tickets in advance. Thursdays-Saturdays, 5-8 p.m. $15 for adults; $10 for children ages 3-17. Info, 985-3346. Shelburne Museum. ‘THE GIFT OF ART’: An off-season exhibition featuring a changing collection of artworks. Open by appointment or during special events. Through April 30. Info, 434-2167. Birds of Vermont Museum in Huntington. ‘HOMETOWN WATERCOLORISTS’: Five members of the Vermont Watercolor Society show their work in landscapes, portraits, abstract and still lifes: Joey Bibeau, Lynn Cummings, Alice Eckles, Martin Lalonde and Lauren Wooden. Through January 7. Info, 536-1722. South Burlington Public Art Gallery. JEFFREY TRUBISZ: “On the Trail: Scenes and Images,” photographs taken during hikes in New England, the Pacific Northwest and abroad; exhibited on the second-floor gallery wall. Through December 30. Info, 846-4140. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall. MAREVA MILLARC: “Drawn to the Rhythm,” bold works in oil, acrylic, ink and mixed media. Through December 15. Info, 662-4808. ArtHound Gallery in Essex. CHITTENDEN COUNTY SHOWS

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ART SHOWS

Seeing Things « P.53 wig. The curators include a comment that Warhol made in his 1975 autobiography: “[E]yeglasses standardize everyone’s vision to 20-20 … everyone could be seeing at different levels if it weren’t for glasses.” It’s an ironic statement from an artist whose work traded on concepts of mass consumption and repetition — never mind the fact that Warhol himself obviously opted for the functionality of 20-20 vision. A more compelling and complex piece in this chapter is a grid-based 2018 work on linen by activist-artist Carrie Mae Weems. “Untitled (Spike Lee Grid)” features images of the filmmaker — also identifiable by his oversize glasses — and text frames with the names of some of his films. The grid images are in black and white or saturated with blue. The work is not about eyesight per se but might be read as commentary on societal views of what Weems calls “colored people” — she reclaims the derogatory term in a similar grid work that preceded this one. That said, the cultivated appearance of Weems’ subject comes through. Write the curators: “Lee’s aviator-style

Underwood & Underwood, Stereoscope, 1901-39, gift of Oprah Winfrey to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture

glasses are established emblems for expressing his charisma, fashion sense, and creativity, and therefore it was only natural for Weems to make sure they were prominent in these thoughtful portraits.” The exhibition’s inward-looking final chapter, “Spectacles at Shelburne Museum,” utilizes a new technology: Spectacles 3, made by Snap Inc. Four local artists were invited to don the 3D camera glasses and tour the museum, recording 10-second videos of whatever they chose

to look at. The website presents eight such videos from each person: multidisciplinary artist Brian Collier (with his 9-year-old twin boys), singer-songwriter Myra Flynn (with toddler daughter Avalon), puppet artist Sarah Frechette and sculptor/installation artist Lydia Kern. These are live recordings without editing, they’re shaky and super short, and the resulting images are somewhat fish-eyed.

The artists could have made more polished products with actual video cameras — or even iPhones. Yet the rawness and immediacy of the Spectacles 3 videos make them strangely appealing, perhaps in part because they recall rudimentary stages of earlier technologies. And with the glasses literally attached to the artists’ heads, the videos are as close as we can get to seeing through another’s eyes. The pieces contributed by Collier (and sons) and Flynn bring a freshening element to this concept: seeing through the eyes of children. “Just watching the unfiltered excitement of discovery by my children was very inspirational,” Collier writes in a Q&A follow-up. “It reminds me that as adults we often have difficulty accessing this kind of unbridled spontaneous excitement.” Indeed. Viewing the world with not just unclouded but also unjaded eyes might be the exhibition’s most valuable invitation of all. m

INFO “Eyesight & Insight: Lens on American Art,” viewable online now, is a precursor to an inperson exhibition May 14 to October 16 at the Shelburne Museum. shelburnemuseum.org

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‘ONLY MAPLE’: Watercolors by Harald Aksdal, works in wood by Carl Newton and Toby Fulwiler, and ceramics by Lucia Bragg. Through December 19. Info, 899-3211. Emile A. Gruppe Gallery in Jericho. ‘WINTER COMPASS’: Works featuring Venetian plaster finishes by Sam Colt, along with works by 13 gallery artists in a variety of mediums. Through January 31. Info, 985-3848. Furchgott Sourdiffe Gallery in Shelburne.

‘THE CATAMOUNT IN VERMONT’: An exhibition that explores the feline symbol of Vermont through the lenses of art, science and culture. Through May 31. Info, 479-8500. Vermont History Museum in Montpelier. ‘CELEBRATE!’: An annual exhibition featuring fine art and crafts created by more than 60 SPA member artists, displayed on all three floors of the building. Masks required. Through December 29. Info, 479-7069. Studio Place Arts in Barre.

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‘CLIMATE OF CHANGE’: A mixed-media, multisensory exhibition by Susan Calza and Ken Leslie that responds to this global crisis, as well as sketchbooks that reveal how the two artists respond to the world around them. Through January 16. Info, 224-6827. Susan Calza Gallery in Montpelier.

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EMMA NORMAN: “In the Night of Day,” photographs of San Francisco Bay as the skies turned amber from wildfire smoke and fog on September 9, 2020. Through December 31. Info, jess@cal-vt.org. Center for Arts and Learning in Montpelier.

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GROUP SHOW #46: Gallery members exhibit their works in this group show. There’s also a holiday sale of items less than $100 through December. Through January 9. Info, info@thefrontvt.com. The Front in Montpelier. JASON GALLIGAN-BALDWIN: “Safety Procedures,” works incorporating acrylics, antique text, childhood books, film stills and other materials to explore American culture, or lack thereof. Curated by Studio Place Arts. Through February 26. Info, 479-7069. AR Market in Barre. JUDY GREENWALD: Pastel paintings by the local artist; prints of each work also available. Through December 29. Info, marab@vermontelders.org. Espresso Bueno in Barre.

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‘ONE MORE TIME!’: Ten artists who have exhibited at the gallery in 2021 return for a group show of works in watercolor, acrylic, oils, wearable art and photography. Through January 31. Info, 279-5048. ART, etc. in Northfield. SUSAN BULL RILEY: Three large oil and 32 watercolor paintings, from landscapes to intimate studies of plants and birds. Through December 31. Info, 229-6206. North Branch Nature Center in Montpelier. TUMBLING BLOCKS COMMUNITY QUILT PROJECT: Montpelier Alive exhibits the Capital City’s newest piece of public art, a project intended to help “stitch together” the community during the pandemic. More than 250 individuals, including more than 100 students, contributed designs for panels that Sabrina Fadial collated and made into a “quilt.” Through December 31. Info, 488-4303. Montpelier Transit Center.

stowe/smuggs

2021 MEMBERS’ ART SHOW: The 40th annual unjuried exhibition that showcases membersubmitted artwork alongside the Festival of Trees & Lights. Through December 31. Info, 253-8358. The Current in Stowe. BFA EXHIBIT: Students Jakob Aigeldinger, Garrison French and Caroline Loftus exhibit their artworks. Through December 15. Info, 498-3459. Julian Scott Memorial Gallery, Northern Vermont University, in Johnson.

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‘CALL AND RESPONSE’: An exhibition of images by eight members of the Photographers Workroom. KRISTINA SNOOK: “Tradition/Improvisation,” fiber works by the Vermont artist. Through January 15. Info, 888-1261. River Arts in Morrisville. CATHY CONE: “There Was Once,” hand-painted photographs and black-and-white Piezography by the Vermont artist. Through January 8. MICHAEL MAHNKE: “A River Moving in You,” a large-scale, site-specific work by the gallery cofounder, located on the Johnson Village Green, that reflects the natural environment and our relationships to one another. Through December 31. Info, 646-519-1781. Minema Gallery in Johnson. ‘GEMS AND GIANTS’: A holiday showcase featuring large and small artworks from more than 80 member artists. Through December 19. Info, 644-5100. Bryan Memorial Gallery in Jeffersonville. THE LAMOILLE ART & JUSTICE PROJECT: LISTENING OUTSIDE THE LINES: A sound installation featuring oral histories and corresponding artists’ interpretations, focused on creating community and cultural preservation, and providing a mirror for those who have lacked reflection. Through December 17. Info, 635-2727. Red Mill Gallery, Vermont Studio Center, in Johnson.

mad river valley/waterbury

‘FLUID EXPRESSIONS’: The annual awards show by the Vermont Watercolor Society features 30 outstanding paintings in a variety of styles, both realistic and abstract. Through December 17. Info, 496-6682. The Gallery at Mad River Valley Arts in Waitsfield. SMALLS GROUP SHOW: Annual holiday exhibition of petite artworks with affordable prices. Through December 24. Info, 244-7801. Axel’s Frame Shop & Gallery in Waterbury.

middlebury area

“HENRY AT 200’: An exhibit celebrating the museum founder and collector of New England history with documents, photographs, scrapbooks, autographs, Middlebury imprints, diaries, music ephemera, relics and even a lock of Napoleon’s hair. Through December 31. ‘SIGHTLINES’: Photographs by Caleb Kenna and paintings by Jill Madden that explore the Joseph Battell and Breadloaf Wilderness areas of the Green Mountains. Through December 31. HOLIDAY TRAIN EXHIBIT: The popular Lionel trains return with a Green Mountain backdrop and a brand-new feature: a caboose that livestreams a video of the train traveling through its layout. Book timed visits on Saturdays at henrysheldonmuseum.org. Masks are required. Through January 8. Info, 388-2117. Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History in Middlebury. ‘ITTY BITTY: TINY TEXTS IN SPECIAL COLLECTIONS’: Books from the 17th to 21st centuries that measure between 1.8 and 10 centimeters, from religious manuscripts to cookbooks, children’s books to Shakespeare. Visitors are not currently allowed in the library but may view the works online at go.middlebury.edu/ tinybooks. Through May 31. Davis Family Library, Middlebury College.

f ‘KNOWING DARKNESS’: A group exhibition of new work by Bonnie Baird, Christine Atkinson, Charlotte Dworshak, Julia Jensen, Hannah Morris, Hannah Sessions, Pamela Smith and Susanne Strater. Reception: Friday, December 17, 11 a.m.-6 p.m. Through January 31. Info, 877-2173. Northern Daughters in Vergennes. MORE ‘SMALL WORKS, BIG IMPACT’: New small works from Julia Purinton, established gallery artists and new Edgewater artist Susan Abbott. Through December 31. Info, 989-7419. Edgewater Gallery on the Green in Middlebury. ‘PRIDE 1983’: Through interviews with organizers, photographs and scanned images of historic documents, the exhibit, curated by Meg Tamulonis of the

ART SHOWS

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CALL TO ARTISTS ARTFUL ICE SHANTIES: BMAC and Retreat Farm invite entries to the second annual ice shanty exhibition in February. Details and registration at brattleboromuseum.org. Deadline: December 15. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center. Info, 257-0124. ARTIST DEVELOPMENT GRANTS: Artist development grants support Vermont-based artists at all stages of their careers, funding activities that enhance mastery of a craft or that increase the viability of an artist’s business. Funding may also support aspects of the creation of new work. Grant amounts range from $250 to $2,000. Details and application at vermontartscouncil.org. Deadline: February 14. Vermont Arts Council, Montpelier. ‘DRIP’: For an upcoming exhibition about water quality and quantity, artists are invited to consider the topics of scarcity and depletion of freshwater sources. Installations and traditional or nontraditional mediums are welcome. Details at studioplacearts.com. Deadline: February 5. Studio Place Arts, Barre. $10; free for SPA members. Info, 479-7069. ‘LET’S COLLAGE ABOUT IT!’: Submit collage art for an opportunity to be exhibited at the center’s 2022 community exhibition, January 1 through April. Exhibition form at cal-vt.org, or email jess@cal-vt.org. Deadline: December 15. Center for Arts and Learning, Montpelier. Free.

‘STICK WITH LOVE’: Artwork submissions are welcome on themes of love, compassion and social justice for an exhibition January 14 to February 18. Due to gallery size, not all submissions can be accepted. Details at avagallery.org. Deadline: December 27. AVA Gallery and Art Center, Lebanon, N.H. $10. Info, 603-448-3117.

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JULIE CRABTREE & AMANDA ANN PALMER: Fiber-art landscapes inspired by the Scotland coast, and hand-thrown pottery, respectively. Through February 28. Info, 295-4567. Long River Gallery in White River Junction.

‘SMALL WORKS, BIG IMPACT’: The annual exhibition features new work from established Edgewater artists Jane Davies, Sage Tucker Ketcham and Rachel Wilcox, as well as favorite pieces from gallery collections and abstracted Vermont landscapes by guest artist Barbara Greene. Through December 31. Info, 989-7419. Edgewater Gallery at Middlebury Falls.

PAULA CLOUDPAINTER: “Cloudmaps and Other Travels Through the Atmosphere,” watercolors and mixed-media paintings. Through December 31. Info, 457-2295. Norman Williams Public Library in Woodstock.

CORRINE YONCE: “Excerpts from Estate Sale,” mixed-media works that consider the intimacies of home and the figures who share that space, on display in the venue’s windows. Through January 15. Info, info.77ART@gmail.com. 77ART in Rutland.

upper valley

HOLIDAY SHOW: Prints and handmade gift cards by artist members. Through January 29. Info, 295-5901. Two Rivers Printmaking Studio in White River Junction.

f JACOB GRAHAM: “The Creatures of Yes:

Snowflake Revue,” an experimental television show by the Brooklyn-based artist about people discovering the world around them and learning to appreciate each other’s differences. Puppetry by Graham and Stoph Scheer, sets made in collaboration with the gallery. Live puppet show: Saturday, December 18, 7:30 & 8:30 p.m. Space is limited; RSVP to info@kishka.org. Through January 2. Info, 347-264-4808. Kishka Gallery & Library in White River Junction. JUDITH VIVELL: “Meant for Each Other,” mixedmedia abstractions on raw canvas. Also, jewelry by Stacy Hopkins, precious metal and volcanic bowls by Cristina Salusti and sculptural pieces by Ria Blaas. Through February 1. Info, 603-443-3017. Scavenger Gallery in White River Junction.

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‘TRACKS’: Established and emerging artists are invited to submit one or two pieces of artwork that relates to the theme. Any medium accepted. Work must be able to be hung on a gallery hanger system (not picture hanger). For registration and more info, email catherine.mcmains@gmail.com. Deadline: December 23. Emile A. Gruppe Gallery, Jericho.

Vermont Queer Archives, explores the origins and lasting legacies of Vermont’s first Pride March on June 25, 1983, in Burlington. It can also be viewed online at vtfolklife.org. Through March 25. Info, 388-4964. Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury.

rutland/killington

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northeast kingdom

ALAN JENNINGS: “Finding the Way Home,” animated films the artist created about growing up in Vermont, including “The Northeast Kingdom,” “Dream of Deerman” and “The Bill Jennings Mysteries”; and the drawings, paintings and sculptures he uses to make them. Watch at catamountarts.org. Through December 31. Info, 748-2600. Catamount Arts Center in St. Johnsbury. ANNUAL HOLIDAY SHOW: Unique creations by members, including ornaments, paintings, fiber, hand-blown glass, woodworks and more. Through January 8. Info, 748-0158. Northeast Kingdom Artisans Guild Backroom Gallery in St. Johnsbury. ‘A LIFE IN LISTS AND NOTES’: An exhibition that celebrates the poetic, mnemonic, narrative and enumerative qualities of lists and notes. The objects on display span myriad creative, professional, bureaucratic, domestic and personal uses of lists through the ages. Through May 31. Info, 626-4409. The Museum of Everyday Life in Glover. ‘LOCAL COLOR’: Nature-inspired works in a variety of mediums by members of Caspian Arts. Through December 31. Info, 533-2000. Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro.

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STJ ART ON THE STREET WINTER SHOW: Downtown businesses exhibit artworks in storefront windows, including stained glass, lamps, paintings and mixed media, in a collaborative public art project. Through February 25. Info, eknarey@catamountarts.org. Various St. Johnsbury locations.

‘THE WORLD BETWEEN THE BLOCK AND THE PAPER’: A group exhibition of ecologically sound, sensitively produced mokuhanga prints, organized in collaboration with Japanese print collective the Mokuhanga Sisters. Through March 27. Info, 367-1311. Yester House Galleries, Southern Vermont Arts Center, in Manchester.

SUE HAVEN TESTER: Photographs of the unspoiled landscape of the Northeast Kingdom. Through January 7. Info, 525-3366. The Parker Pie Company in West Glover.

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B. LYNCH: “Pull Back the Curtain,” a fantastical universe of the Reds and the Greys, disparate societal factions set in the 18th century, using puppetry, drawing, painting, linoleum block printing and digital animation. Through February 13. DELITA MARTIN: “Between Worlds,” a year-long installation in the museum’s front windows that reimagines the identities and roles of Black women in the context of Black culture and African history. Through May 31. GUILD OF VERMONT FURNITURE MAKERS: “Evolving Traditions,” contemporary works in wood crafted by members of the guild. Through February 13. MICHAEL ABRAMS: “Arcadia Rediscovered,” a luminous, misty painting installation that invites viewers to be mindfully in the world. Through March 5. NATALIE FRANK: “Painting With Paper,” abstracted portraits of imagined female figures, each accompanied by an animal, in wet pigmented cotton and linen paper pulp. Through February 13. VERMONT GLASS GUILD: “Inspired by the Past,” contemporary works in glass exhibited alongside historical counterparts from the museum’s collection. Through March 5. WILLIAM RANSOM: “Keep Up/Hold Up,” mixed-media installations that speak to the current state of social tension in the U.S., the reckoning with a history of white supremacy, and the potential for flare-up or collapse. Through March 5. Info, 257-0124. Brattleboro Museum & Art Center.

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PETER SCHUMANN: Paintings on bedsheets by the founder of Bread and Puppet theater from his “Bad Bedsheets” and “Handouts” series. Through February 28. Info, breadandpuppetcuratrix@gmail. com. Flat Iron Co-op in Bellows Falls. SUSAN BREAREY: Paintings of animals in which primal, totemic images take the place of photorealistic details and are set against abstract surfaces. Through February 20. Info, 387-0102. Next Stage Arts Project in Putney.

manchester/bennington

‘TRANSIENT BEAUTY’: An exhibition of work by 25 contemporary photographers in response to Vermont icon Snowflake Bentley; a closed-bid auction of the photos benefits the museum and the artists. DUSTY BOYNTON: “Boundless,” new paintings and mixed-media works by the Vermont artist, curated in collaboration with Stowe’s 571 Projects. Through December 31. Info, 447-1571, jfranklin@benningtonmuseum.org. Bennington Museum.

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‘HIROSHIGE AND THE CHANGING JAPANESE LANDSCAPE’: An exhibition of Japanese woodblock prints by Utagawa Hiroshige (17971858) that depict how the political climate of 19th-century Japan influenced its art and how the art influenced politics. Through February 27. Info, 367-1311. Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester.

ARTISAN HOLIDAY MARKET: A wide variety of goods made by local artists, crafters and specialty vendors. Online shopping available after Friday, November 26, at chandler-arts.org. Through December 24. Info, 728-9878. Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph.

outside vermont

ANNUAL HOLIDAY EXHIBITION AND SALE: “Wintry Mix,” works in a variety of mediums by member artists from Vermont and New Hampshire. Through December 30. Info, 603-448-3117. AVA Gallery and Art Center in Lebanon, N.H. ‘ECOLOGIES: A SONG FOR OUR PLANET’: An exhibition of installations, videos, sculptures, paintings, drawings and photographs that explore the relationship between humans and nature, and disruptions to the planet’s ecosystems caused by human intervention. Through February 27. ‘HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR ONE VOICE TO REACH ANOTHER?’: An exhibition of major works from the museum’s collection, along with new acquisitions and loans, that explore the theme of voice in both physical and metaphorical registers. Through February 13. ‘THE WORLD OF YOUSUF KARSH: A PRIVATE ESSENCE’: A showcase of 111 silver-gelatin portraits by the renowned Armenian Canadian photographer, shot and printed himself; donated by the artist’s estate and his widow. Through January 30. RAGNAR KJARTANSSON: “Sumarnótt” (“Death Is Elsewhere”), an immersive installation by the Icelandic artist, filmed under the midnight sun, consisting of a seven-channel video and musical soundscape that surround the viewer. Through January 2. Info, mbam.qc.ca, 514-285-2000. Montréal Museum of Fine Arts. FORENSIC ARCHITECTURE WITH LAURA POITRAS: “Terror Contagion,” an immersive, activist exhibition by the London-based research collective in collaboration with the journalistfilmmaker. Narration by Edward Snowden, data sonification by Brian Eno. Through April 18. Info, 514-847-6226. Montréal Museum of Contemporary Art. ‘THIS LAND: AMERICAN ENGAGEMENT WITH THE NATURAL WORLD’: Drawn from the permanent collection, the museum’s first major installation of traditional and contemporary Native American art set alongside early-to-contemporary art by African American, Asian American, Euro-American and Latin American artists, representing a broader perspective on “American” art. Galleries closed during student break December 19 to January 3. Through July 24. ‘THORNTON DIAL: THE TIGER CAT’: Part of a new acquisition of 10 artworks from the Souls Grown Deep Foundation, the exhibition looks closely at the late artist’s work and the ways in which it broadens an understanding of American art. Galleries closed during student break December 19 to January 3. Through February 27. Info, 603-646-2808. Hood Museum, Dartmouth College, in Hanover, N.H. m

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music+nightlife Barbacoa

S UNDbites

News and views on the local music + nightlife scene B Y C HRI S FA R N S WO R TH

What a Year

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Ivamae

COURTESY OF LUKE AWTRY PHOTOGRAPHY

There was something so comforting about how much everyone hated 2020. It’s like when there’s a villain so loathsome, so despised, that everyone agrees they’re the worst. Think Joffrey in “Game of Thrones” or tech bro MARTIN SHKRELI after he bought the secret WU-TANG album. In a world where one person’s villain is another person’s patriot, it just felt good to all be on the same page about 2020. This year was a little tougher to gauge. Taken on its own, 2021 was no easygoing good time. But compared with its predecessor, it had some bright spots. Musically, it felt like a series of one-stepforward, two-steps-back moments as artists navigated the post-quarantine landscape and tried to reignite their careers. For every show successfully staged, another was canceled. That was 2021, though: The year that music persevered. Because, through it all, Vermont musicians kept working. They kept writing, kept playing, and kept using ingenuity and determination to perform live music. To say I’m proud of our music scene is an understatement. I’m inspired and grateful that this disparate collection of oddballs, old-timers, kids, professionals, first-timers, prodigies and virtuosos all channeled whatever the hell they were going through this year and gave us back some very necessary art. When I look back at 2021, I think of moments, whether they were shows or albums or just announcements, that highlighted a difficult year. The Backside 405 series from HIGHER

GROUND was a real lifesaver this summer. The series debuted with a set from DJ DISCO PHANTOM, but the BARBACOA show a few weeks later — my first show since March 2020 — was where I had a real moment. Now, I’ve seen Barbacoa more times than I can honestly count. The Burlington surf rockers are a fixture of the local scene and not shy about playing shows. In normal times, the idea of walking across the city and forking over $20 to see Barbacoa, as good as they are, would have seemed sort of nuts. And as I headed down to the South End that night, I wondered whether I was a little too excited about catching a local act. The moment I walked into the parking lot/venue with my ticket in hand, the

sensation hit me. The massive, tatted-up bouncer, the smell of weed and cigarettes, the line by the beer tent, the sound of a tech hitting the kick drum over and over … I was home, baby. Perhaps I hadn’t fully grasped just how much I’d missed seeing live music, but within 15 minutes of arriving, I was fighting back happy tears. By the time Barbacoa ripped into an epic, high-powered set, the energy of the crowd was overflowing into that most perfect kind of show — the kind where performers and audience feed off one another in an endless loop. The good vibes were so prevalent that when someone inevitably screamed out “Free Bird,” the band actually obliged by tearing into an

instrumental version of the LYNYRD SKYNYRD classic. I don’t think I’ll ever forget the sight of BILL MULLINS shredding the “Free Bird” solo while Junktiques Collective owner PHINNEUS SONIN danced in nothing but a pair of tight shorts, slowly immersing himself in a giant wraparound balloon. It was bizarre and magical, two things I associate with the best Burlington shows. To experience those sensations my first night back filled me with hope. So did listening to the debut LP from indie-pop and neo-soul artist BRITTANY MAE, aka IVAMAE. The Burlington-based singersongwriter released Tender Meat in June, a record of songs simmering with longing, love and loss. I’m not picking albums or songs of the year for 2021 (though some of Burlington’s best artists will do it for me in our year-end issue on December 29), but I can’t think of another Vermont-made record I listened to as many times as Tender Meat. After months of streaming shows and DIY home-recording efforts, listening to an album crafted with such love and recorded with such uncompromising vision was incredibly affecting. My advice to anyone feeling a little stressed by the world is to smoke ’em if you got ’em or pour yourself a glass of something nice, light a candle, put on “Blessed AF” and let Ivamae ease you back. I know I said I wasn’t handing out awards, but if I were, I’d give “Best Record to Get Stoned To in a Loveseat” to Tender Meat. That said, my runaway favorite Vermont song of this year was “All Your Friends Are Gone” by producer extraordinaire WILLVERINE, featuring a guest vocal from BLACKMER’s SAM DUPONT. I blasted this track so many times it ended up in my Spotify Wrapped end-of-year list. The song is so good it fit into the mix beside THUNDERCAT and R.E.M. songs without a hitch. “Look around, the world’s a-blazing,” DuPont sings as the beat shuffles in over blipping synths and a thick bass line. The track has a melancholic feel, but it’s juxtaposed with a never-say-die attitude. “We’ve come too far,” DuPont sings. Is there a better anthem to take into 2022? Things are hard, we’re losing people, but we’re not going to stop. The last highlight of this year happened just last week. WAKING WINDOWS put out hard dates, May 13 to 15, for the 10th iteration of the festival held (usually) annually in Winooski. After two cancellations, the announcement alone was enough to make my day. When the team at WW released the lineup, though, my excitement levels soared into the stratosphere. DINOSAUR JR.? I had to shake my head, close my eyes and look again. The indie-rock legends have been soundtracking my life since I was a

GOT MUSIC NEWS? MUSIC@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SOUTH END

pimple-faced, scrawny kid getting kicked out of shows with a fake ID. Take note, F-35s: You might not be the loudest thing in Vermont in May.

In Memoriam

C OU R TE SY

OF J

Vermont lost a lot of musical talent in 2021. While this is by no means a comprehensive list, there are three deaths in particular that I want to touch on. Rest in peace, TOM MORSE. Well known and well loved, the Montpelier resident died last month at the age of 40. Morse spent his life working at the family business, Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks, as his father and grandfather did before him. He was also a classically trained musician, excelling on the trumpet and flügelhorn. Morse played in numerous groups over his music career, both alongside his brother, bassist ROBINSON MORSE, and sitting in with groups such as GRAVEL and the VERMONT JAZZ TRIO. He leaves behind memories of a player with great feel who could move effortlessly between genres. WILLIAM METCALFE also passed away in November, at the age of 86. The University of Vermont professor emeritus chaired multiple departments at the school, including history and music. In 1974, Metcalfe cofounded the Vermont Mozart Festival, an institution that brought some of the best talent in classical music to the Green Mountains. A gifted conductor, he went on to form chamber music L vocal group the ORIANA SINGERS with his wife, ELIZABETH METCALFE. The great TONY MARKELLIS died in his sleep in April. A man known for his kindness as well as his prodigious bass guitar skills, Markellis was beloved both in the Burlington music scene and in his adopted hometown of Saratoga Springs, N.Y. He came to prominence playing with KILIMANJARO, the jazz-fusion act he formed with guitarist PAUL ASBELL, keyboardist CHUCK ELLER and drummer BILL KINZIE. The band would take the name the UNKNOWN BLUES BAND to back up saxophone great “BIG” JOE BURRELL, a run that would last for 25 years. Markellis also played bass in PHISH

sleigh stop

front man TREY ANASTASIO’s solo band, cowriting a number of tunes with Anastasio. “He was kind and had a sweetness to his personality,” Anastasio wrote in an online post after Markellis’ death. “And he was the baddest bass player I’ve ever heard.”

BiteTorrent

SATURDAY, DEC 18

obsessed?

The musical comedy duo known as PONY DEATH RIDE has rereleased its 2019 Christmas album, The First Leon: A Find, fix and feather with Sassy Musical-Comedy Christmas Album. Nest Notes — an e-newsletter A record about filled with home design, spending the Vermont real estate tips holidays with a and DIY decorating dysfunctional sort of inspirations. family, The First Leon was pressed to vinyl Sign up today at at Burlington Record sevendaysvt.com/enews. Plant. Married couple JOE and JAYE MACASKILL, who also own Catland Vintage, a cat-themed SPONSORED BY vintage store in Winooski, felt the time was right to rerelease the album, both because of the season and because of the opportunity to make a record. “You know how the kids need vinyl!” 8v-NestNotes-filler-21.indd 1 Joe joked in an email. “But it’s a really different kind of holiday record. We wanted to make an album for people like us, people who don’t really know what it means to have a normal Christmas.” Since I don’t know anyone who’s having a “normal” holiday this year, I think Pony Death Ride’s timing is impeccable. Singer-songwriter JESSE TAYLOR of the JESSE TAYLOR BAND and LAZER DAD has released a new version of “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.” Taylor initially contacted Tony producer DAN ROME Markellis at FUTURE FIELDS with the idea of recording a holiday EP. “Of course it didn’t happen because I didn’t give myself enough time,” Taylor wrote on social media. “But we decided to do one song — one of my faves!” Clad in a festive sweater and seated at a piano, Taylor does her best JUDY GARLAND, belting the Christmas classic with joy and tenderness. Taylor’s take had even a grinch like me (give me Halloween all day) wishing I were sitting in front of a lighted tree and watching snow fall outside my window. m

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

12/13/21 1:37 PM

music+nightlife

CLUB DATES

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.

WED.15

Irish Sessions (celtic) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

COURTESY OF LUKE AWTRY PHOTOGRAPHY

live music FRI.17 // VORCZA WITH EVNGWEAR [JAZZ]

Morgan Myles Presents Mariah Carey Christmas Tribute (Mariah Carey Christmas tribute) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $15/$18.

TUE.21

Local Dork (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

WED.22

Wooly Wednesdays with DJ Steal Wool (eclectic) 6 p.m. Free.

comedy WED.15

Nilsson Tribute Night (Harry Nilsson tribute) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Not My Forte (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $5.

The Ray Vega Quartet (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

THU.16

Main Street Time Machine: 1986 Edition (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:15 p.m. $10.

Ryan Osswald Trio (jazz) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. Ursa and the Major Key & the Apollos (rock) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

Mothra! A Storytelling/ Improv Comedy Show (improv comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. $10.

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury, 7 p.m. $5.

FRI.17

DeAnne Smith (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $20.

THU.16

American Roots Night at Zenbarn, Waterbury, 7 p.m. Free.

SAT.18

Brett Hughes (country) at the Filling Station, White River Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

DeAnne Smith (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $20.

Eleanor Elektra (singer-songwriter) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

SUN.19

Freeway Clyde (jazz) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10. The Front Bottoms with Laura Stevenson (rock) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $30/$35. Patrick Markley, Xander Naylor and Ethan Snyder (post-rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

trio of keyboardist Ray Paczkowski (Trey Anastasio Band), bassist Robinson Morse (Hadestown Orchestra) and drummer

Eleganza & Espresso: A Drag Brunch (drag brunch) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 11 a.m. $35.

Gabe Jarrett are VORCZA. The Vermont band has brought its brand of improvisational dance/funk/jazz to stages for almost

WED.22

two decades, becoming a local musical legend in the process. Whether playing outdoor stages at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival or lighting up the clubs with fiery, complex jams, Vorcza are guaranteed to bring the party. Catch them on Friday, December 17, at Nectar’s in Burlington, with another killer local fusion act, Burlington’s EVNGWEAR. SAT.18

FRI.17

Bob Gagnon (jazz) at Courtyard Marriott Burlington Harbor, 7:30 p.m. Free. Doom Service, the Path, Days on End, S.U.S (punk) at Swan Dojo, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5. The Full Cleveland (yacht rock) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $15/$18. Julia & The Nightcaps (rock) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free. Michael Hurley Tribute Night (Michael Hurley tribute) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $5. Mihalidaze with Joe Cirotti (jam band) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $25/$29. The Rough Suspects (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free. She Was Right (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free. Vorcza with EVNGwear (jazz, groove) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $10.

Vorcza, Vorcza, Vorcza! It’s a jazz-fusion freakout this Friday night at Nectar’s. The high-energy

Annie Sklar (jazz) at Courtyard Marriott Burlington Harbor, 7:30 p.m. Free. A Beatles Tribute: Spencer & The Walrus (Beatles tribute) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $20/$23. Beerworth Sisters (folk) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free. GA-20 and the Suitcase Junket (blues) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $15/$18.

Luminous Crush (indie rock) at In the Moment Records, Brattleboro, 6 p.m. Free. Moon Hollow and the Ditrani Brothers (bluegrass) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free. Robscure, Charlie Mayne, Juni the Wiccan, Cam Barnes, Abizo, Foz and DJ Kanganade (hip-hop) at Swan Dojo, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10. Satta Sound (reggae) at CharlieO’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Green Mountain Cabaret (burlesque) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10.

Supernatural Rocks (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 9 p.m. Free.

Grippo Funk Band (funk) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $12.

Uncle Jimmy (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

Holiday Extravaganza with Willverine, Community Garden, Reid Parsons, Savage Hen & more (multiple bands) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. Jaded Ravins (Americana) at the Parker Pie Company, West Glover, 6 p.m. Free.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

SUN.19

Leo Kottke & Mike Gordon (folk) at Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 6:15 p.m. $48 - $58. Phineas Gage (folk) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 1 p.m. Free.

TUE.21

Dead Set (Grateful Dead tribute) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6 p.m. $20.

WED.22

Nick Cassarino and Erin Boyd (jazz) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free. The Ray Vega Quartet (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free. Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead covers) at Zenbarn, Waterbury, 7 p.m. $5.

FRI.17

DJ Dakota (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

Malachi Presents: AFTER HOURS 3 (DJ) at Club Metronome, Burlington, 10 p.m. $5.

SAT.18

THU.16

CRAIGLAND: One Nation, One Groove (DJ) at Club Metronome, Burlington, 10 p.m. $5. DJ CRWD CTRL (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

djs WED.15

DJ Taka (DJ) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

THU.16

Aquatic Underground (funk, hip-hop) at Club Metronome, Burlington, 10 p.m. $5. Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae & dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. Free.

Unrehearsed: An Underprepared Sketch Show (comedy) at Comedy Centre Comedy Club, Rutland, 6:30 p.m. $5.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10.

Wooly Wednesdays with DJ Steal Wool (eclectic) 6 p.m. Free.

Standup Comedy Open Mic (comedy open mic) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

SUN.19

MON.20

Mo’ Monday with DJs Craig Mitchell and Fattie B (soul, R&B) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia Night (trivia) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 6:30 p.m. Free.

FRI.17

Pop Up Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

MON.20

Trivia Night (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8:30 p.m. Free.

TUE.21

Karaoke with DJ Party Bear (karaoke) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free. m

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GET YOUR MUSIC REVIEWED MUSIC@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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REVIEW this

Your friendly neighborhood music editor is sinking in album submissions like Arnold Schwarzenegger in Terminator 2: Judgment Day, dropping into the lava with a thumbs-up. Long story short, Vermont musicians were busy this year. It’s almost like they were forced to stay inside with their instruments or something! To catch up, here is another batch of Vermont records that slipped under the radar in 2021.

Waves of Adrenaline, Come Hell or High Water

Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate, Captains and Sea Monsters

The latest record from Burlington folk act Waves of Adrenaline almost triggered me to lie on the floor in a fetal position. The trio of Bridget Ahrens, Alana Shaw and Suzanne Hall plays gentle, pleasant music focused on wry observations and lots of praise for the band’s home state. It’s just that they lack their namesake adrenaline. The first track on Come Hell or High Water, ominously titled “2020,” was just a case of “too soon” for this writer. Over a blues shuffle, the WOA ladies sing about how much the already legendarily shitty year did indeed suck. They name-check wildfires, leaky pipelines and melting glaciers, promising that “there’s a wave coming in with a big undertow.” That’s sort of like me saying, “I think these ghost-pepper wings I just ate are going to cause some serious digestive problems.” Fortunately, the rest of the album causes fewer flashbacks and merely features the easygoing sounds of gentle political discord. KEY TRACK: “Beer From Vermont.” WHY: If there were ever a song that musically matched how I envision Vermont’s craft beer scene, this is it. WHERE: wavesofadrenaline.com.

Listening to music for kids is a strange experience for an adult. When faced with simplistic tracks full of counting, mentions of dinosaurs and, frankly, too much harmonica for my comfort, I always struggle not to declare reflexively, “This music is for people whose brains are still developing.” Thankfully, there are artists like Rockin’ Ron the Friendly Pirate. The Jeffersonville-based singer-songwriter makes clever, fun and, occasionally, rocking music for tykes. Captains and Sea Monsters is the fifth LP from Rockin’ Ron — aka Ron Carter — and features a slew of local artists, including drummer Caleb Bronz and guitarist André Maquera, the latter of whom also produced the record. Though the album is clearly aimed at children, Rockin’ Ron keeps things entertaining and inventive. “She Can Be a Captain Too” shuffles along with a country-rock feel as it encourages young girls to aim high. The wholesomeness of the songs never feels fabricated or phoned in by the nautical bard. And when Ron gets a little silly on songs like “Poop Deck Dance,” it’s easy to see a classroom of kids losing their minds. KEY TRACK: “Dark and Stormy Night.” WHY: Maquera’s gorgeous nylon-string guitar work on a song about pirate ghosts is just perfect. WHERE: rockinronthefriendlypirate.com.

(SELF-RELEASED, VINYL, DIGITAL)

Fire vs. Coop, Fire vs. Coop (SELF-RELEASED, CD)

Hard truth time, people. During quarantine, some albums took a few weeks longer to review when I struggled to figure out how to play them. CDs can stack up at the office while I plow through streaming links from the comfort of my home. I’ve since bought a CD player, but this summer, early on in my tenure, some CDs fell down the list. Fire vs. Coop was one of them, and it’s certainly a case of better late than never. The duo of Mike “Firepower” Bettis on guitars and bass and Jeff Cooper on drums and keyboards is Fire vs. Coop, an intriguing, dub-infused instrumental project. The four-song EP is built around grooves, from the reggae feel of “Blackhole Jungle” to the Talking Heads-like “All Skate.” The project is aptly named, as the dynamic between the two musicians drives the EP. The result is a brief but potent mix of hairpin dynamics and powerful interplay. KEY TRACK: “Gravity Dub.” WHY: Cooper’s space-age drum fill launches into a song that could be a detective show theme song in 2050. WHERE: CD only; order at firepowervt@ gmail.com.

Dave Kleh, OK Boomer (SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

When Seven Days reviewed Dave Kleh’s last LP, Speaking in Logistics, then-music editor Jordan Adams made a few quips about the “OK Boomer” energy of the record. Kleh, a real estate agent by day, was indeed born in that post-World War II surge of babies. But rather than take any offense at the label, he has leaned into it hard with his latest offering, OK Boomer. Kleh’s eighth full-length record is a weird-as-hell mix of influences, many of which actually sound rather modern. The synth-pop of “Cruzin’ Round the City” would seem like an outlier of weirdness on the record, but then you hit a track like “Hey Friend, It’s Good to See You Again,” a song that resists any sort of categorization. Those looking for fidelity and flow might find OK Boomer a tough listen, but there can be no doubting the idiosyncratic, fierce “I don’t give a damn, I’m putting down a track of me talking about football over this song” energy. For an artist not only to be themself but also to celebrate what makes them an individual is refreshing. KEY TRACK: “Rollin’ Down the River.” WHY: Kleh goes full country, with some tasty guest guitar licks from Barbacoa’s Bill Mullins. WHERE: davekleh.bandcamp.com. 64

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

(SELF-RELEASED, CD, DIGITAL)

John Drew Petersen, Warble (SELF-RELEASED, DIGITAL)

In the right hands, a guitar becomes a machine of endless variation. As much as I love seeing a desperate youth in a darkened club hammering on a beat-up Telecaster, there are times when I just want to hear someone sit down with an acoustic guitar and open it up like a book. On his third record of instrumental modern fingerstyle compositions, folk guitarist John Drew Petersen does just that, crafting a record of elegant grace and masterful playing. Warble is a thrilling ride of guitar movements, with Petersen painting backdrops and sketching out characters with his notes. On tunes like “Cascade,” the multitracked acoustics shimmer and fall over one another, just as they form rhythmic leaps on “Looping the Moon.” In Petersen’s hands, his guitar becomes its own orchestra. With Warble, he’s crafted an instrumental record so well-rounded that the presence of other instruments or even a human voice is entirely needless. KEY TRACK: “FLIPside.” WHY: Petersen channels Appalachian energy in his playing, adding just the right hint of bluegrass. WHERE: johndrewpetersen.bandcamp.com.

Slurp Deluxe, Three (ENFORCED EXISTENCE, DIGITAL)

Slurp Deluxe have been crafting quirky indie rock around Burlington for almost a quarter of a century. Don’t question your scene credentials if you don’t recognize their name, though. The band has released only three records over that period. 2002’s Dog Dog was very belatedly followed by Pull Over and Wait in 2011. Sticking loosely to putting out a record every decade, in January the trio fittingly released Three. The wait was worth it, with 18 tracks of college rock-loving songs full of jangly guitars, mid-tempo beats and lyrics right out of the heyday of early ’90s indie rock. “Kids today just want to dance to a programmed beat / Kids today just want to sing along with an autotune diva,” guitarist/vocalist Gerald Strait sings on “Autotune.” The record is very much an anthem for Gen X rockers keeping that life going. For fans of Pavement and King Missile, Slurp Deluxe carry that torch with authenticity and some clever songwriting. KEY TRACK: “Middle Age White Collar Blues.” WHY: Slurp Deluxe are great at selfdeprecation. WHERE: slurpdeluxe.bandcamp.com. CHRIS FARNSWORTH

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

4/26/21 3:38 PM

on screen Benedetta HHHHH

ilmmaker Paul Verhoeven has always had a talent for pissing people off. Back in 1992, members of the LGBTQ community picketed his thriller Basic Instinct for its portrayal of a bisexual femme fatale. Now the Dutch director’s Benedetta, a vaguely fact-based drama about lesbian nuns in 17th-century Italy, has some religious groups up in arms. You can see what the fuss is about at Montpelier’s Savoy Theater.

MOVIE REVIEW

The deal

Will you like it?

If you know Verhoeven mainly for his notorious ’90s oeuvre — Basic Instinct, Showgirls, Starship Troopers — you may expect Benedetta to be a camp fest. In fact, it’s closer in tone to the director’s more recent Elle — a chamber drama laced with subtle veins of dark humor. Though torture, plague and self-flagellation feature in the plot, they’re presented straightforwardly, as commonplace horrors of the story’s era. The sex scenes are equally matter-of-fact. The film’s most outrageous moments take place in Benedetta’s dreams, but isn’t that what dreams are for? Benedetta is loosely based on Judith C. Brown’s book Immodest Acts: The Life of a Lesbian Nun in Renaissance Italy, which chronicles how Benedetta Carlini 66

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

COURTESY OF IFC FILMS

Since childhood, Sister Benedetta (Virginie Efira) has believed that she has a special relationship with Jesus and the Virgin Mary. With her visions and fainting spells, she seems pretty extra to her fellow nuns in a Tuscan convent. The no-nonsense Mother Superior (Charlotte Rampling) tries to rein in Benedetta’s convictions, to little avail. A peasant girl named Bartolomea (Daphne Patakia) seeks refuge in the convent, fleeing her father’s abuse. Benedetta takes the half-feral newcomer under her wing. When Bartolomea makes sexual advances to her, she rebuffs them. But increasingly lurid dreams involving a hunky Jesus change Benedetta’s mind, and the women become lovers. Soon bleeding stigmata appear on Benedetta’s body. She claims to speak the will of God for the entire village, putting herself and her girlfriend on a collision course with the powers that be. Meanwhile, a comet glows in the sky, and the Black Plague approaches.

SISTERS ARE DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES Efira plays a Renaissance nun with a bit of a God complex in Verhoeven’s surprisingly thoughtful drama.

challenged the Church establishment in Rome with her spirituality and her sexuality. Verhoeven (who scripted with David Birke) seems interested in both aspects of her rebellion — and even more interested in their intersections with politics and economics. The Mother Superior runs her convent like a business, demanding a hefty “dowry” for each daughter of the aristocracy whom she accepts as a novice. It’s no wonder she’s bemused by Benedetta’s mysticism — to her practical mind, miracles are trouble. For her part, Benedetta is a fascinating figure: saint, martyr, cult leader and con artist in one. In a mesmerizing performance, Efira is petulant, terrifying and regal by turns. As the film goes on, we may find ourselves identifying with Bartolomea, who is drawn to Benedetta but a little afraid of her — with reason. Sometimes it’s easy to dismiss Benedetta as a spoiled little girl with delusions of holiness, as the Mother Superior attempts to do. But when Benedetta issues commands in a hoarse male voice that she claims is Christ speaking directly through her, she’s formidable and arguably proto-feminist. The local priests try

to take advantage of her visions to their own political ends, but Benedetta proves to be more than they bargained for. She destabilizes a world that is already tipping toward chaos, with the plague lurking just outside the gates. Perhaps Benedetta’s most revolutionary act is demanding physical pleasure. When she’s still a child, an older nun (Guilaine Londez) instructs her to view her body as an enemy and never to feel “at home” in her own skin. Pain and suffering are the route to God, she learns — a perennial theme that was also explored in the 2019 film Saint Maud. More narcissist than masochist, Benedetta struggles with the notion of salvation through self-mortification. Then her imagination figures out a way to unite her sexual urges and her spiritual ones, and she embraces her new faith and never looks back. If Benedetta were a movie that simply traded on the provocation of putting nuns in sexual situations, it would get boring quickly. It works because it’s a twisty, satisfying drama with a compelling central character study. Neither hero nor villain, Benedetta conceals an iron ego beneath the dimply maternal glow of a Madonna.

She was dangerous in the Renaissance, and she might even be dangerous now. MARGO T HARRI S O N margot@sevendaysvt.com

IF YOU LIKE THIS, TRY... THE LITTLE HOURS (2017; Kanopy, Hulu,

Sling TV, Paramount+, Philo, rentable): Aubrey Plaza and Alison Brie play misbehaving nuns in this comedy based on a bawdy tale from the book The Decameron — a reminder that Renaissance views of the clergy weren’t always reverential. REBEL HEARTS (2021; Discovery+): Sister

Benedetta was far from the last nun to stand up to the patriarchs of the Catholic Church. This documentary explores the progressive activism of Los Angeles’ Sisters of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in the 1960s. BEYOND THE HILLS (2012; IFC Films Unlim-

ited, AMC+, Criterion Channel): In this tense Romanian drama, modern ways clash with medieval ones as a young woman tries to persuade her former lover to leave a rural convent. Filmmaker Jeremy Hersh calls it “the most underrated queer film of the decade.”

HOLIDAY

NEW IN THEATERS NIGHTMARE ALLEY: In Guillermo del Toro’s remake of the classic noir set in a 1940s traveling carnival, Bradley Cooper plays a carnie con man who teams up with a scheming psychiatrist (Cate Blanchett). With Toni Collette and Willem Dafoe. (150 min, R. Capitol, Majestic, Roxy) SPIDER-MAN: NO WAY HOME: Peter Parker (Tom Holland) seeks the help of Doctor Strange (Benedict Cumberbatch) and finds himself tackling interdimensional foes in the latest installment of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Jon Watts returns as director. (148 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis, Paramount, Playhouse, Roxy, Star, Stowe, Sunset, Welden)

STARTS TUE 21 THE KING’S MAN: In this prequel to the Kingsman action-comedy series, set early in the 20th century, Ralph Fiennes plays a spy who organizes a team to defeat an evil cabal. With Gemma Arterton and Rhys Ifans. Matthew Vaughn again directed. (131 min, R. Essex, Majestic, other theaters to come)

NOW PLAYING BEING THE RICARDOSHHH Aaron Sorkin wrote and directed this dishy drama about midcentury pop culture power couple Lucille Ball (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Arnaz (Javier Bardem). With J.K. Simmons and Nina Arianda. (125 min, R. Roxy, Savoy) BELFASTHHHH Kenneth Branagh wrote and directed this semi-autobiographical film about coming of age in the turbulent Northern Ireland of the 1960s. With Jude Hill, Caitriona Balfe and Judi Dench. (98 min, PG-13. Big Picture, Roxy, Savoy) BENEDETTAHHHH1/2 Two nuns fall in love in 17th-century Italy in this drama from Paul Verhoeven (Elle), starring Virginie Efira, Charlotte Rampling and Daphne Patakia. (131 min, R. Savoy; reviewed 12/15) CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOGHHH The children’s books about a beloved giant pet come to the screen in a semi-live-action adventure. Walt Becker directed. (97 min, PG. Majestic, Star [Wed & Thu only])

SPECIAL ETERNALSHH1/2 The latest Marvel adventure introduces a new group of heroes who are literally gods, played by Gemma Chan, Richard Madden, Angelina Jolie, Kumail Najiani and others. Chloé Zhao (Nomadland) directed. (157 min, PG-13. Majestic, Sunset) THE FRENCH DISPATCHHHH1/2 Wes Anderson’s latest is a love letter to the vintage New Yorker. With Benicio Del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Frances McDormand and Bill Murray. (108 min, R. Roxy)

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GHOSTBUSTERS: AFTERLIFEHH1/2 A new generation of Ghostbusters emerges as two teens (Finn Wolfhard and Mckenna Grace) discover their grandpa’s spooky legacy. Jason Reitman directed. (124 min, PG-13. Bijou, Essex, Majestic, Paramount, Star, Sunset, Welden) HOUSE OF GUCCIHHH Lady Gaga plays a newcomer to the storied fashion family in this biographical crime drama from director Ridley Scott, also 16t-vcam121521.indd 16t-vcam-weekly.indd 1 starring Adam Driver and Jared Leto. (157 min, R. Majestic, Marquis, Roxy, Star [Wed. only], Stowe) KING RICHARDHHHH Will Smith plays the father and coach of tennis superstars Venus and Serena Williams in this biopic, also starring Aujanue Ellis. (138 min, PG-13. Stowe)

WEST SIDE STORYHHHH1/2 Steven Spielberg directed this new adaptation of the Leonard Bernstein musical in which two young people from opposite sides of a gang war fall in love. Ansel Elgort, Rachel Zegler and Ariana DeBose star. (156 min, PG-13. Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Roxy)

OLDER FILMS AND SPECIAL SCREENINGS

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RESIDENT EVIL: WELCOME TO RACCOON CITYHH1/2 This prequel to the action-horror saga based on a video-game series unveils the mysteries of Spencer Mansion. Kaya Scodelario and Robbie Amell star. (107 min, R. Star [Wed & Thu only])

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ELF (Savoy, Sat. only) IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE (Savoy, Sun. only) NATIONAL LAMPOON’S CHRISTMAS VACATION (Capitol, Sat. only)

DUNEHHH1/2 Director Denis Villeneuve (Blade Runner 2049) takes on the first half of Frank Herbert’s epic sci-fi novel. Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson and Oscar Isaac star. (155 min, PG-13. Majestic; reviewed 10/27)

(* = UPCOMING SCHEDULE FOR THEATER WAS NOT AVAILABLE AT PRESS TIME)

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C’MON C’MONHHHH Joaquin Phoenix plays a traveling radio journalist who finds himself becoming his young nephew’s guardian in this indie drama from writer-director Mike Mills (20th Century Women). (108 min, R. Roxy, Savoy)

ENCANTOHHHH A young girl living in a charmed Colombian enclave sets out to discover her own magical powers in the latest Disney animation, cowritten by Lin-Manuel Miranda. (99 min, PG. Bijou, Capitol, Essex, Majestic, Marquis [Wed. only], Star, Sunset, Welden)

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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

COURTESY OF NIKO TAVERNISE/TWENTIETH CENTURY FOX

MAJESTIC 10: 190 Boxwood St., Williston, 878-2010, majestic10.com MARQUIS THEATER: 65 Main St., Middlebury, 388-4841, middleburymarquis.com *MERRILL’S ROXY CINEMAS: 222 College St., Burlington, 864-3456, merrilltheatres.net PARAMOUNT TWIN CINEMA: 241 N. Main St., Barre, 479-9621, fgbtheaters.com PLAYHOUSE MOVIE THEATRE: 11 S. Main St., Randolph, 728-4012, playhouseflicks.com SAVOY THEATER: 26 Main St., Montpelier, 2290598, savoytheater.com STAR THEATRE: 17 Eastern Ave., St. Johnsbury, 748-9511, stjaytheatre.com STOWE CINEMA 3PLEX: 454 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-4678, stowecinema.com SUNSET DRIVE-IN: 155 Porters Point Rd., Colchester, 862-1800, sunsetdrivein.com Rita Moreno in West Side Story

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

12/1/21 11:09 AM

calendar D E C E M B E R

WED.15

film

bazaars

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

business

‘AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WILD NORTH 3D’: An educational and entertaining film takes viewers on an epic adventure through some of Earth’s wildest landscapes. 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.

WOMEN’S FESTIVAL OF CRAFTS: The artisan market goes virtual, with gifts from more than 100 vendors available online. Various prices. Info, womensfestvt@ gmail.com.

7 THINGS YOU CAN DO IN 7 HOURS TO GET MORE WEBSITE TRAFFIC: Nancy Koziol of Couch + Cork unravels the mysteries of search engine optimization. Presented by Women Business Owners Network Vermont. 11:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 503-0219.

crafts

FIRESIDE KNITTING GROUP: Needle jockeys gather to chat and work on their latest projects. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

dance

STARLIGHT: A WINTER SOLSTICE DANCE: Dancers of all ages and experience levels bring lights and lanterns to move together to live music in the park. The Center Commons, Waterbury Center, 5 p.m. Free. Info, info.across roads@gmail.com.

‘DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’: Moviegoers join scientists on a journey through a surreal world of bug-eyed giants and egg-laying mammals. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848. ‘KING OF HEARTS’: A World War I private unintentionally becomes a cult leader of sorts in this 1966 French farce. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2600. ‘MEERKATS 3D’: A tenacious mammalian matriarch fights to protect her family in a desolate environment. 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, $11.50-14.50; admission free

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE! All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent. Listings and spotlights are written by Emily Hamilton. Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing. Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11. SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

2 0 2 1

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 the time through the mysteries of the universe. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $14.50-18; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

food & drink

SENIOR CENTER WEEKLY LUNCH: Age Well and the Kevin L. Dorn Senior Center serve a hot, sit-down lunch. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 12:30 p.m. Donations; preregister; limited space. Info, 923-5545. WEEKLY WINE TASTING: Themed in-store tastings take oenophiles on an adventure through a wine region, grape variety, style of wine or producer’s offerings. Dedalus Wine Shop, Market & Wine Bar, Burlington, 5-8 p.m. Free. Info, 865-2368.

FALL PREVENTION SUN-STYLE TAI CHI: Humans boost their strength and balance through gentle, flowing movements. Twin Valley Senior Center, East Montpelier, 10:30-11:15 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 223-3322. TAI CHI: SUN-STYLE 73: A sequence of slow, controlled motions aids in strength and balance. Twin Valley Senior Center, East Montpelier, 11:20 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 223-3322.

holidays

FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: Local businesses deck out their display windows with quirky and captivating Christmas trees. Downtown St. Albans. Free. Info, vtfestivaloftrees@gmail.com. GHOST STORIES ON A WINTER’S NIGHT: Folks wishing for a spookier holiday season get their Dickens on and tell winterthemed ghost stories. Waterbury Public Library, 6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036. VIRTUAL FESTIVAL OF TREES BENEFIT AUCTION: Bidders raise their virtual paddles for gift cards, local art and sports tickets at the Paramount Theatre’s annual fundraiser. Through December 16. Various prices. Info, 775-0903.

‘WINTER TALES’: Kathryn Blume, Geoffrey Gevalt and Stephen Kiernan tell festive tales, and Patti Casey shares seasonal songs at Vermont Stage’s annual tradition. Black Box Theater, Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $34.50-38; free for kids. Info, 862-1497.

montréal

‘SUPERDOGS: THE MUSICAL’: Musical theater meets stunt dog spectacle to make for a barking good time for the whole family. Sylvan Adams Theatre, Segal Centre for Performing Arts, Montréal, 7 p.m. $25-67. Info, 514-739-7944.

music

OPEN MIC: Artists of all stripes have eight minutes to share a song, story or poem. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 6-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140. 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

NATURALIST JOURNEYS: TYLER HOAR: The Finch Research Network biologist

explains how to predict when our feathered friends will arrive for the winter. Hosted by North Branch Nature Center and Green Mountain Audubon Society. 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

politics

2022 NONPROFIT LEGISLATIVE WARM-UP: Common Good Vermont shares policy updates and helps nonprofit sector employees hone their advocacy skills. 9 a.m.-2 p.m. $25; preregister. Info, 861-7826.

theater

‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: Four siblings discover a world of talking animals and nefarious winter witches in this C.S. Lewis classic performed by Northern Stage student actors. Byrne Theater, Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 7:30-9 p.m. $19-29. Info, 296-7000.

words

MORRISVILLE MYSTERY CLUB: True crime buffs and amateur sleuths gather to discuss their favorite mystery books and podcasts. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853. PHOENIX BOOKS VIRTUAL POETRY OPEN MIC: Wordsmiths read their work at this evening hosted by local

DEC. 17-19 | HOLIDAYS

health & fitness

ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: Those in need of an easy-on-the-joints workout gather for an hour of calming, low-impact movement. United Community Church, St. Johnsbury, 1:302:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 751-0431. CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle

FIND MORE LOCAL EVENTS IN THIS ISSUE AND ONLINE: art Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

film See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/music.

= ONLINE EVENT

Ding Dong Merrily One of the Upper Valley’s most popular holiday traditions, the Christmas Revels Festival, returns this weekend with exciting attractions and hybrid indoor-outdoor programming. Vendor stalls fill Colburn Park, and an outdoor stage plays host to free live music and daily performances of No Strings Marionette’s solstice show, Lighted Candles in the Winter Trees. Nearby, the Lebanon Opera House presents three special musical guests: the multitalented singer, fiddler and dancer Eden MacAdam-Somer; accomplished classical tubist Richard Antoine White; and Nova Scotian Celtic string band Còig.

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL Friday, December 17, 3-10 p.m.; and Saturday, December 18, and Sunday, December 19, 1-10 p.m., at Colburn Park and Lebanon Opera House in Lebanon, N.H. Free; $11-37 for featured concerts. Info, 866-556-3083, revelsnorth.org.

COURTESY OF EVAN OXENHAM

SALES STRATEGIES FOR MAKERS: A panel discusses what retailers are looking for and how artisans can boost their sales. Presented by Generator. 9:30-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 540-0761.

1 5 - 2 2 ,

stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

LIST YOUR EVENT FOR FREE AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT

performance poet Bianca Amira Zanella. 7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 855-8078.

THU.16 bazaars

WOMEN’S FESTIVAL OF CRAFTS: See WED.15.

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. MARKETING YOUR MAKING: Artisans and other creative types learn how to get their names and products out there. Presented by Generator. 9:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 540-0761.

crafts

THURSDAY ZOOM KNITTERS: The Norman Williams Public Library fiber arts club meets virtually for conversation and crafting. 2-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@normanwilliams.org.

film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section. ‘AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WILD NORTH 3D’: See WED.15. ‘DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’: See WED.15. ‘MEERKATS 3D’: See WED.15. ‘SKYLIGHT’: Two former lovers find themselves locked in a battle of wits and desire in this National Theatre Live production. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 7 p.m. $7-21. Info, 748-2600. ‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.15.

food & drink

SUP CON GUSTO TAKEAWAY DINNER SERIES: Philly transplants Randy Camacho and Gina Cocchiaro serve up a three-course, family-style menu of seasonal Vermont produce and meat. See supcongustovt.com for menus. Richmond Community Kitchen, 6-8 p.m. Various prices. Info, gustogastronomics@gmail.com.

games

WHIST CARD GAME CLUB: Players of all experience levels congregate for some friendly competition. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 12:30-3 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

health & fitness

LIBRARY YOGA WITH LINDA: Every week is a new adventure in movement and mindfulness at this Morristown Centennial Library virtual class. 10:15-11:15 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

holidays

BERLIN MALL HOLIDAY MIXER: The Central Vermont Chamber of Commerce throws a holly, jolly shindig, featuring a raffle and an ugly sweater contest. Berlin Mall, 5-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 229-5711. ‘DEMOCRACY IS AN ART’ SOLSTICE PARTY & ART AUCTION: Town Meeting TV brightens the darkest days of winter with a virtual party and local art sale. 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 862-3966. FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15. ‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: Bells ring and angels get their wings when the Shelburne Players bring a holiday classic to life. Masks required for audience members 2 and up; proof of vaccination required for those 12 and up. Shelburne Town Hall, 7:30 p.m. $15-18. Info, theshelburneplayers@gmail.com. THE MYRA FLYNN BAND: The soul crooner and the Plattsburgh State Gospel Singers throw an irresistible holiday concert. Livestream available. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $10-35. Info, 760-4634. VERMONT SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA HOLIDAY CONCERT: The VSO Brass Quintet joins forces with Counterpoint Chorus to ring in the holidays in style. Warren United Church of Christ, 7:30-8:30 p.m. $24. Info, 371-8744. VIRTUAL FESTIVAL OF TREES BENEFIT AUCTION: See WED.15. WINTER LIGHTS: Warm drinks in hand, visitors take in the all-aglow museum grounds. Shelburne Museum, 5-8 p.m. $10-15; free for kids 2 and under; preregister. Info, 985-3346. THE WINTER MARKET: Folks discover local artists and makers, enjoy warm drinks, gather with friends, and revel in the magic of a holiday season in Vermont. Burlington City Hall Park, 2-6 p.m. Free. Info, info@loveburlington.org. ‘WINTER TALES’: See WED.15.

lgbtq

POP-UP HAPPY HOUR: Locals connect over drinks at a speakeasy-style bar. Hosted by OUT in the 802. Lincolns, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 860-7812.

montréal

‘SUPERDOGS: THE MUSICAL’: See WED.15.

music

THE FRETLESS: Four ferocious string players display their singular, signature sound. Livestream available. Richmond Congregational Church, 7-9 p.m. $15-25. Info, 434-4563.

seminars

UNITED STATES CITIZENSHIP TEST PREPARATION: Applicants work one-on-one with tutors to study history, government and THU.16

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FAMILY FUN 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.15

GMBA BOOK GROUP: High school-age readers discuss thoughts and themes regarding Watch Over Me by Nina LaCour. Presented by Brownell Library. 2:30-3:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956. ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: Mothers-to-be build strength, stamina and a stronger connection to their baby. 5:45-6:45 p.m. $5-15. Info, 899-0339. PERSONAL MEETINGS & STORY TIME WITH MRS. CLAUS: Santa’s better half reads festive books over video calls in half-hour time slots. Presented by GigginVT and New Hampshire’s Christmas Farm Inn & Spa. 5-8:30 p.m. $30; preregister. Info, 503-0001. POST-SECONDARY EDUCATION OPTIONS IN VERMONT FOR YOUTH WITH DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES: Vermont Family Network teaches caregivers about schools and vocational training programs open to young adults with special needs. 1-2:15 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 876-5315.

burlington

CRAFTERNOON: Weaving, knitting, embroidery and paper crafting supplies take over the Teen Space. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403. FFL YOUNG WRITERS: Budding authors, scriptwriters and graphic novelists ages 10 and up learn more about the craft via prompts and group exercises. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 2-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 863-3403.

mugs into cute, bold or funny gifts for loved ones. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

read stories to. 15-minute time slots available. Fairfax Community Library, 3:15 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 849-2420.

champlain islands/ northwest

upper valley

GINGERBREAD BUILDING: Aspiring architects use cookies and frosting to build houses, castles and skyscrapers. Ages 8 and up. Fairfax Community Library, 3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 849-2420. PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Little library patrons listen to stories, sing songs and take home a fun activity. Fairfax Community Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 849-2420.

outside vermont

PLAYGROUP FOR AGES 0-2: Babies, toddlers and their caretakers meet new friends and play to their hearts’ content. Howe Library, Hanover, N.H., 9:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 603-643-4120.

THU.16

ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15, 12:30-1:30 p.m. PERSONAL MEETINGS & STORY TIME WITH MRS. CLAUS: See WED.15.

burlington

BABYTIME: Librarians bring out books, rhymes and songs specially selected for young ones. Ages birth to 18 months. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403. SPANISH MUSICAL KIDS: Vengan a cantar y aprender! Kids ages 1 through 5 learn Spanish through song out on the lawn. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:45 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

PRESCHOOL MUSIC WITH LINDA BASSICK: The singer and storyteller extraordinaire leads little ones in indoor music and movement. Birth through age 5. Masks required for kids 2 and up. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 & 11:30 a.m.noon. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

ITTY BITTY PUBLIC SKATE: Coaches are on hand to help the rink’s tiniest skaters stay on their feet. Gordon H. Paquette Ice Arena, Burlington, 10:30-11:30 a.m. $8. Info, 865-7558.

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; preregister. Info, 878-4918.

STEAM SPACE: Kids explore science, technology, engineering, art and math activities. Ages 5 through 11. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

stowe/smuggs

chittenden county

STEAM FUN ACTIVITY: ORIGAMI II: Crafty kids grades 3 and up expand their knowledge of paper folding beyond cranes. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 2-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-4918. STORY TIME: Little ones from birth through age 5 learn from songs, sign language lessons, math activities and picture books. Masks required. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

stowe/smuggs

HOLIDAY GIFT & CARD MAKING: Creative youngsters make crafts to give as presents to loved ones. Ages 6 and up. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 888-3853. TEEN HOLIDAY CRAFT: SHARPIE MUGS: Crafty kids ages 12 through 18 turn plain

BABY & TODDLER MEETUP: Tiny tots and their caregivers come together for playtime, puzzles and picture books. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10-11 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853. MIDDLE SCHOOL ADVISORY BOARD MEETING: Students ages 10 through 12 kick off the library’s new participatory program for preteens. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

rutland/killington

HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: Families pack into their cars and tune in to 89.3 FM for a journey through larger-than-life light displays, soundtracked by Saint Nick himself. Vermont State Fairgrounds, Rutland, Through December 23, 6-9 p.m. $25-30 per car. Info, 775-0903.

champlain islands/ northwest

READ WITH HENRY: A big, friendly Newfoundland makes for a perfect friend to

PARENT & CAREGIVER MEETUP & PLAYGROUP: Those with new and prewalking babies gather to chat and sip coffee while the little ones play. Older siblings welcome. BYO mug. Norwich Public Library, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, roger.arnold@ norwichlibrary.org. TODDLER STORY TIME: Toddling tykes 20 months through 3.5 years old hear a few stories related to the theme of the week. Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 457-2295.

outside vermont

MORNING STORY TIME: Kids ages 2.5 through 4 hear a story before playtime and arts and crafts. Howe Library, Hanover, N.H., 9:30-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 603-643-4120.

FRI.17

ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15, 12:30-1:15 p.m.

chittenden county

LEEP: HELP PLAN COMICS CLUB!: Middle schoolers make posters and outline the first meeting of the comic book club with Library Elementary Event Planners. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956. PAJAMA STORY TIME: Puppets and picture books enhance a special pre-bedtime story hour for kids in their PJs. Birth through age 5. Masks required. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 6:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956. PLAY TIME: Hoops, stepping rocks and parachute games help kids ages 2 through 5 make friends and build social skills. Masks required. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: New youth librarian Sasha McGarvey encourages creativity and exploration in kids under 6. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

stowe/smuggs

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Players ages 9 through 13 go on a fantasy adventure with dungeon master Andy. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 888-3853. WINTER WONDERLAND SNOWFLAKE MOBILES: Crafters break out the scissors and glitter to create stunning, snowy designs. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

rutland/killington HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: See THU.16.

champlain islands/ northwest

STUFFED ANIMAL SLEEPOVER: Kiddos drop off their plushy friends at the library on Friday, then receive photos of all the fun they had the next day. Fairfax Community Library, 5 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 849-2420.

outside vermont

MUSIC & MOVEMENT: Little ones ages 2 through 5 and their caregivers move FAMILY FUN, FRI.17 SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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calendar THU.16

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geography — and to practice English, if needed. Zoom option available. Mercy Connections, Burlington, 9-10:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-7063.

theater

‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: See WED.15, 2-3:30 p.m. & 7:30-9 p.m.

words

JANE AUSTEN BIRTHDAY TEA: Jane Austen Society of North America – Vermont Region and Kellogg-Hubbard Library host a 246th birthday party for the iconic novelist, featuring tea time, readings and trivia. Period dress optional. 6:30-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 223-3338. PENS & PAGES: The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett serves as inspiration for discussion and writing exercises in this Mercy Connections reading group focused on Black people’s experiences. 1:30-4 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-7063. VSC WRITERS ON THE RISE: JOY BAGLIO: Vermont Studio Center spotlights the alum and speculative-literary fiction author. 7-8 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 635-2727.

food & drink

COFFEE CORNER MORNINGS: The new senior center opens its doors for tea, coffee and friendly conversation. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 8:30-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4107.

games

MAH JONGG: The Thompson Senior Center’s biweekly games move to the library. Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 457-2295. MAH-JONGG: Tile traders of all experience levels gather for a game session. Masks required. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

health & fitness ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.15.

FALL PREVENTION SUN-STYLE TAI CHI: See WED.15, 10-10:45 a.m. ONLINE GUIDED MEDITATION: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to chill out on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. 12-12:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

WOMEN’S FESTIVAL OF CRAFTS: See WED.15.

QIGONG WITH GERRY SANDWEISS: Beginners learn this ancient Chinese practice of meditative movement. Presented by Norman Williams Public Library. 8:30-9:30 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@ normanwilliams.org.

film

holidays

FRI.17 bazaars

FOMO? Find even more local events in this newspaper and online:

‘A CHRISTMAS CAROL’: Beloved storyteller Willem Lange reads from a book owned by Dickens himself, just as he has every year since 1975. Proceeds benefit the Haven. Lost Nation Theater, Montpelier City Hall, 7-9 p.m. $1020. Info, 229-0492. ‘AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS’: The Nativity story is told from the perspective of the common people in this annual Barn Opera tradition. Salisbury Congregational Church, 5:30 & 7:30 p.m. $10-25. Info, welch@ barnopera.com.

film

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: The beloved Upper Valley festival returns with three days of live music, puppet shows and an artisan fair. See revelsnorth.org for schedule and vendor list. See calendar spotlight. Colburn Park, Lebanon, N.H., 3-10 p.m. Free. Info, 866-556-3083.

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15.

music + nightlife

HOLIDAY LIGHT PARADE: Deckedout cars drive around town spreading holiday cheer. Milton Municipal Building, 6:30 p.m. Free; preregister to participate. Info, 893-4922.

art Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art.

Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music. Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

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HOLIDAY LIGHTS TOUR: The South Burlington Senior Center’s holiday cheer bus takes patrons on a journey through the town’s most impressive Christmas light displays. South Burlington Public

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

FAMILY FUN 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. FAMILY FUN, FRI.17

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barre/montpelier

WINTER DISCOVERY HIKE FOR FAMILIES: Trail trekkers put on their “deer ears” and connect with the natural world. Families with kids ages 6 and up. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, 229-6206.

stowe/smuggs

SKATE WITH SANTA: Santa straps on his skates and skids down from the North Pole to join families on the rink. Stowe Arena, 1-3 p.m. Regular admission, $3-5. Info, 253-3054.

rutland/killington HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: See THU.16.

along to songs. Howe Library, Hanover, N.H., 10-10:30 a.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 603-640-3268. THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: ‘LIGHTED CANDLES IN THE WINTER TREES’: Singers, jugglers and the puppets of No Strings Marionette present a special, sparkling solstice show. Colburn Park, Lebanon, N.H., 3:30 & 5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 866-556-3083.

SAT.18

ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15, 8:309:15 a.m.

burlington

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: Kids from birth through age 5 learn and play at this school readiness program. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 10:15-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

HOLLY JOLLY JUNCTION: Family-friendly festive fun abounds with movies, music, crafts from Brownell Library, and hot chocolate and cookies from Essex CHIPS. Five Corners, Essex Junction, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 878-1376.

barre/montpelier

DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: THE CANDLEKEEP MYSTERIES: Teens bring their imaginations and their problem-solving skills to this weekly collaborative role-playing game. Masks required. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Free. Info, anthony.taylor0731@gmail.com.

rutland/killington HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: See THU.16.

champlain islands/ northwest

STUFFED ANIMAL SLEEPOVER: See FRI.17, 10 a.m.

outside vermont

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: ‘LIGHTED CANDLES IN THE WINTER TREES’: See FRI.17.

champlain islands/ northwest

SANTA BREAKFAST: Santa takes pictures with kids in between games, prizes and a holiday breakfast buffet. The Depot, St. Albans, 9-11 a.m. $12.50-17.50. Info, 443-798-5380.

randolph/royalton

‘HOW CHIPMUNK GOT HIS STRIPES’: The puppets of No Strings Marionette perform a rollicking adaption of Abenaki storytellers James and Joseph Bruchac’s picture book. Masks required. Chandler Center for the Arts, Randolph, 2 p.m. Pay what you can. Info, 728-9878.

outside vermont

THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: ‘LIGHTED CANDLES IN THE WINTER TREES’: See FRI.17.

ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15, 10:1511:15 a.m. PERSONAL MEETINGS & STORY TIME WITH MRS. CLAUS: See WED.15.

chittenden county

SOCIAL SUNDAYS FAMILY ART: Registered families pick up take-home kits to complete with video or typed instructions. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery. Free; preregister. Info, 891-2014.

RED CLOVER GROUP FOR HOMESCHOOLERS: The Brownell Library book club for grades K through 4 reads Nana Akua Goes to School by Walker & Harrison and If You Come to Earth by Blackall. 1-2 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956.

burlington

SING-ALONG WITH LINDA BASSICK: Babies, toddlers and preschoolers sing, dance and wiggle along with Linda out on the library lawn. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1111:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME ON THE GREEN: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library leads half an hour of stories, rhymes and songs. Masks or social distancing required. Williston Town Green, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

stowe/smuggs

FULL STEAM AHEAD TUESDAYS: Kids learn art, science and math through games and crafts, including paper airplane races, Lego competitions and origami. Ages 6 and up. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853. PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: The 5-and-under crowd meets up for an hour of stories, songs, crafts and playtime. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 10:30-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

rutland/killington HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: See THU.16.

MON.20

ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15. PERSONAL MEETINGS & STORY TIME WITH MRS. CLAUS: See WED.15.

burlington

upper valley

BABY STORY TIME: Librarians and finger puppet friends introduce babies 20 months and younger to the joy of reading. Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 457-2295.

ITTY BITTY PUBLIC SKATE: See WED.15. STORIES WITH MEGAN: 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

INDOOR STORY TIME: Small groups enjoy a cozy session of reading, rhyming and singing. Birth through age 5. Masks required for kids 2 and up. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10-10:30 & 11:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

barre/montpelier

SHAKESPEARE CLUB FOR TEENS: Burgeoning bards work together to put on a play or make a movie. Masks required. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 5:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

rutland/killington HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: See THU.16.

SUN.19

PERSONAL MEETINGS & STORY TIME WITH MRS. CLAUS: See WED.15.

outside vermont

PLAYGROUP FOR AGES 0-2: See WED.15.

TUE.21

GOLDEN DOME GROUP FOR HOMESCHOOLERS: Readers in grades 4 through 8 discuss When Stars Are Scattered by Omar Mohamed and Victoria Jamieson together. Presented by Brownell Library. 2-3 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 878-6956. ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15, 12:301:30 p.m.

WED.22

ONLINE PRENATAL YOGA: See WED.15. PERSONAL MEETINGS & STORY TIME WITH MRS. CLAUS: See WED.15.

burlington

CRAFTERNOON: See WED.15. ITTY BITTY PUBLIC SKATE: See WED.15. STEAM SPACE: See WED.15.

chittenden county

AFTER SCHOOL CRAFT: SNOWFLAKE GARLANDS: Kids in grades K through 8 ring in their holiday vacation by making intricate, wintery decor. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 2 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, 878-4918.

stowe/smuggs

HOLIDAY GIFT & CARD MAKING: See WED.15. TEEN KARAOKE: Singers ages 12 through 18 croon, belt or scream along to their favorite jams. Masks required. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 3-4 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

rutland/killington HOLIDAY LIGHTS!: See THU.16.

champlain islands/ northwest

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See WED.15.

outside vermont

PLAYGROUP FOR AGES 0-2: See WED.15. 

LIST YOUR EVENT FOR FREE AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POSTEVENT

Library & City Hall, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Free for South Burlington seniors; preregister. Info, 923-5545.

WOMEN’S FESTIVAL OF CRAFTS: See WED.15.

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: See THU.16.

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: A radio crew pitches a recreation of a beloved Christmas movie in this playwithin-a-play from Adirondack Regional Theatre. Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 8-10 p.m. $15. Info, 518-563-1604, ext. 105. ‘THE KAT AND BRETT HOLIDAY SHOW’: Brett Hughes and Kat Wright present their annual extravaganza of festive music and cheer. Ticket includes appetizers. Burnham Hall, Lincoln, 7 p.m. $40; cash bar. Info, vibroluxe@gmail.com. THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: EDEN MACADAMSOMER: The multitalented performer transcends genre through soaring violin, vocals and percussive dance. Presented by Revels North. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 7:30-9 p.m. $11-37. Info, 603-448-0400. WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.16. THE WINTER MARKET: See THU.16. ‘WINTER TALES’: See WED.15.

music

DARK SHADOWS ENTERTAINMENT: MORNING COMES EARLY: The pop punk giants rock the stage alongside up-and-coming pop outfit Jordy the Blond and local groups Mr. Doubtfire and People Watchers. Ticket sales benefit the Brandon Area Toy Project. Merchants Hall, Rutland, 8-11 p.m. $15. Info, darkshadowsentertainment@ gmail.com.

film

‘AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WILD NORTH 3D’: See WED.15. ‘DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’: See WED.15. ‘THE MAGIC FLUTE’: The Metropolitan Opera’s colorful, kaleidoscopic 2006 production of Mozart’s masterpiece returns to screens. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 12:55 p.m. $16-25. Info, 748-2600. ‘MEERKATS 3D’: See WED.15. ‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.15.

food & drink

ADVENTURE DINNER: FULL MOON VIKING FEAST: Diners enjoy a torch-lit banquet fit for the gods: suckling pork, roasted marrow and tipples that Odin himself wouldn’t turn up his nose at. Adventure Lodge, Vergennes, 5-8 p.m. $165; preregister. Info, sas@adventuredinner.com. MIDDLEBURY FARMERS MARKET: Produce, prepared foods and local products are available for purchase at this year-round bazaar. Middlebury VFW Hall, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Free. Info, middleburyfarmersmkt@ yahoo.com. WEEKLY WINE TASTING: See WED.15. Dedalus Wine Shop, Market & Wine Bar, Stowe, noon3 p.m. Info, 585-7717.

games

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: Merrymakers dip candles, toast s’mores and snowshoe across the grounds, all while taking in traditional 19th-century decorations. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Regular admission, $8-16; free for members and kids 3 and under. Info, 457-2355.

HOLIDAY MAKER’S MARKET: Neighbors shop local from a rotating roster of crafters and farmers. Kraemer & Kin tasting room. GreenTARA Space, North Hero, noon-6 p.m. Free. Info, beer@kraemerandkin.com.

PLANT SWAP: At-home agriculturalists trade cuttings or plants that are ready for new homes. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

bazaars

ARTISAN MARKET: Aesthetes browse artists’ stalls for pottery, paintings, woodwork, fiber arts and jewelry. Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 518-5631604, ext. 101.

‘AMAHL AND THE NIGHT VISITORS’: See FRI.17. A CANDLELIGHT CONCERT: The Champlain Trio and soprano Mary Bonhag ring in the holidays with pieces including selections from Handel’s Messiah and The Nutcracker. Proof of vaccination and masks required. College Street Congregational Church, Burlington, 7-8:30 p.m. $10-20. Info, 488-5004.

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NEXT STAGE HOLIDAY COOKIE SWAP: Locals drop off their homemade sweets, then receive a specially-packed box of treats baked by their neighbors. Next Stage Arts Project, Putney, drop off, 9-11 a.m.; pick up, 4-5 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 451-0053. ‘THE NUTCRACKER’: Miss Lorraine’s School of Dance presents lavish costumes, soaring scores and imaginative choreography sure to put audiences in the spirit of the season. Paramount Theatre, Rutland, 6 p.m. $25-35. Info, 775-0903.

RONNIE ROMANO: The pianist plays an evening of carols, including audience requests, on the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History’s historic Chickering. 6-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 388-2117.

agriculture

105 Westview Rd, Suite 120, Colchester, VT

‘IT’S A WONDERFUL LIFE: A LIVE RADIO PLAY’: See THU.16.

health & fitness

holidays

PERSONAL ATTENTION, BEAUTIFUL RESULTS 802-444-4421 mountainlakeplasticsurgery.com

theater

SAT.18

ALEXANDRA SCHMIDT, MD

FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15.

THE FRETLESS: See THU.16. Catamount ArtPort, St. Johnsbury, 7-9 p.m. $20. Info, 748-2600.

‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: See WED.15.

BREAST, BODY AND FACE

‘DEEP MIDWINTER’: Social Band comes out of hibernation for a choral concert chock-full of carols, shape-note classics and joyful sing-alongs. Masks required. Temple Sinai, South Burlington, 7:30 p.m. $18. Info, 355-4216.

OUTDOOR WINTER MARKET: The Burlington Farmers Market gets in the holiday spirit with 40 producers of local food, art and crafts. Burlington Farmers Market, 345 Pine St., 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, burlingtonfarmers market.org@gmail.com.

BIPOC COVID-19 BOOSTER SHOT CLINICS: Vermont Health Equity Initiative administers vaccines to BIPOC Vermont residents and their households. Transport and interpreters available on request. The Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington, noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, info@vermonthealth equity.org.

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THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: See FRI.17, 1-10 p.m.

BEGINNER DUNGEONS & DRAGONS: Waterbury Public Library game master Evan Hoffman gathers novices and veterans alike for an afternoon of virtual adventuring. Teens and adults welcome. Noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

‘FAME: THE MUSICAL’: The teen actors of Very Merry Theatre present the stage adaptation of the pre-Glee film about performing arts students. Very Merry Theatre, Burlington, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Donations. Info, 355-1461.

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SOLARIS VOCAL ENSEMBLE: The Burlington-based choir presents Taylor Scott Davis’ new setting of Magnificat, featuring harpist Rebecca Kauffman. Masks and proof of vaccination required. White Meeting House, Waterbury, 7:30 p.m. $15-20. Info, tickets@ solarisensemble.org.

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THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: RICHARD ANTOINE WHITE: A famed tubist and 30-year mainstay of the classical music world displays his artistry and screens a short biographical documentary. Presented by Revels North. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 1:30-3 & 7:30-9 p.m. $8-37. Info, 603-448-0400. VERMONT’S OWN ‘NUTCRACKER’: Vermont Ballet Theater presents a fulllength, all-ages rendition of SAT.18

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‘WINTER TALES’: See WED.15, 2 & 7:30 p.m. YULETIDE COMMUNITY CEREMONY: The Green Mountain Druid Order celebrates the solstice at sunset with a bonfire and drum playing. Burlington Earth Clock, Oakledge Park, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, fearnessence@ gmail.com.

montréal

‘SUPERDOGS: THE MUSICAL’: See WED.15, 11 a.m. & 4 p.m.

music

ONION RIVER CHORUS: The choir honors its late, great founder, Larry Gordon, with a holiday performance of Urmas Sisask’s Magnificat and four pieces from the shape note tradition. See calendar spotlight. Bethany United Church of Christ, Montpelier, 7:30-9 p.m. $15. Info, 477-3922.

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VINS AFTER DARK: SOLD OUT. Visitors stroll along nature trails and the forest canopy walk, then warm up by the campfire under the light of the full Cold Moon. Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Quechee, 6-8 p.m. Regular admission, $15-17.50; free for members and kids 3 and under. Info, 359-5000.

theater

The BEST Gifts are:

‘FAME: THE MUSICAL’: See FRI.17, 2-4 & 6:30-8:30 p.m. ‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: See WED.15, 2-3:30 p.m. & 7:30-9 p.m.

words

Local

WRITERS’ WERTFREI: Authors both fledgling and published gather in the garden to share their work in a judgment-free environment. Waterbury Public Library, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, judi@waterburypubliclibrary.com.

Handmade

One-of-a-Kind

SUN.19 film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

Within Your Budget

‘AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WILD NORTH 3D’: See WED.15.

Available at the Milton Artists' Guild

‘DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’: See WED.15.

Located in Milton Square Shopping Center

‘MEERKATS 3D’: See WED.15.

Presented by:

‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.15.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: New and experienced meditators are always welcome to join this weekly class, virtually or in person. Evolution Physical

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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Therapy & Yoga, Burlington, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Donations. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

VERMONT’S OWN ‘NUTCRACKER’: See SAT.18, 1 & 6:30 p.m.

SUNDAY OPEN MEDITATION: Attendees drop in to practice seated and walking meditation in the Tibetan buddhist tradition. Masks required. Shambhala Meditation Center, Burlington, 9 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, lungta108@ gmail.com.

WILLIAM TORTOLANO: The renowned organist is joined by vocalist Elizabeth Ortiz for a program of multicultural carols. Blessed Sacrament Church, Stowe, 2 p.m. Free. Info, 253-7536.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See SAT.18. THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: See FRI.17, 1-10 p.m. FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15. HOLIDAY MAKER’S MARKET: See SAT.18. ‘THE NUTCRACKER’: A doll comes to life and whisks Marie away on a whirlwind adventure in this on-screen Bolshoi Ballet production. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 12:55 p.m. $6-18. Info, 748-2600. ‘THE NUTCRACKER’: See SAT.18, 1 p.m. PROCRASTINATOR’S PARADISE SHOPPING EVENT: Last-minute gift buyers browse handmade goods from 16 local makers while partaking in hot drinks and buying raffle tickets. Proof of vaccination required. Adventure Lodge, Vergennes, noon-4 p.m. Free. Info, sas@adventuredinner.com. SOLARIS VOCAL ENSEMBLE: The Burlington-based choir presents Taylor Scott Davis’ new setting of Magnificat, featuring harpist Rebecca Kauffman. Masks and proof of vaccination required. College Street Congregational Church, Burlington, 3 p.m. $15-20. Info, tickets@solarisensemble.org. THE CHRISTMAS REVELS FESTIVAL: CÒIG: The phenomenal Nova Scotian foursome plays fiery Celtic rhythms into the night. Presented by Revels North. Lebanon Opera House, N.H., 1:30 & 7:30 p.m. $11-37. Info, 603-448-0400.

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

THE WINTER MARKET: See THU.16, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. ‘WINTER TALES’: See WED.15, 2 p.m.

language

DIMANCHES: FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: Parlezvous français? Speakers practice the tongue at a casual drop-in chat. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 4-5:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403. IRISH LANGUAGE CLASS: Celticcurious students learn to speak an Ghaeilge in a supportive group. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 2:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

montréal

‘SUPERDOGS: THE MUSICAL’: See WED.15, 11 a.m. & 4 p.m.

music

LEO KOTTKE & MIKE GORDON: The pioneering guitarist and the Phish bassist play songs from their first new album in 15 years. Masks and proof of vaccination required. Strand Center for the Arts, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 7 p.m. $48-58. Info, 652-0777. ONION RIVER CHORUS: See SAT.18, 4-5 p.m. WESTFORD MUSIC SERIES: CAROL ANN JONES & WILL PATTON: Two Vermont musicians perform a wide variety of country music. Westford Common Hall, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 363-0930.

theater

‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: See WED.15, 2-3:30 p.m. & 7:30-9 p.m.

MON.20 film

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section. ‘AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WILD NORTH 3D’: See WED.15. ‘DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’: See WED.15. ‘MEERKATS 3D’: See WED.15.

See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife Find club dates at local venues in the Music + Nightlife section online at sevendaysvt.com/ music. Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 7 on page 11.

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‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.15.

health & fitness ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.15.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See SAT.18. FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15.

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That Good Night Up until beloved singer and Village Harmony founder Larry Gordon passed away in November, he was still leading rehearsals of the Onion River Chorus, the Montpelier community choir that he cofounded in 1978. The group’s winter concert has arrived and is a testament to Gordon’s vision and a celebration in his memory. The Onion River singers perform Estonian composer Urmas Sisask’s Magnificat, as well as four pieces in the American shape-note tradition — a nearly forgotten style of singing that Gordon is credited with reviving almost single-handedly in New England. Proof of vaccination is required.

ONION RIVER CHORUS Saturday, December 18, 7:30-9 p.m., and Sunday, December 19, 4-5 p.m., at Bethany United Church of Christ in Montpelier. $15; limited space. Info, 477-3922, onionriverchorus.org.

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FIRESIDE KNITTING GROUP: See WED.15, 6-7 p.m. KNITTERS IN PERSON: Yarn enthusiasts of all abilities bring their knitting projects and help each other out when needed. Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, 10:15 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 457-2295.

film

food & drink

COFFEE CORNER MORNINGS: See FRI.17.

games

LET’S PLAY CHESS: Players of all ages and experience levels come together to play the king’s game. Coaching available. Feel free to BYO board. Masks required. Norman Williams Public Library, Woodstock, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 457-2295.

MAH JONGG: See FRI.17.

health & fitness

FALL PREVENTION SUN-STYLE TAI CHI: See WED.15, 10-11 a.m.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See SAT.18. FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15.

language

PAUSE-CAFÉ FRENCH CONVERSATIONS: Francophones and French-language learners meet pour parler la belle langue. Burlington Bay Market & Café, 5 p.m. Free. Info, 343-5166.

music

VERMONT’S FREEDOM & UNITY CHORUS REHEARSAL: Singers of all ages, races and genders lift their voices in songs that represent the ongoing struggle for justice. Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 6:45-8:45 p.m. $35. Info, vermontsfreedomand unitychorus@gmail.com.

theater

‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: See WED.15.

words

NEW PERSPECTIVES BOOK DISCUSSION: This Dorothy Alling Memorial Library book club discusses Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times by Katherine May. See calendar spotlight. Noon-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org. POETRY CLINIC: Writers set their pens and minds in motion with group exercises and critiques in this ongoing drop-in gathering. 6-8 p.m. $5. Info, 888-1261. WORK IN PROGRESS: Members of this writing group motivate each other to put pen to paper for at least an hour, then debrief together. Morristown Centennial Library, Morrisville, 5-7 p.m. Free. Info, 888-3853.

WED.22

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What’s next for your career?

community

CURRENT EVENTS OVER ZOOM: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library leads an informal discussion about what’s in the news. 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org.

WED.22

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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The Kat and Brett Holiday Show FRI., DEC. 17 BURNHAM HALL, LINCOLN

SAT., DEC. 18 THE WHITE MEETING HOUSE/WATERBURY CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH

Ethiopian and Eritrean Cuisine Takeout SAT., DEC. 18 O.N.E. COMMUNITY CENTER, BURLINGTON

‘Tis the Season! with Solaris Vocal Ensemble

SUN., DEC. 19 COLLEGE STREET CONGREGATIONAL CHURCH, BURLINGTON

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Hibernation for Humans Key to Katherine May’s Wintering: The Power of Rest and Retreat in Difficult Times is a dual concept of winter. It’s the current season in Vermont, to be sure, when trees go dormant, animals conserve energy, and humans tend to slow down and eat a lot of warm food. But May introduces the idea of a figurative, emotional winter — a time of exceptional hardship, sadness or loneliness. Year two of a global pandemic, perhaps? Sometimes, all we can do is build a cuddly nest and heal. The Dorothy Alling Memorial Library book club reads and discusses Wintering this week.

NEW PERSPECTIVES BOOK DISCUSSION Tuesday, December 21, noon-1 p.m. Online. Free; preregister. Info, programs@damlvt.org, williston.lib.vt.us.

The Kat and Brett Holiday Show SUN., DEC. 19 BIG PICTURE THEATER AND CAFÉ, WAITSFIELD

WED.22

The Wormdogs with Wild Leek River, Long Gone John FRI., DEC. 31 ARTSRIOT, BURLINGTON

‘AUSTRALIA’S GREAT WILD NORTH 3D’: See WED.15. ‘DINOSAURS OF ANTARCTICA 3D’: See WED.15.

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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FIRESIDE KNITTING GROUP: See WED.15.

See what’s playing at local theaters in the On Screen section.

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‘MEERKATS 3D’: See WED.15. ‘SPACE: UNRAVELING THE COSMOS’: See WED.15.

food & drink

SENIOR CENTER WEEKLY LUNCH: See WED.15. WEEKLY WINE TASTING: See WED.15.

health & fitness ARTHRITIS FOUNDATION EXERCISE PROGRAM: See WED.15.

CHAIR YOGA: See WED.15. FALL PREVENTION SUN-STYLE TAI CHI: See WED.15. TAI CHI: SUN-STYLE 73: See WED.15.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See SAT.18. FESTIVAL OF TREES: DOWNTOWN TREE WALK: See WED.15. ‘THE NUTCRACKER’: See SUN.19. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 6:30 p.m. $10-17. Info, 760-4634. ‘OLD-FASHIONED CHRISTMAS’: Vermont Youth Theater presents a pageant of carols, candles

and scenes from classic stories. Masks required. Bethany Church, Montpelier, 5 & 7 p.m. $20. Info, fineartsbarn@gmail.com. ‘WHITE CHRISTMAS’: Four singers attempt to save a struggling Vermont inn with a holiday show in this 1954 classic musical. Catamount Arts Center, St. Johnsbury, 6 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2600.

tech

A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO GOOGLE APPS FOR OLDER ADULTS: Tech for Tomorrow gives attendees the lowdown on Drive, Gmail, Maps and the like. 12-1:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 448-0595.

theater

‘THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE’: See WED.15. m

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Turn to the Classifieds section or go to sevendaysvt.com/legals for a list of legal notices including: • Act 250 Permit applications • Foreclosures • Notices to creditors • Storage auctions • Planning and zoning changes

art

healing arts

DAVIS STUDIO ART CLASSES: Discover your happy place in one of our weekly classes. Making art boosts emotional well-being and brings joy to your life, especially when you connect with other art enthusiasts. Select the ongoing program that’s right for you. Now enrolling youth and adults for classes in drawing, painting and fused glass. Location: Davis Studio, 916 Shelburne Rd., South Burlington. Info: 802-425-2700, davisstudiovt.com.

PANDEMIC PASSAGES WORKSHOP: In this monthly series, we’ll explore the landscape of our pandemic lives, opening the unexpected gifts, sadnesses, letting go, longing and missing. We’ll utilize movement, guided meditation and storytelling. Bring your own materials for writing, drawing, music, dance — whatever you wish! Sharing what you create is optional. Drop-ins welcome! 1st Sun. of each mo., Nov. to Apr. at 4 p.m. Cost: $10 /-25; sliding scale; donations appreciated. Location: the Passing Project, Zoom. Info: infopassingproject@gmail.com, passingproject.org.

astrology

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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.

Contact Katie for a quote at legals@sevendaysvt.com; 865-1020 x110.

ROMANCE AND YOUR STARS: Discover your potential for love and romance in this personalized course that equips you with knowledge of both your stars and your future. Provide your birth info and current location when you sign up. You will get charts and a recorded personal session. 10 students. Instructor Sue Mehrtens, teacher-astrologer. Jan. 5, 12, 19, 26, Feb. 2, 7-9 p.m. Cost: $75 /via Paypal or check. Location: Jungian Center, Zoom. Info: Sue Mehrtens, 802244-7909, info@jungiancenter. org, jungiancenter.org.

Generator

GENERATOR is a combination of artist studios, classroom, and business incubator at the intersection of art, science, and technology. We provide tools, expertise, education, and opportunity – to enable all members of our community to create, collaborate, and make their ideas a reality. SPOON CARVING WORKSHOP: Join Eric Cannizzaro to learn one of many ways to carve a spoon using a few quintessential green woodworking tools the drawknife, gouge and spokeshave. You will cover getting material out of a log, steam-bending the crook, using milk paint and finishing. All skills levels are welcome. Sat., Jan. 15-16, 9:30 a.m.-noon. Location: Generator, 40 Sears La., Burlington. Info: Sam Graulty, 802-540-0761, education@generatorvt.com, generatorvt.com/workshops.

kids LET’S SING!: Greater Burlington Children’s Chorus begins its second semester on January 10. New to advanced singers in grades 1-8. Join us in creating something beautiful; it’s a perfect time for inspiring harmony! Mon. beginning Jan. 10. Cost: $295 /generous financial assistance avail. Location: hosted at Rice Memorial High School, South Burlington. Info: Greater Burlington Children’s Chorus, Christa Loescher, 802-598-4693, gbcchorus@gmail.com, greater burlingtonchildrenschorus.org.

language ADULT LIVE SPANISH E-CLASSES: Join us for adult Spanish classes this winter, using Zoom online video

conferencing. Our 16th year. Learn from a native speaker via small group classes and individual instruction. You’ll always be participating and speaking. Five different levels. Note: classes fill up fast. See our website or contact us for details. Beginning week of Jan. 10. Cost: $270 /10 classes of 90+ min. each, one class per week. Location: Spanish in Waterbury Center, Waterbury Center. Info: 802-585-1025, spanishparavos@ gmail.com, spanishwaterbury center.com. ALLIANCE FRANCAISE WINTER SESSION: Join us for online adult and children French classes this winter! Our six-week session starts on Jan. 17 and offers classes for participants at all levels. 6-wk. session begins on Jan. 17. Location: Alliance Francaise, Burlington. Info: aflcr. org or contact Micheline at education@aflcr.org.

martial arts VERMONT BRAZILIAN JIU-JITSU: This school was developed to communicate the importance of proper, legitimate and complete Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu instruction. We cover fundamentals of Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu with a realistic approach to selfdefense training skills in a friendly, safe and positive environment. All are welcome; no experience required. Develop confidence, strength and endurance. Julio Cesar “Foca” Fernandez Nunes was born and raised on the shores of Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Earning his black belt and representing the Carlson Gracie Jiu-Jitsu Team, Julio “Foca” went on to become a five-time Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu National Champion, three-time Rio de Janeiro State Champion and two-time IBJJF World JiuJitsu Champion! Julio “Foca” is the only CBJJP, USBJJF and IBJJF-certified seventh-degree coral belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and self-defense instructor under late grand master Carlson Gracie Sr. currently teaching in the USA. Accept no Iimitations! Location: Vermont Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, 55 Leroy Rd., Williston. Info: 802-598-2839, julio@ bjjusa.com, vermontbjj.com.

music DJEMBE & TAIKO DRUMMING: JOIN US!: New classes (outdoor mask optional/masks indoors), starting Sep. 7, Nov. 8 and Jan. 18. Taiko: Mon., Tue., Wed. and Thu.; Djembe: Wed. and Thu.; Kids and parents: Tue., Wed. and Thu. All Thursday classes at Camp Meade Middlesex behind Red Hen! Schedule/register online. Location: Taiko Space, 208 Flynn Ave., Suite 3G, Burlington. Info: 802-999-4255, spaton55@ gmail.com, burlingtontaiko.org.

CLASS PHOTOS + MORE INFO ONLINE SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSES 76

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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2 0 21 T A L E N T S H O W F O R

THIS YEAR’S RISING STARS DEC. 15

Paris Schoolcraft

VERMONT’S RISING STARS

Isabella Chicoine, Piper Hall, Andre Redmond, Charlie Schramm, Adim Benoit, John Wallace, Grayson Eley, Richard and Andrew Jiang, Ethan Oszurek, Finn Williams, Cady Murad, Bojan Harris, Paris Schoolcraft, Grace Mical, Lilah Thurston

DEC. 16

Richard and Andrew Jiang

Lilah Thurston

The Kids VT Spectacular Spectacular, sponsored by McKenzie Natural Artisan Deli, is happening virtually this year — on WCAX Channel 3 — now through December 17. Tune in to see kids from all over the state showcase their talents!

DEC. 17

SPONSORED BY:

MEDIA SPONSOR:

VISIT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/TALENTSHOW FOR MORE DETAILS. 1T-Spectacular121521.indd 1

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

12/14/21 6:38 PM

Knowledge is a gift.

Support local journalism this holiday season. Readers help pay for the production of this award-winning weekly newspaper. More than 2,000 of them have made one-time or recurring donations to sustain Seven Days during the pandemic. Their support — along with advertisers’ — has allowed us to deliver breaking news and thoughtful long-form journalism throughout this challenging time.

FILE: SEAN METCALF

Know someone who loves and depends on Seven Days? Make a Super Reader contribution on their behalf. Your gift will help to keep Seven Days on the beat and our communities connected.

Join the Super Readers at sevendaysvt.com/super-readers. Or send a note (and a check) to: Seven Days c/o Super Readers, P.O. Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402. Need info? Contact Corey Grenier at 865-1020, ext. 36 or superreaders@sevendaysvt.com.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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COURTESY OF KELLY SCHULZE/MOUNTAIN DOG PHOTOGRAPHY

Humane

Society of Chittenden County

Allie SEX: 10-year-old spayed female REASON HERE: She was not a good fit for her previous home. ARRIVAL DATE: October 26, 2021 SUMMARY: Allie is an independent friend who loves the outdoors! She likes the occasional pet but mostly keeps to herself and would love to be a distant outdoor companion for anyone looking for a new “working cat” in a barn, garage or whatever the case may be. She may also do well as a very independent house cat with plenty of space to be herself. If you’re interested in learning more about what Allie is looking for in a new home, stop by HSCC! DOGS/CATS/KIDS: Allie has no known experience living with other cats, dogs or children and will be most successful around adults who give her lots of space.

DID YOU KNOW?

housing »

APARTMENTS, CONDOS & HOMES

Some cats are just not a fit for the traditional house cat life. “Working cats” can live in a variety of environments (barns, garages, workshops, etc.) as long as they have shelter, food and water, and routine medical care — all HSCC working cats are spayed/ neutered, vaccinated and microchipped before adoption! Visit hsccvt.org/working-cats or give us a call to learn more about adding these unique feline friends to your life! Sponsored by:

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.

on the road »

CARS, TRUCKS, MOTORCYCLES

pro services »

CHILDCARE, HEALTH/ WELLNESS, PAINTING

buy this stuff »

APPLIANCES, KID STUFF, ELECTRONICS, FURNITURE

music »

INSTRUCTION, CASTING, INSTRUMENTS FOR SALE

jobs »

NO SCAMS, ALL LOCAL, POSTINGS DAILY

NEW STUFF ONLINE EVERY DAY! PLACE YOUR ADS 24-7 AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

CLASSIFIEDS

housing ads: $25 (25 words) legals: 52¢/word buy this stuff: free online services: $12 (25 words)

display service ads: $25/$45 homeworks: $45 (40 words, photos, logo) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x121

print deadline: Mondays at 4:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classifieds questions? classifieds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x110

home. Asking $30. 802-578-4160.

on the road

housing

services

CARS/TRUCKS

SERVICES

AUTO

2016 SUBARU IMPREZA 65K miles. Gray, 4-door AWD w/ manual transmission. Clean, smoke- & pet-free. $14,999. Joyananda@ hotmail.com.

WE PAY CASH FOR PROPERTY We pay cash for land, homes & investment properties of all kinds. Get paid in 30 days or less! No commissions. No fees. For homes & investment properties, we will purchase “as-is.” This means you don’t have to put another dime in repairs or move unwanted belongings out! Call us today for a fair cash offer: 802-495-6337.

SAVE MONEY ON AUTO REPAIRS Our vehicle service program can save you up to 60% off dealer prices & provide you excellent coverage! Call Mon.-Fri., 9 a.m.-4 p.m. (PST) for a free quote: 866-915-2263.

CASH FOR CARS! We buy all cars! Junk, high-end, totaled: It doesn’t matter. Get free towing & same-day cash. Newer models, too. Call 1-866-5359689. (AAN CAN)

We Pick Up & Pay For Junk Automobiles!

Route 15, Hardwick

802-472-5100

3842 Dorset Ln., Williston

802-793-9133

m m

CLASSIFIEDS KEY

sm-allmetals060811.indd 7/20/15 1 5:02 PM

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

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

BIZ OPPS

BECOME A PUBLISHED AUTHOR! We edit, print & distribute your work internationally. We do the work; you reap the rewards! Call for a free Author’s Submission Kit: 844-511-1836. (AAN CAN)

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 qualified applicants. Call CTI for details! 1-855-554-4616. (AAN CAN)

HUD Office of Fair Housing 10 Causeway St., Boston, MA 02222-1092 (617) 565-5309 — OR — Vermont Human Rights Commission 14-16 Baldwin St. Montpelier, VT 05633-0633 1-800-416-2010 hrc@vermont.gov

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Body Mechanics

yyyyy

WORLD CLASS, 5-STAR PROFESSIONAL MASSAGE IN THE COMFORT OF YOUR HOME OR OFFICE! If it's not one of the best massages in your life, you don't pay for it!

Vaccinated & masked Call or email for an appointment

802.522.3053 PsMassageVt@gmail.com

ENTERTAINMENT

buy this stuff

CLOTHING/ JEWELRY WOMEN’S UGG NEUMAL SIZE 10 Size 10 women’s black Ugg, Neumel boot. Still in the box, marked size 9 but new & unworn. Pet- & smoke-free home. Asking $120. 802-578-4160.

WOMEN’S LINED CROCS ClassyDisplay-Scott092921.indd 9/30/21 1 11:34 AM

ATTENTION ENTREPRENEURS! For those of us who want to start that “dream business,” please attend a casual forum to discuss your small business ideas & share w/ our group or just listen. Share your desire to run your own business, seek partners & obtain knowledge about getting started. Together we may be able to help each other. The next informal get-together is on Dec. 14, 5:30 p.m., at Zero Gravity. RSVP: terrallc@ aol.com.

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:

Peter Scott’s

4G LTE HOME INTERNET Now avail.! Get GotW3 w/ lightning-fast speeds & take your service w/ you when you travel! As low as $109.99/mo.! 1-888-519-0171. (AAN CAN)

DISH TV $59.99 for 190 channels & $14.95 high-speed internet. Free installation, smart HD DVR incl. Free voice remote. Some restrictions apply. 1-855-380-2501. (AAN CAN)

HEALTH/ WELLNESS PSYCHIC COUNSELING Psychic counseling, channeling w/ Bernice Kelman, Underhill. 30+ years’ experience. Also energy healing, chakra balancing, Reiki, rebirthing, other lives, classes & more. 802-899-3542, kelman.b@juno.com. WEAK-WILLED WALKERS I’m a woman who warded off being wedded to a wheelchair. Why not wend your way w/ a walking warrior? Email: augustarosediamond@ gmail.com.

HOME/GARDEN JOHN TURNER, HANDYMAN Fully insured. Roofs, interior or exterior painting, misc. Free estimates! Leave a message. 802-735-4009. LEO’S ROOFING Slate, shingle & metal repair & replacement. Snow removal & more! Free estimate: 802-503-6064. 30 years’ experience. Good refs. & fully insured. Chittenden County. SHEEP SHOP Our shelves are stocked w/ lots of handcrafted sheep goods for the holidays! We are open daily except on Wed. 1820 Vt. Route 14, Woodbury. sheepshopvt.com.

SIZE 7 New w/o box, black-lined women’s Crocs. Asking $40. Pet- & smoke-free home. 802-578-4160.

ELECTRONICS EFFICIENT REFRIGERATION Latest intelligent inverter compressor has higher COP, ensuring higher refrigeration. Saves energy. Lower speed, low operative pressure & thicker compressor shell ensure less noise. waltonbd.com/ direct-cool-refrigerator/ wfc-3f5-gdne-xx-inverter.

MISCELLANEOUS SMALL FORMFIT WALKING BOOT Ossur Formfit walker boot, size small. Used for 1 mo., in great shape. Pet- & smoke-free

Foreclosure: 1.3± Acre Lot Pool House and Garage Thursday, January 6 @ 11AM Register & Inspect from 10AM

0 Vincent Egan Road, Castleton, VT

AFO LEAF SPRING SPLINT Ossur AFO splint, used twice. From pet- & smoke-free home. Asking $30. 802-578-4160. ASO ANKLE STABILIZER MedSpec ASO ankle stabilizer. Used twice, from pet- & smoke-free home. Asking $10. 802-578-4160.

THCAuction.com  800-634-SOLD

ALUMINUM FOREARM CRUTCHES 16t-hirchakbrothers121521 1 Aluminum adjustable forearm crutches for adults. Used twice, in great condition. From a pet- & smoke-free home. Asking $40. 802-578-4160. ATTENTION, VIAGRA & CIALIS USERS! A cheaper alternative to high drugstore prices! 50-pill special: $99 + free shipping! 100% guaranteed. Call now: 888-531-1192. (AAN CAN)

12/9/21 3:16 PM

Buyer or Selling? Let’s make it happen. HAPPY HOLIDAYS! Robbi Handy Holmes • 802-951-2128

CABLE PRICE INCREASE robbihandyholmes@vtregroup.com AGAIN? Client focused Switch to DirecTV & save & get a $100 Visa Making it happen for you! gift card! Get more channels for less money. Restrictions apply. Call now. 877-693-0625. 16t-robbihandyholmes121620.indd 1 12/14/20 1:47 PM (AAN CAN)

Say you saw it in...

BUY THIS STUFF »

sevendaysvt.com

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Homeshares WINOOSKI

Senior woman offering furnished efficiency apartment in her home. Provide daily dog walks, housecleaning & errands. $400/mo. Some daytime availability needed.

CHARLOTTE Senior interested in literature & classical music, seeking housemate to cook 2-3 meals/ week, help w/ snow shoveling & share companionship. $300/mo. Private BA. Must be cat-friendly!

SO. BURLINGTON Tidy, comfortable condo to share with busy professional in her 50s who enjoys music & movies. $650/mo., all inc. Shared BA. No pets.

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

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SEVENDAYSVT.COM/CLASSIFIEDS

16x

11+

2÷ 11+

Hosting virtual or in-person classes?

15x

CONTACT KATIE FOR A QUOTE AT 865-1020 x110 katie@sevendaysvt.com

1 14-

2÷ 1

CALCOKU

Post & browse ads at your convenience.

2÷

Open 24/7/365.

View and post up to 6 photos per ad online.

10+

Spread the word in the Seven Days Classifieds.

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

8 7 6 2

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

5 3

4 7 5

5 8 1 4 1 6 4 6 6 9 8 2 1 3 4 3 7

SUDOKU

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. The numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A onebox cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column.

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

crossword

8V-ClassFiller21.indd 1

Show and tell.

ANSWERS ON P.82 H = MODERATE HH = CHALLENGING HHH = HOO, BOY!

7/1/21 2:32 PM

ENGLISH QUINTET ANSWERS ON P.82

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Printed copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained from the Issuing Office by paying $50 (non‐ refundable). PDF electronic sets of the Bidding Documents are available free of charge.

Pre‐bid Conference (Mandatory) A mandatory pre‐bid conference for the Project will be held on December 15, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. at the project site. Meet on the shoulder Fitzsimonds Road at the intersection with Browns Trace Road (approximately 200 yards south of the bridge) – we will then walk up to the bridge site.

FROM P.81

5 6

PUZZLE ANSWERS

VOICE LESSONS All levels/ages! Remote voice lessons w/ professional singer-coach, providing healthy vocal techniques. Achieve your goals & find your voice! Holiday special! 20% discount before Dec. 15! Purchase/info/ testimonials: audrey bernsteinjazz.com.

CLEANING OUT MUSIC STUDIO Allen Heath ZED 12 FX in SKB case, like

The Project includes the following Work: Bridge repairs. Obtaining the Bidding Documents The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is: East Engineering, PLC 10523 Route 116, Hinesburg, VT 05461 Prospective Bidders may obtain the Bidding Documents at East Engineering, by appointment only, and may obtain copies of the Bidding Documents from the Issuing Office as described below. Partial sets of Bidding Documents will not be available from the Issuing Office. Neither Owner nor Engineer will be responsible for full or partial sets of Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the Issuing Office.

FOR SALE

TAMA DRUM SET $750 Tama Silverstar 4-piece drum set. Like-new, birch shells, Zildjian cymbals, double-braced stands & fiberboard cases. $750; pics upon request. tcate@ezcloud. com.

Bids for the construction of the Project will be received at the Town Garage located at 510 Browns Trace Road, PO Box 39, Jericho, VT 05465, until January 5, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. At that time the Bids received will be opened and reviewed.

music

ROLAND XP-30 KEYBOARD Asking $500. Contact: bill@2muchmedia.com.

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

STEERABLE KNEE SCOOTER Elenker knee scooter — used for about 1 mo. From pet- & smokefree home. In great

ROLAND X6 WORKSTATION Asking $1000. Excellent condition. Contact: Bill@2muchmedia.com.

Town of Jericho (Owner) is requesting Bids for the construction of the following Project: Bridge 15 Improvements

POST-OP SHOE WOMEN’S MEDIUM Medium women’s DARCO post-op shoe. Used but still in great shape. Asking $5. Pet- & smoke-free home. 802-578-4160.

CHRISTMAS POODLE PUPPIES AKC-registered, show-quality standard poodles born on Sep., 28, ‘21. Ready for Christmas. Fully vaccinated & vet-checked. Parents are white/ cream, friendly & sweet. Call: 802-323-3498.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS TOWN OF JERICHO, VERMONT General Notice

HUGHESNET SATELLITE INTERNET Finally, no hard data limits! Call today for speeds up to 25mbps as low as $59.99/mo.! $75 gift card, terms apply. 1-844-416-7147. (AAN CAN)

BOSTON TERRIER PUPPIES AKC Boston terrier pups born on Oct. 26. Wormed & 1st shots. Guaranteed health. Sweet surprise for Xmas! Call 802-874-7191.

PLACE AN AFFORDABLE NOTICE AT: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LEGAL-NOTICES OR CALL 802-865-1020, EXT. 110.

FOAM KNEE & LEG PILLOW Gently used Light Ease foam pillow in great shape. Asking $20. From pet- & smoke-free home. 802-578-4160.

PETS

BANJO, GUITAR & MANDOLIN! Holiday gift cards/ discounts! Affordable, accessible, no-stress instruction in banjo, guitar, mandolin & more. All ages/skill levels/ interests! Dedicated teacher, convenient scheduling w/ refs. Andy Greene: 802-658-2462, guitboy75@hotmail. com.

DONATIONS NEEDED Donations needed to put in Christmas stockings. Please contact Vicky at ourfriendsgroup2020@ gmail.com.

Legal Notices

INSTRUCTION

buy this stuff [CONTINUED]

WATERPROOF LEG COVER Waterproof leg cover for shower. Used a few times, in great condition. Asking $5. Pet- & smoke-free home. 802-578-4160.

new w/ original box & manuals, $575; Sony CDP-X202ES Stereo Compact Disc Player, like-new condition w/ manual, $200; Yamaha DX11 in original box w/ all manuals, $300; Marantz PMD 502 pro rack-mount stereo cassette deck, very good condition, $200; Technics RS-TR777 stereo double cassette deck in very good condition (minor scratches), $200; Superscope PSD300 CD recorder in excellent condition, CD-CDR recorder/player see: zzounds.com/ item--MARPSD300, $250; SKB 8RU rack case w/ power strip & Opcode Studio 3 rack-mount MIDI interface & SMPTE synchronizer Opcode $200; 2 AMT LSW Sax mics w/ Inline preamp/ power supply, like-new, $400; Yamaha YVS-100 wind instrument, brand-new in case, $75; ProTools MBox, $25; Boss BX-40, $25.

condition. Asking $100. 802-578-4160.

Bids will not be accepted from Bidders that do not attend the mandatory pre‐bid conference. Instructions to Bidders Contractors interested in the project shall contact East Engineering for pre‐qualification prior to obtaining bid documents or attending the pre‐bid conference. For all further requirements regarding bid submittal, qualifications, procedures, and contract award, refer to the Instructions to Bidders that are included in the Bidding Documents. This Advertisement is issued by: Owner: Town of Jericho Engineer: East Engineering, PLC EJCDC® C‐111, Advertisement for Bids for Construction Contract. Copyright© 2018 National Society of Professional Engineers, American Council of Engineering Companies, and American Society of Civil Engineers. All rights reserved.

ADVERTISEMENT FOR BIDS TOWN OF JERICHO, VERMONT General Notice Town of Jericho (Owner) is requesting Bids for the construction of the following Project: FY2022 and FY2023 Road Improvements Bids for the construction of the Project will be received at the Town Garage located at 510 Browns Trace Road, PO Box 39, Jericho, VT 05465, until January 5, 2022 at 1:00 p.m. At that time the Bids received will be opened and reviewed. The Project includes the following Work: Paving and roadway improvements. Obtaining the Bidding Documents The Issuing Office for the Bidding Documents is: East Engineering, PLC 10523 Route 116, Hinesburg, VT 05461 Prospective Bidders may obtain the Bidding Documents at East Engineering, by appointment only, and may obtain copies of the Bidding Documents from the Issuing Office as described below. Partial sets of Bidding Documents will not be available from the Issuing Office. Neither Owner nor Engineer will be responsible for full or partial sets of Bidding Documents, including addenda, if any, obtained from sources other than the Issuing Office. Printed copies of the Bidding Documents may be obtained from the Issuing Office by paying $50 (non‐ refundable). PDF electronic sets of the Bidding Documents are available free of charge. Pre‐bid Conference (Mandatory) A mandatory pre‐bid conference for the Project will be held on December 15, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. at the FY2023 project site. Meet on the shoulder of Griswold Street at the Route 15 intersection – please park on Griswold, not on Route 15. Bids will not be accepted from Bidders that do not attend the mandatory pre‐bid conference.

Instructions to Bidders

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Contractors interested in the project shall contact East Engineering for pre‐qualification prior to obtaining bid documents or attending the pre‐bid conference. For all further requirements regarding bid submittal, qualifications, procedures, and contract award, refer to the Instructions to Bidders that are included in the Bidding Documents. This Advertisement is issued by: Owner: Town of Jericho Engineer: East Engineering, PLC EJCDC® C‐111, Advertisement for Bids for Construction Contract.

BURLINGTON DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2022, 5:00 PM PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE Physical location: 645 Pine Street, Front Conference Room, Burlington VT 05401 and Zoom: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86151740219?p wd=UmNWZnVaWURZb0U3a0pGeDlLWUU2Zz09 Password: 353047 Webinar ID: 861 5174 0219 Telephone: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 929 205 6099 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 669 900 6833 or +1 253 215 8782 1. ZP-21-720; 86-88 North Winooski Avenue (RM, Ward 2C) Nora King / Gerald LeClair Request permit for after-the-fact partial demolition of a historic carriage barn in response to a Notice of Violation, and request approval to demolish the remaining carriage barn. 2. ZP-21-606; 111 North Winooski Avenue (RH, Ward 3C) Michael Alvanos / Daniel & Holly Trahan Demolition of rear structure (barn) and construction of 6 new apartments at the rear of the property with associated parking and landscape improvements 3. ZP-21-762; 22 Park Street (RH, Ward 2C) Rolf Danielson Apply for Bed & Breakfast status for Unit 3 (2 bedroom) and Unit 4 (3 bedroom) 4. ZAP-21-19; 2 Tower Terrace (RL, Ward 6S) Kellen Brumsted / Mark Stephenson & Linda Jones Appeal of deck permit Plans may be viewed upon request by contacting the Department of Permitting & Inspections between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Participation in the DRB proceeding is a prerequisite to the right to take any subsequent appeal. Please note that ANYTHING submitted to the Zoning office is considered public and cannot be kept confidential. This may not be the final order in which items will be heard. Please view final Agenda, at www.burlingtonvt.gov/dpi/drb/agendas or the office notice board, one week before the hearing for the order in which items will be heard.

IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE SIXTH JUDICIAL CIRCUIT IN AND FOR PINELLAS COUNTY, FLORIDA IN THE MATTER OF THE ADOPTION OF Hailey Jean Stanley, Adoptee. Case No.: 21-008382-FD NOTICE OF FINAL HEARING PLEASE TAKE NOTICE of final hearing before the Honorable Judge Pollack as follows: DATE/TIME: DECEMBER 20, of 2021 at 2:30 p.m. (30 minutes) RE: (1) FINAL HEARING ON JOINT PETITION FOR ADOPTION BY STEPPARENT, filed 10/01/2021 (2) Petitioners’ MOTION FOR DEFAULT FINAL JUDGMENT, filed 11/17/2021 PLACE: ZOOM Zoom Link: https://zoom.us/j/93108432311?pwd= b1EyN3NZZHNDRGNNb3lMT292T2l3Zz09 Meeting ID: 931 0843 2311 Passcode: to be released to Zachary Stanley upon request made to Jessica Crane Law firm 727-314-7771 Join by Telephone: (301) 715 8592 FAILURE TO PERSONALLY APPEAR AT THIS FINAL HEARING CONSTITUTES CONSENT TO THE TERMINATION OF PARENTAL RIGHTS OF THIS CHILD. IF YOU FAIL TO APPEAR ON THE DATE AND TIME SPECIFIED, YOU MAY LOSE ALL LEGAL RIGHTS AS A PARENT TO THE CHILD OR CHILDREN NAMED IN THE PETITION ATTACHED TO THIS NOTICE.

NOTICE OF SELF STORAGE LIEN DISPOSAL OF UNPAID UNITS EXIT 16 SELF STORAGE 295 RATHE RD COLCHESTER, VT. 05446 802-497-0404 NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN THAT THE CONTENTS OF THE SELF STORAGE UNITS LISTED BELOW WILL BE DISPOSED OF ON DECEMBER 30TH 2021 DUE TO NONPAYMENT. WE WILL NOT BE HOLDING A PUBLIC AUCTION DUE TO COVID. NAME OF OCCUPANT - SIZE SKLAR EDWARDS 10 X 10 JONATHAN WHALLEY 10 X 10 THOMAS GORDAN 5 X 10 RACHEL WELLS 5 X 10 WILLIAM TRASK 10 X 15 NICOLE BONNER 5 X 10 RICHARD LAMBDIN 10X10

NOTICE OF SELF-STORAGE LIEN SALE LYMAN STORAGE 10438 Route 116 Hinesburg VT 05461 802-482-2379

List your property here for 2 weeks for only $45! Contact Katie Hodges, 865-1020, ext. 110 fsbo@sevendaysvt.com

Notice is hereby given that the contents of the self-storage units listed below will be sold at public auction by sealed bid at the Lyman Storage facility. This sale is being held to collect unpaid storage unit occupancy fees, charges and expenses of the sale. The entire contents of each self-storage unit listed below will be sold, with the proceeds to be distributed to Lyman Storage for all accrued occupancy fees (rent charges), attorney’s fees, sale expenses, and all other expenses in relation to the unit and its sale. Any proceeds beyond the foregoing shall be returned to the unit holder. Contents of each unit may be viewed on Saturday 01/08/2022, commencing at 10:00 a.m. Sealed bids are to be submitted on the entire contents of each self-storage unit. Bids will be opened one-quarter of an hour after the last unit has been viewed on Saturday 01/08/2022. The highest bidder on the storage unit must remove the entire contents of the unit within 48 hours after notification of their successful bid. Purchase must

be made in cash and paid in advance of the removal of the contents of the unit. A $50.00 cash deposit shall be made and will be refunded if the unit is broom cleaned. Lyman Storage reserves the right to accept or reject bids. Unit 006; 011 ~ Christopher N Brown 82 E Allen Street Winooski VT 05404

NOTICE VIRTUAL PUBLIC HEARING The State of Vermont’s Department of Housing and Community Development and the Vermont Housing and Conservation Board (VHCB) will be holding a virtual public hearing to get input from Vermont residents on the proposed uses of a new funding source available to address homelessness. The State will receive $9,564,691 of HOME-ARP funding from the American Rescue Plan Act. In order to access these funds, the State is required to prepare an Allocation Plan that indicates how Vermont intends to use the funds. A draft State of Vermont HOME-ARP Allocation Plan has been prepared and is now available for review and public comment at https://vhcb.org/home-arp-funding. The purpose of the hearing is to listen to residents’ views about how to best use this resource to address the State’s homelessness problem, which has worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic. On September 13, 2021 HUD issued Notice CPD-21-10 describing eligible activities and the requirements applicable to a participating jurisdiction’s (PJ’s) use of the HOME-ARP funds to assist qualifying populations, generally those experiencing homelessness or at-risk of homelessness. This Notice can be found at the link above. Written comments on Vermont’s draft HOME-ARP Allocation Plan will be accepted until Friday, January 14, 2022 at 5:30 PM. Comments should be submitted via email to rrupp@vhcb.org or mailed to the address below. The virtual hearing will be held on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM via video conference. A link will be available on the web site above. No pre-registration will be required, although commenters will be asked to identify themselves. For those unable to attend the hearing by teleconference, physical space will be available at 58 East State Street in Montpelier, VT for persons to participate in the meeting. Anyone wishing to attend this meeting in person must contact Ron Rupp (rrupp@vhcb.org / (802) 828-2912) prior to the meeting to receive instructions about what entrance to use and the COVID-19 restrictions that will be in place. Accommodations for persons with disabilities and interpreters to meet the needs of non-English speaking persons will be made available upon request. Requests for accommodations should be directed to Ron Rupp at (802) 828-2912, or in writing to Ron Rupp, Director of Federal Housing Programs, Vermont Housing and Conservation Board, 58 East State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 (rrupp@vhcb.org) by December 21, 2021 at 5:00 PM. For the hearing impaired please call (TTY#) 1-800-253-0191.

PRIVATE AUCTION OF STORAGE UNIT CONTENTS Benjamin Kelley, last known address of 1002 Johnnie Brook Road Richmond, VT 05477 has a past due balance of $865.00 owed to Champlain Valley Self Storage, LLC since 7/30/21. To cover this debt, per lease dated 7/15/20 the contents of unit #632 will be sold at private auction on, or after December 25, 2021. Jessica Kunze, last known address of 327 Lime Kiln Rd Apt 7111 South Burlington, VT 05403 has a past due balance of $1,212.00 owed to Champlain Valley Self Storage, LLC since 6/30/21. To cover this debt, per lease dated 3/22/21 the contents of unit #949 will be sold at private auction on, or after December 25, 2021. Auction pre-registration is required, email info@ champlainvalleyselfstorage.com to register.

REQUEST FOR PROPOSALS (RFP) CONSTRUCTION MANAGER John Graham Housing & Services (JGHS) requests firms to submit proposals for construction management services related to the rehabilitation

of properties owned by JGHS, anticipated to be developed concurrently as two projects: 1) JGHS RENTAL PROPERTIES, Addison County Supportive Housing. The project consists of several buildings it owns, with the potential of an additional property to be identified. Current properties are located at 74/76 Green Street, Vergennes (6 apartments); 3/5 East Street, Vergennes: (3 apartments); 24 Mountain Street, Bristol: (3 apartments); and 42 N Pleasant Street, Middlebury: (4 apartments). There is the possibility of the addition of another property, to-be-determined. 2) JGHS SHELTER, Addison County Emergency Shelter: The location of the property is 69 Main Street, Vergennes (9 units). This proposal requests services to assist in determining overall project feasibility and securing funding through reviewing and refining scope with the design team and owner, and providing cost estimates. Qualified applicants will have comparable experience including historic preservation projects, knowledge of affordable housing, and experience working on publicly funded projects. JGHS’s intent is to review construction management proposals and negotiate a contract with the selected firm for pre-development work with the intent and option to contract with the selected construction manager for construction of the project, subject to feasibility and final HUD Environmental Clearance. To obtain a RFP and specific project information, contact Susan Whitmore, Executive Director, JGHS, at susan@johngrahamshelter.org (802) 257-6771. Complete proposals must be submitted electronically and received by 3:00 PM, Thursday January 6, 2022. A mandatory site visit will be required, as detailed in the RFP. Minority-owned, womenowned, Section 3 businesses, and locally owned businesses are strongly encouraged to respond and should identify and document themselves as such. JGHS is an equal opportunity employer.

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 21-PR05562 CNPR In re ESTATE of Joseph LaChapelle, Jr. NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the creditors of Joseph LaChapelle, Jr., late of Hinesburg. 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. Date: 12/07/2021 Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Nancy A. LaChapelle Executor/Administrator: Nancy A. LaChapelle c/o Drislane Law Office, PO Box 1080 (802) 860-7266 michelle@drislanelaw.com Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 12/15/21 Name of Probate Court: Chittenden Probate Court 175 Main Street Burlington, Vermont 05401

STATE OF VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT PROBATE DIVISION CHITTENDEN UNIT DOCKET NO.: 21-PR05984 CNPR In re ESTATE of Patricia J. Bennett NOTICE TO CREDITORS To the creditors of Patricia J. Bennett, late of South Burlington. 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. Date: 12-8-21 Signature of Fiduciary: /s/ Sean C. McNulty

LEGALS » SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

Legal Notices [CONTINUED] Executor/Administrator: Sean C. McNulty, c/o McNeil, Leddy, & Sheahan, P.C. 271 South Union Street, Burlington, VT 05401 802-863-4531 mmcneil@mcneilvt.com Name of Publication: Seven Days Publication Date: 12/15/21 Name of Probate Court: Vermont Superior Court Chittenden Probate Division P.O. Box 511 Burlington, Vermont 05401

TOWN OF ESSEX NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING: PROPOSED FY2023 BUDGET DECEMBER 20, 2021 6:45 PM A public hearing on the 2022-2023 municipal budget for the Town of Essex will be held on Monday, December 20, 2021 at 6:45 PM. Visit www.essexvt.org to connect via Microsoft Teams or join via conference call (audio only): 802-3773784 – Conference ID: 788 679 290#. The public is invited to attend and offer comments regarding the proposed budget. The proposed FY2023 budget of $16,600,169 shows an increase in expenditures of $674,041 or 4.2%, over the current budget. Complete details can be found at www.essexvt.org.

TOWN OF ESSEX ZONING BOARD OF ADJUSTMENT AGENDA/PUBLIC HEARING JANUARY 6, 2022 - 6:00 PM MUNICIPAL CONFERENCE ROOM, 81 MAIN ST., ESSEX JCT., VT Anyone may attend this meeting in person at the above address or remotely through the following options: Microsoft Teams: https://www.essexvt. org/870/5481/Join-ZBA-Meeting Conference call: (802) 377-3784 | Conference ID: 480 347 627# Public wifi: https://publicservice.vermont.gov/ content/public-wifi-hotspots-vermont 1. CONDITIONAL USE: Krissie Zambrano d/b/a Tigerfly Massage & Rick Bove d/b/a HDI Real Estate Inc.: Proposal to operate a massage therapy business located at 8 Carmichael St., Ste. 205, in MXD-C & B-DC Zones. Tax Map 91, Parcel 1-8. 2. CONDITIONAL USE: Jackie Corbally d/b/a Center for Trauma Recovery & Rick Bove d/b/a HDI Real Estate Inc.: Proposal to operate several types of therapy including massage, acupuncture, mental health, etc., located at 8 Carmichael St., Ste. 204, in MXD-C & B-DC Zones. Tax Map 91, Parcel 1-8. 3. Minutes: December 2, 2021 Visit our website at www.essexvt.org.

TOWN OF WESTFORD DEVELOPMENT REVIEW BOARD NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING Pursuant to 24 V.S.A. Chapter 117 and the Westford Land Use & Development Regulations, the Development Review Board will hold a public hearing at 7:00 p.m. at the Westford Public Library (1717 Rte 128) & via ZOOM on Monday, January 10, 2022 at 7:00 PM in reference to the following: 11 Lot, 10 Unit PUD & Subdivision Amendment –McDonald Property Applicant: Craig McDonald (approx. 40 acres) located on Plains Road & Sandy Knoll in the Rural 3 & Water Resource Overlay Zoning Districts. The applicant is requesting an amendment to the final plat decision condition pertaining to construction of a fire pond. Join the Zoom Meeting

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84760805338?pwd =Z0hwZHJ4Z2hjSm13M0d4dURONXpwdz09 Or dial: +1 646 558 8656 US (New York) Meeting ID: 847 6080 5338 Passcode: 1110 For information call the Town Offices at 878-4587 Monday–Thursday 8:30am–4:30pm & Friday 8:30a.m.-1:00 p.m. Matt Wamsganz, Chairman Dated December 15, 2021

VERMONT SUPERIOR COURT CHITTENDEN UNIT PROBATE DIVISION CASE NO. 21-PR-06845 NOTICE OF HEARING AND ORDER FOR PUBLICATION Estate of: Harold Douglas, JR TO THE HEIRS-AT-LAW OF HAROLD DOULGAS, JR. (LATE OF BURLINGTON, VERMONT): A petition to open the estate of Harold Douglas, Jr. has been filed in the Chittenden Probate Court. The petition alleges that decedent died “testate.” Therefore, an alleged last will has been offered for probate. A hearing on the petition open the estate, admit the last will, and, to appoint an estate fiduciary, will be held on January 31, 2022, at 10:00 a.m. at Chittenden Probate Court, 175 Main St. Burlington, VT. At that hearing, the petitioner must present evidence to prove the last will is, in fact, the last will of the decedent. If you wish to appear at this hearing, and make an objection to the admission of the will to probate, or, the appointment of estate fiduciary (the nominated fiduciary is William E. Drislane, Esq.), you must contact Chittenden Probate Court not later than January 24, 2022, by 4:30 p.m., in writing. It is hereby ORDERED that the notice of hearing as set forth in the Order be published in either Burlington Free Press or Seven Days a newspaper of general circulation in the Chittenden Probate District. Publication date: Not later than 21 days prior to hearing date. Petitioner must file tear sheet proving publication has occurred consistent with this order not later than 7 days before hearing date. Electronically signed on December 8, 2021 pursuant to V.R.E.F. 9(d) /s/ Gregory Glennon Probate Judge Any individual with a disability requiring assistance accessing the services, programs, and/ or activities at the Courthouse should contact the Clerk’s office at the above address for further assistance.

WINOOSKI NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION DISTRICT SEEKS CANDIDATES FOR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS Notice is hereby given that as of December 6, 2021 petitions to be on the election ballot for the position of Supervisor for the Winooski Natural Resources Conservation District (WNRCD) are available. Eligible candidates are those who live within Winooski District boundaries which include all of Chittenden and Washington counties and the towns of Orange, Williamstown, and Washington. Petitions require twenty-five signatories and must be completed and returned to WNRCD by close of business on December 21, 2021. If WNRCD receives petitions from more than one candidate, an election will be held on January 19, 2022. Only persons, firms and corporations who hold title in fee land and reside within District boundaries are eligible to sign a petition or vote. Conservation Districts are local subdivisions of state government established under the Soil Conservation Act of Vermont. Visit winooskinrcd.org or contact info@winooskinrcd. org or 802-828-4493x3178 for a petition or more information.

Support Groups CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM OR 802-865-1020 X110 TO UPDATE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP VISIT SEVENDAYSVT. COM TO VIEW A FULL LIST OF SUPPORT GROUPS A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR MOTHERS OF COLOR Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Wed., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt. org, 802-498-0607, www.pcavt.org/familysupport-programs. A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Fri., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt. org, 802-498-0607, www.pcavt.org/familysupport-programs. A CIRCLE OF PARENTS W/ LGBTQ+ CHILDREN Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Mon., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt. org, 802-498-0607, www.pcavt.org/familysupport-programs. ADULT SURVIVORS OF SUICIDE LOSS - WILLISTON Adult Survivors of Suicide Loss is meeting on the 3rd Thu. of every mo. via Zoom, 7-8:30 p.m. during this time of physical distancing due to the pandemic. The support group is for anyone who has been touched by suicide loss recently or long ago who wants to work through their grief in a safe, respectful environment. Please contact a cofacilitator

Joanna Cole at joanna. colevt@gmail.com or 233-3299, or Maria Grindle at mariagrindle@msn. com or 879-9576. Leave a message so we can get back to you w/ a mutually satisfying time to talk. Take care to be well in this extra stressful time. AL-ANON For families and friends of alcoholics. Phone meetings, electronic meetings (Zoom), and an al-Anon blog are available online at the Al-Anon website. For meeting info, go to vermontalanonalateen. org or call 866-972-5266. ALATEEN GROUP Alateen group in Burlington on Sundays from 5-6 p.m. at the UU building at the top of Church St. ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS Daily meetings in various locations. Free. Info, 864-1212. Want to overcome a drinking problem? Take the 1st step of 12 & join a group in your area. ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS Support groups meet to provide assistance and info on Alzheimer’s disease & related dementias. They emphasize shared experiences, emotional support & coping techniques in care for a person living w/ Alzheimer’s or a related dementia. Meetings are free & open to the public. Families, caregivers & friends may attend. Please call in advance to confirm date & time. Four options: 1st Mon. of every mo., 2-3 p.m., at the Residence at Shelburne Bay, 185 Pine Haven Shores, Shelburne; 4th Tue. of every mo., 10-11 a.m., at the Residence at Quarry Hill, 465 Quarry Hill Rd., South Burlington; 2nd Tue. of every mo., 5-6:30 p.m., at the Alzheimer’s Association Main Office, 300 Cornerstone Dr., Suite 130, Williston; 2nd Mon. of every mo., 6-7:30 p.m., at Milton Public Library, 39 Bombardier Rd., Milton. For questions or additional support group listings, call 800-272-3900.

ALZHEIMER’S ASSOCIATION TELEPHONE SUPPORT GROUP 2nd Tuesday monthly, 4-5:30 p.m. Pre-registration is required (to receive dial-in codes for toll-free call). Please dial the Alzheimer’s Association’s 24/7 Helpline 800-272-3900 for more information. ARE YOU HAVING PROBLEMS W/ DEBT? Do you spend more than you earn? Get help at Debtor’s Anonymous plus Business Debtor’s Anonymous. Wed., 6:30-7:30 p.m., Methodist Church in the Rainbow Room at Buell & S. Winooski, Burlington. Contact Jennifer, 917-568-6390. BABY BUMPS SUPPORT GROUP FOR MOTHERS & PREGNANT WOMEN Pregnancy can be a wonderful time of your life. But, it can also be a time of stress that is often compounded by hormonal swings. If you are a pregnant woman, or have recently given birth & feel you need some help w/ managing emotional bumps in the road that can come w/ motherhood, please come to this free support group lead by an experienced pediatric Registered Nurse. Held on the 2nd & 4th Tue. of every mo., 5:30-6:30 p.m. at the Birthing Center, Northwestern Medical Center, St. Albans. Info: Rhonda Desrochers, Franklin County Home Health Agency, 527-7531. BETTER BREATHERS CLUB American Lung Association support group for people w/ breathing issues, their loved ones or caregivers. Meets 1st Mon. of the mo., 11 a.m.-noon at the Godnick Center, 1 Deer St., Rutland. For more info call 802-776-5508. BRAIN INJURY SUPPORT GROUP Vermont Center for Independent living offers virtual monthly meetings, held on the 3rd Wed. of every mo., 1-2:30 p.m. The support group will offer valuable resources & info about brain injury. It will be a place to share experiences in a safe, secure & confidential environment. To join, email Tom Younkman at tyounkman@vcil. org & ask to be put on

the TBI mailing list. Info: 800-639-1522, 802-888-2180. BRAIN INJURY ASSOCIATION OF VERMONT Montpelier daytime support group meets the 3rd Thu. of the mo. at the Unitarian Church ramp entrance, 1:302:30 p.m. St. Johnsbury support group meets the 3rd Wed. monthly at the Grace United Methodist Church, 36 Central St., 1:00-2:30 p.m. Colchester Evening support group meets the 1st Wed. monthly at the Fanny Allen Hospital in the Board Room Conference Room, 5:307:30 p.m. White River Jct. meets the 2nd Fri. monthly at Bugbee Sr. Ctr. from 3-4:30 p.m. Call our helpline at 877-856-1772. CANCER SUPPORT GROUP The Champlain Valley Prostate Cancer Support Group will be held every 2nd Tue. of the mo., 6-7:45 p.m. via conference call. Newly diagnosed? Prostate cancer reoccurrence? General discussion and sharing among survivors and those beginning or rejoining the battle. Info, Mary L. Guyette RN, MS, ACNS-BC, 274-4990, vmary@aol.com. CELEBRATE RECOVERY Overcome any hurt, habit or hangup in your life w/ this confidential 12-Step, Christ-centered recovery program. We offer multiple support groups for both men & women, such as chemical dependency, codependency, sexual addiction & pornography, food issues, & overcoming abuse. All 18+ are welcome; sorry, no childcare. Doors open at 6:30 p.m.; we begin at 7 p.m. Essex Alliance Church, 37 Old Stage Rd., Essex Junction. Info: recovery@essexalliance. org, 878-8213. CELEBRATE RECOVERY Celebrate Recovery meetings are for anyone with struggles w/ hurt, habits & hang ups, which include everyone in some way. We welcome everyone at Cornerstone Church in Milton which meets every Fri. at 7-9 p.m. We’d love to have you join us & discover how your life can start to change. Info: 893-0530, Julie@ mccartycreations.com.

CENTRAL VERMONT CELIAC SUPPORT GROUP Last Thu. of every mo., 7:30 p.m. in Montpelier. Please contact Lisa Mase for location: lisa@ harmonizecookery. com. CEREBRAL PALSY GUIDANCE Cerebral Palsy Guidance is a very comprehensive informational website broadly covering the topic of cerebral palsy & associated medical conditions. It’s mission it to provide the best possible info to parents of children living w/ the complex condition of cerebral palsy. cerebralpalsyguidance. com/cerebral-palsy/ CODEPENDENTS ANONYMOUS CoDA is a 12-step fellowship for people whose common purpose is to develop healthy & fulfilling relationships. By actively working the program of Codependents Anonymous, we can realize a new joy, acceptance & serenity in our lives. Meets Sun. at noon at the Turning Point Center, 179 So. Winooski Ave., Suite 301, Burlington. Tom, 238-3587, coda.org. DECLUTTERERS SUPPORT GROUP Are you ready to make improvements but find it overwhelming? Maybe 2 or 3 of us can get together to help each other simplify. 989-3234, 425-3612. DISCOVER THE POWER OF CHOICE! SMART Recovery welcomes anyone, including family & friends, affected by any kind of substance or activity addiction. It is a science-based program that encourages abstinence. Specially trained volunteer facilitators provide leadership. Sun. at 5 p.m. The meeting has moved to Zoom: smartrecovery.zoom. us/j/92925275515. Volunteer facilitator: Bert, 399-8754. You can learn more at smartrecovery.org. We hope to return to face-to-face meetings this summer. DIVORCE CARE SUPPORT GROUP Divorce is a tough road. Feelings of separation, betrayal, confusion, anger & self-doubt are common. But there is life after divorce. Led by people who have already walked down that road, we’d like to share w/ you a safe place & a process that can help make the journey easier. This free 13-wk. group for men & women will be offered

on Sun., 5:30-7:30 p.m., Sep. 8 through Dec. 1, at the North Avenue Alliance Church, 901 North Ave., Burlington, VT. Register for class at essexalliance. churchcenter.com. For more info, call Sandy 802-425-7053. DOMESTIC VIOLENCE SUPPORT Steps to End Domestic Violence offers a weekly drop-in support group for female identified survivors of intimate partner violence, including individuals who are experiencing or have been affected by domestic violence. The support group offers a safe, confidential place for survivors to connect w/ others, to heal, & to recover. In support group, participants talk through their experiences & hear stories from others who have experienced abuse in their relationships. Support group is also a resource for those who are unsure of their next step, even if it involves remaining in their current relationship. Tue., 6:30-8 p.m. Childcare is provided. Info: 658-1996. EMPLOYMENTSEEKERS SUPPORT GROUP Frustrated w/ the job search or w/ your job? You are not alone. Come check out this supportive circle. Wed. at 3 p.m., Pathways Vermont Community Center, 279 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington. Info: Abby Levinsohn, 777-8602. FAMILIES COPING W/ ADDICTIONS (FCA) GROUP (ADDICTION SUPPORT FOR FAMILIES) Families Coping with Addiction (FCA) is an open-community peer support group for adults 18+ struggling w/ the drug or alcohol addiction of a loved one. FCA is not 12-step based but provides a welcoming & stigma-free forum for those living this experience in which to develop personal coping skills & to draw strength & insight from one another. Group meets weekly on Wed., 5:30-6:30 p.m. online, using Zoom. Check Turning Point Center website (turningpoint centervt.org) for ZOOM link, listed under “Family Support” (click on “What We Offer” dropdown). FAMILY & FRIENDS OF THOSE EXPERIENCING MENTAL HEALTH CRISIS This support group is a dedicated meeting for family, friends & community members who are supporting a loved one through a mental health crisis. Mental

health crisis might include extreme states, psychosis, depression, anxiety & other types of distress. The group is a confidential space where family & friends can discuss shared experiences & receive support in an environment free of judgment & stigma w/ a trained facilitator. Wed., 7-8:30 p.m. Downtown Burlington. Info: Jess Horner, LICSW, 866-218-8586. FAMILY RESTORED: SUPPORT GROUP FOR FRIENDS & FAMILIES OF ADDICTS & ALCOHOLICS Wed., 6:30-8 p.m., Holy Family/St. Lawrence Parish, 4 Prospect St., Essex Junction. For further info, please visit thefamilyrestored. org or contact Lindsay Duford at 781-960-3965 or 12lindsaymarie@gmail. com. FIERCELY FLAT VT A breast cancer support group for those who’ve had mastectomies. We are a casual online meeting group found on Facebook at Fiercely Flat VT. Info: stacy.m.burnett@ gmail.com. FOOD ADDICTS IN RECOVERY ANONYMOUS (FA) Are you having trouble controlling the way you eat? FA is a free 12-step recovery program for anyone suffering from food obsession, overeating, undereating or bulimia. Local meetings are held twice a week: Mon., 4-5:30 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Norwich, Vt.; and Wed., 6:30-8 p.m., at Hanover Friends Meeting House, Hanover, N.H. For more info & a list of additional meetings throughout the U.S. and the world, call 603-630-1495 or visit foodaddicts.org. G.R.A.S.P. (GRIEF RECOVERY AFTER A SUBSTANCE PASSING) Are you a family member who has lost a loved one to addiction? Find support, peer-led support group. Meets once a month on Mon. in Burlington. Please call for date & location. RSVP mkeasler3@ gmail.com or call 310-3301 (message says Optimum Health, but this is a private number). GRIEF & LOSS FOCUS GROUP FOR MEN Fri., 10-11:30 a.m. Continues through Mar. 27. Please join us as we learn more about our own grief & explore the things that can help us to heal. There is great power in sharing our experiences w/ others who know the pain of

the loss of a loved one, & healing is possible through the sharing. BAYADA Hospice’s local bereavement program coordinator will facilitate this weekly, 8-wk. group through discussion & activities. Everyone from the community is welcome; however, space is limited. To register, please contact Bereavement Program Coordinator Kathryn Gilmond at kgilmond@bayada.com or 802-448-1610. Start date to be determined, based on registration. bayada.com. GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS Meet twice a month: every 2nd Mon. from 6-7:30 p.m., and every 3rd Wed. from 10-11:30 a.m., at Central Vermont Home Health & Hospice in Berlin. The group is open to the public & free of charge. More info: Diana Moore, 224-2241. HEARING VOICES SUPPORT GROUP This Hearing Voices Group seeks to find understanding of voice hearing experiences as real lived experiences which may happen to anyone at anytime. We choose to share experiences, support, and empathy. We validate anyone’s experience & stories about their experience as their own, as being an honest & accurate representation of their experience, & as being acceptable exactly as they are. Tue., 2-3 p.m. Pathways Vermont Community Center, 279 North Winooski Ave., Burlington. Info: 802-777-8602, abby@ pathwaysvermont.org. HELLENBACH CANCER SUPPORT Call to verify meeting place. Info, 388-6107. People living w/ cancer & their caretakers convene for support. HELP & HEALING FOR THOSE WHO ARE GRIEVING Wed., 5:30-7 p.m. Walking With Grief: Sharing your sadness, finding your joy. Please join us as we learn more about our own grief & explore the things that can help us to heal. There is great power in sharing our experiences w/ others who know the pain of the loss of a loved one, & healing is possible through the sharing. BAYADA Hospice’s local bereavement support coordinator will facilitate our weekly group through discussion & activities. Everyone from the community is welcome. To register, please contact Bereavement Program Coordinator Kathryn Gilmond at

kgilmond@bayada. com or 802-448-1610. Bayada Hospice, 354 Mountain View Dr., Ste 305, Colchester. INTERSTITIAL CYSTITIS/PAINFUL BLADDER SUPPORT GROUP Interstitial cystitis (IC) & painful bladder syndrome can result in recurring pelvic pain, pressure or discomfort in the bladder/pelvic region & urinary frequency/ urgency. These are often misdiagnosed & mistreated as a chronic bladder infection. If you have been diagnosed or have these symptoms, you are not alone. For Vermont-based support group, email bladderpainvt@gmail. com or call 899-4151 for more info. KINDRED CONNECTIONS PROGRAM OFFERED FOR CHITTENDEN COUNTY CANCER SURVIVORS The Kindred Connections program provides peer support for all those touched by cancer. Cancer patients as well as caregivers are provided w/ a mentor who has been through the cancer experience & knows what it’s like to go through it. In addition to sensitive listening, Kindred Connections provides practical help such as rides to doctors’ offices & meal deliveries. The program has people who have experienced a wide variety of cancers. For further info, please contact info@vcsn.net. KINSHIP CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUP A support group for grandparents who are raising their grandchildren. Led by a trained representative & facilitator. Meets the 2nd Tue. monthly from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. (Jan. 14, Feb. 11, Mar. 10, Apr. 14) at Milton Public Library. Free. For more information, call 802-893-4644 or email library@miltonvt.gov. Facebook.com/ events/56145256 8022928. LGBTQ SURVIVORS OF VIOLENCE The SafeSpace Anti-Violence Program at Pride Center of Vermont offers peer-led support groups for survivors of relationship, dating, emotional &/or hate violence. These groups give survivors a safe & supportive environment to tell their stories, share information, & offer & receive support. Support groups also provide survivors an opportunity to gain information on how to better cope w/ feelings & experiences that

surface because of the trauma they have experienced. Please call SafeSpace at 863-0003 if you are interested in joining. LGBTQ VETERANS GROUP This veterans group is a safe place for veterans to gather & discuss ways to help the community, have dinners, send packages & help the families of LGBTQ service people. Ideas on being helpful encouraged. Every 2nd & 4th Wed., 6-8:30 p.m., at Christ Episcopal Church (The Little Red Door), 64 State Street, Montpelier. RSVP, 802-825-2045. LIVING THROUGH LOSS Gifford Medical Center is announcing the restart of its grief support group, Living Through Loss. The program is sponsored by the Gifford Volunteer Chaplaincy Program and will meet weekly on Fri., 11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m. in Gifford’s Chun Chapel beginning on Aug. 6. Meetings will be facilitated by the Rev. Timothy Eberhardt, spiritual care coordinator, & Emily Pizzale MSW, LICSW, a Gifford social worker. Anyone who has experienced a significant loss over the last year or so is warmly invited to attend & should enter through the hospital’s main entrance wearing a mask on the way to the chapel. Meetings will be based on the belief that, while each of us is on a unique journey in life, we all need a safe place to pause, to tell our stories, &, especially as we grieve, to receive the support and strength we need to continue along the way. MARIJUANA ANONYMOUS Do you have a problem with marijuana? MA is a free 12-step program where addicts help other addicts to get & stay clean. Ongoing Wed. at 7 p.m. at Turning Point Center, 179 So. Winooski, Suite 301, Burlington. 861-3150. MYELOMA SUPPORT GROUP Area Myeloma Survivors, Families and Caregivers have come together to form a Multiple Myeloma Support Group. We provide emotional support, resources about treatment options, coping strategies & a support network by participating in the group experience w/ people that have been though similar situations. 3rd Tue. of every mo., 5-6 p.m. at the New Hope Lodge

on East Avenue in Burlington. Info: Kay Cromie, 655-9136, kgcromey@aol.com. NAMI CONNECTION PEER SUPPORT GROUP MEETINGS Weekly virtual meetings. If you have questions about a group in your area, please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont, program@ namivt.org or 800639-6480. Connection groups are peer recovery support group programs for adults living w/ mental health challenges. NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP Weekly virtual meetings. If you have questions about a group in your area, please contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness of Vermont, info@namivt. org or 800-639-6480. Family Support Group meetings are for family & friends of individuals living w/ mental illness. NARCONON SUNCOAST DRUG & ALCOHOL REHABILITATION & EDUCATION Narconon reminds families that overdoses due to an elephant tranquilizer known as Carfentanil has been on the rise in nearly every community nationwide. Carfentanil is a synthetic opiate painkiller 100 times more powerful than fentanyl and 1,000 times stronger than heroin. A tiny grain of it is enough to be fatal. Click here to learn more about carfentanil abuse & how to help your loved one. You can also visit narconon-suncoast. org/drug-abuse/ parents-get-help.html for more info. Addiction screenings: Narconon can help you take steps to overcome addiction in your family. Call today for a no-cost screening or referral: 1- 877-841-5509 NARCOTICS ANONYMOUS is a group of recovering addicts who live w/ out the use of drugs. It costs nothing to join. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Info, 862-4516 or cvana.org. Held in Burlington, Barre & St. Johnsbury. NARCANON BURLINGTON GROUP Group meets every Mon. at 7 p.m. at the Turning Point Center, 179 So. Winooski Ave., Suite 301, Burlington. The only requirement for membership is that there be a problem of addiction in a relative

or friend. Info: Amanda H. 338-8106. NEW (& EXPECTING) MAMAS & PAPAS! EVERY PRIMARY CAREGIVER TO A BABY! The Children’s Room invites you to join our weekly drop-in support group. Come unwind & discuss your experiences & questions around infant care & development, self-care & postpartum healing, & community resources for families w/ babies. Tea & snacks provided. Thu., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Bring your babies! (Newborn through crawling stage). Located w/in Thatcher Brook Primary School, 47 Stowe Street, childrensroomonline. org. Contact childrens room@wwsu.org or 244-5605. NORTHWEST VERMONT CANCER PRAYER & SUPPORT NETWORK A meeting of cancer patients, survivors & family members intended to comfort & support those who are currently suffering from the disease. 2nd Thu. of every mo., 6-7:30 p.m., St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 11 Church St., St. Albans. Info: stpaulum@myfairpoint. net. 2nd Wed. of every mo., 6-7:30 p.m. Winooski United Methodist Church, 24 W. Allen St., Winooski. Info: hovermann4@ comcast.net. OPEN EARS, OPEN MINDS A mutual support circle that focuses on connection & self-exploration. Fri. at 1 p.m., Pathways Vermont Community Center, 279 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington. Info: Abby Levinsohn, 777-8602. OVEREATERS ANONYMOUS (OA) A 12-step program for people who identify as overeaters, compulsive eaters, food addicts, anorexics, bulimics, etc. No matter what your problem w/ food, we have a solution! All are welcome, meetings are open, & there are no dues or fees. See oavermont. org/meeting-list/ for the current meeting list, meeting format & more; or call 802-8632655 any time! POTATO INTOLERANCE SUPPORT GROUP Anyone coping w/ potato intolerance & interested in joining a support group, contact Jerry Fox, 48 Saybrook Rd., Essex Junction, VT 05452.

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

86 DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

ATTENTION RECRUITERS: POST YOUR JOBS AT: JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM/POST-A-JOB PRINT DEADLINE: NOON ON MONDAYS (INCLUDING HOLIDAYS) FOR RATES & INFO: MICHELLE BROWN, 802-865-1020 X121, MICHELLE@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE. JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM NEW YEAR, NEW CAREER!

OPERATIONS MANAGER

Rhino Foods is hiring! Whether you are entry-level OR experienced, our Production, Sanitation & Distribution teams are growing. Training provided, plus lots of benefits and perks with a first-class company.

Accounting & Finance Coordinator

Himalayan Cataract Project (HCP | Cureblindness), a VTbased nonprofit, is actively seeking an Operations Manager. Please visit our website for a complete job description: cureblindness.org/careers.

To apply, please submit resume and cover Please visit our website: The Green Mountain Club seeks a full-time letter to: jobs@cureblindness.org rhinofoods.com/about-rhino-foods/jobs-and-careers Accounting and Finance Coordinator to focus on accounting and finance responsibilities for the organization. 1 12/9/21 2h-RhinoFoods120821.indd 1 12/3/212h-HimalayanCataract121521.indd 5:17 PM Primary responsibilities include accounting and fiscal bookkeeping, accounts NORTHEASTERN VERMONT payable, payroll, bank reconciliations, and REGIONAL HOSPITAL general ledger reconciliations, employee has exciting opportunities! paperwork, and other projects as needed. Competitive pay and benefits, and a Goddard has the following temporary Kitchen flexible, hybrid office. NVRH is looking for dedicated and compassionate RNs, LPNs and LNAs to join our team and provide high quality care to the communities we serve. NVRH provides a fair and compassionate workplace where all 12:03 PM persons are valued by the organization and each other, providing ongoing growth opportunities.

For complete job description and to apply, please visit greenmountainclub.org.

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12/3/21

Brewery Assistant

FT and PT employees are eligible for excellent benefits including student loan repayment, generous paid time off, health/dental/vision, 401k with company match and much more!

position openings starting January 2nd, 2022:

• LEAD LINE COOKS (2 Positions) • FOOD SERVERS (2 Positions) • DISHWASHERS (2 Positions) To view position descriptions and application instructions, please visit our website: goddard.edu/about-goddard/employment-opportunities

APPLY TODAY AT NVRH.ORG/CAREERS.

The Brewery Assistant - is a Utility Player who will work throughout 9/24/214t-GoddardCollege121521.indd 2:47 PM the brewery assisting with all 4t-NVRH092921.indd 1 processes associated with production and packaging while adhering to SOPs and safety guidelines to achieve the DIRECTOR OF ADVANCEMENT SERVICES best possible consistency in Craftsbury Common, Vermont, Campus Fiddlehead beers. Benefits: • Fun Team • Competitive Pay • Health Insurance w/ Vision and Dental after 90 days of employment • PTO, 401K For full description go to bit.ly/3rGOOwQ Send resumes to: haleychurchill@ fiddleheadbrewing.com

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2:56 PM

This position reports to the Vice President for Advancement and provides administrative support as well as maintains their own fundraising portfolio. The appointee will work as a gifts officer and participate in stewardship, cultivation, and solicitation. Through this position you will help Sterling College's donors accomplish their ambitions to support our mission to advance ecological thinking and action. The College is currently raising ~$3M annually between unrestricted and restricted giving. Experience using and administering Raiser's Edge is a plus as is being an alumnx of Sterling College. Candidates must have mission alignment. To read the full position description and application instructions, visit:

sterlingcollege.edu/more/employment

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12/13/21 9:56 AM

SAME DAY DELIVERIES (802) 862-7662

MEDICAL COURIERS AND DELIVERY DRIVERS

Currently, we are seeking drivers to join our growing team. We are hiring for several full time and part time positions, as well as different shifts. Feel free to stop in to our office at 54 Echo Place, Suite# 1, Williston, VT 05495 and fill out an application. Or fill out an application via our website at shipvds.com or email Tim a copy of your resume at timothy@shipvds.com.

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8/24/21 2:18 PM

Now hiring CAREGivers and Key Players Work for an organization that makes a difference and offers meaningful work while providing care to seniors in the community Become part of the Home Instead team! CAREGivers no experience necessary. Key Players previous experience preferred. Pays up to $20/hour. Let’s get to know each other. Military friendly employer. Apply today! homeinstead.com/ location/483/home-care-jobs/

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

EDUCATION PROGRAMS COORDINATOR ECHO, Leahy Center for Lake Champlain Burlington ECHO seeks an experienced STEM educator to serve as our Education Programs Coordinator. This position manages the coordination, development, and delivery of STEM Camps at the museum and mobile STEM Festivals out in the community. The Education Programs Coordinator also assists in the development and delivery of ECHO’s school programs and STEM curriculum kits. The ideal candidate will be a dynamic STEM educator skilled in engaging early learners, youths, and adults; a detail-oriented program and events coordinator; and a skilled developer of hands-on STEM activities.

Join us! Visit ccs-vt.org to apply today.

For a full job posting, please visit echovt.org/jobs.

ccs-vt.org

Manufacturing Production Scheduler/ Materials Planner Sr Embedded Software Engineer

SHARED LIVING PROVIDER

The ideal provider will have strong interpersonal communication and personal care skills as all aspects of ADL’s will be provided. This position includes a comprehensive training package, tax-free stipend and a handicap accessible van for transportation.

(Hybrid Role - Shelburne, VT office and work from home option)

Contact Jennifer Wolcott at jwolcott@ccs-vt.org or 802-655-0511 x 118 for more information

Electronics Assembler

Join us! Visit ccs-vt.org to apply today.

For full descriptions and to apply go to: bit.ly/NDIwinter2021

ccs-vt.org

E.O.E.

1 12/10/21 4t-ChamplainCommServicesSLP120821.indd 12:26 PM

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12/7/21 1:20 PM

SERVICE COORDINATOR DIRECTOR OF PHARMACY The Director of Pharmacy provides oversight and direction for all areas of operation within the CVMC Pharmacy to ensure compliance with state and federal laws, regulations and rules, and patient care quality standards. Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm D) or Registered Pharmacist with a minimum of 10 years of experience leading Pharmacy Operations required. Learn more and apply: https://bit.ly/3DBlkma

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12/13/21 3:26 PM

Provide an accessible home for an easy-going 38-year-old gentleman who enjoys being part of a dynamic household. This individual has a comprehensive team, strong family support, along with respite and weekday supports.

(Hybrid Role - Shelburne, Vermont office and work from home option)

Send resume and cover letter to hello@designsolidarity.com

E.O.E.

12/6/214t-ChamplainCommServicesRAISED121521.indd 2:32 PM 1

Software Engineer

The account manager is a collaborative link between our design teams, clients, and outside vendors facilitating the flow of information and ensuring that project brief, budget, and schedule align with objectives - enabling us to meet our own standards of creative quality.

Opportunities for Direct Support Professionals ($18 per hour) and Service Coordination ($45k) at an award-winning agency serving Vermonters with intellectual disabilities.

All our employees are required to be fully vaccinated for COVID-19.

At NDI we are driven by our belief that advanced spatial measurement solutions can help our customers in their aim to improve medical procedures and patient lives. We are hiring for the following positions:

We are a brand strategy and design firm partnering with brands around the world using design to create positive change.

And that’s on top of being a “Best Place to Work in Vermont” for three years running.

Make a career making a difference. Check current openings at ccs-vt.org/current-openings.

Navigate New Possibilities ™ Your Career at NDI is Waiting

FULL TIME

WE JUST RAISED SALARIES AT CCS. SIGNIFICANTLY.

ECHO is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

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Brand Account Manager

87 DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

1 12/14/214t-UVMMedCenterDIRpharm121521.indd 11:39 AM

Join our team of professionals providing case management for individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism. Work with individuals and their team to create goals and maintain a safe and healthy lifestyle. Compensation package is $45k annually plus mileage and on call stipend; and includes affordable health insurance, paid time off plus 12 paid holidays, retirement match, dental plan and so much more. In addition, CCS has been voted as one of the Best Places to Work in Vermont for the third year in a row. Continue your career in human services in a compassionate & fun environment. Join us today & make a career making a difference. Send resume to Karen Ciechanowicz at staff@ccs-vt.org.

ccs-vt.org

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E.O.E. 12/13/21 3:35 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

AFTERSCHOOL SCHOOLDIRECTOR DIRECTOR AFTER AFTER SCHOOL DIRECTOR The Flynn has an immediate opening in our Box Office

BOX OFFICE ASSISTANT MANAGER The full-time Assistant Manager supports the daily operations of our busy Box Office. We are looking for excellent customer service and computer skills along with an enthusiasm for the arts. Evenings and weekends are part of the job. The Flynn is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace and we pride ourselves on making everyone feel welcome.

10:30-5:45 5:45//////$19.50 $19.50per perhour hour 10:3010:305:45 $19.50 per hour Schedule:Work Workday daybegins beginsatat at10:30 10:30am aminininsupport support Schedule: Schedule: Work day begins 10:30 am support ofbreaks breaksof ofour ourearly earlyed edprogram program(10:30am-1:00pm). (10:30am-1:00pm). of of breaks of our early ed program (10:30am-1:00pm). Planningtime time(for (forthe theAfter AfterSchool SchoolProgram) Program)will willbe be Planning Planning time (for the After School Program) will be availablefrom from1:00 1:00pm-2:30 pm-2:30pm. pm. available available from 1:00 pm-2:30 pm. JobDuties: Duties:Direct Directdaily dailyAfter AfterSchool SchoolProgram Programfrom from2:30 2:30pm-5:30 pm-5:30pm pmand andhire hire Job Job Duties: Direct daily After School Program from 2:30 pm-5:30 pm and hire supportstaff, staff,set setdaily dailyactivities, activities,and andmaintain maintainaaahealthy healthyand andactive activeprogram. program. support support staff, set daily activities, and maintain healthy and active program. Alsodirect directthe theAfter AfterSchool SchoolProgram Programduring duringthe thesummer summer(5(5 (5days daysaaaweek). week). Also Also direct the After School Program during the summer days week).

Manager, Protector Societies & Appeals

The Lake George Association’s Manager, Protector Societies and Appeals has an essential role in overseeing all Lake 1:30---5:30 5:30//////$15.00 $15.00per perhour hour 1:30 1:30 5:30 $15.00 per hour Protector and annual fund activities for the organization. Responsibilities:Supervise Supervisefree freeplay playon onthe theplayground playgroundand andinininthe theschool school Responsibilities: Responsibilities: Supervise free play on the playground and the school In addition to developing and building,implement implementactivities, activities,provide providehomework homeworksupport supportfor forgrades grades2nd-5th, 2nd-5th, building, building, implement activities, provide homework support for grades 2nd-5th, executing the organization’s Detailed job description and more information: andcommunicate communicatewith withparents parentsas asneeded neededand andwith withthe theprogram programdirector directordaily. daily. and and communicate with parents as needed and with the program director daily. Lake Protector and Appeals Requiredhours: hours:1:30 1:30pm-5:30 pm-5:30pm, pm,and andopenings openingsare areavailable availableon onMondays, Mondays, Required Required hours: 1:30 pm-5:30 pm, and openings are available on Mondays, flynnvt.org/About-Us/Employment-and-Internshipstrategies, the Manager is Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Candidates may apply for the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Candidates may apply for the Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Candidates may apply for the Opportunities responsible for the systems numberof ofdays daysthat thatbest bestsuit suittheir theirschedule. schedule. number number of days that best suit their schedule. and processes related to Send resume and cover letter: HResources@flynnvt.org donor and Lake Protector No phone calls, please. E.O.E. Sendresumes resumesto: to:chill@sfxvt.org chill@sfxvt.org Send Send resumes to: chill@sfxvt.org recruitment and retention. Working in partnership with the Director of Development, 4t-StFrancesXavierSchool121521.indd 12/9/21 4:20 4:20PM PM 4t-StFrancesXavierSchool121521.indd 111 12/9/21 4t-FlynnBOXoffice120821.indd 1 12/7/21 4t-StFrancesXavierSchool121521.indd 1:23 PM 12/9/21 4:20 PM The Flynn seeks applicants NOTICE OF REQUEST FOR the Manager, Protector for a part-time position in Societies and Appeals will STATEMENTS OF our Box Office. This is also support the LGA’s special QUALIFICATIONS FOR a great opportunity to become a part of the exciting events, stewardship programs world of the performing arts. and donor cultivation opportunities.

CUSTOMER SERVICE REPRESENTATIVE Our part-time Customer Service Representatives are responsible for telephone and in-person ticket sales. Excellent customer service skills, attention to detail, and accuracy and speed with data entry required. This is a part-time position that includes some evening and weekend availability.

AFTERSCHOOL SCHOOLCHILDCARE CHILDCAREPROVIDER PROVIDER AFTER AFTER SCHOOL CHILDCARE PROVIDER

ENGINEERING SERVICES

For more information and to apply: lakegeorgeassociation. org/about/jobs.

The Town of Hyde Park and Hyde Park Fire District #1 are working on capital planning and investments and has initiated the process of obtaining Statements of Qualifications from qualified engineering firms detailing said firm's qualifications, technical expertise, management 3v-LakeGeorgeAssociation120821.indd and staffing capabilities, references, and related prior experience.

Detailed job description and more information: flynnvt.org/About-Us/Employment-and-InternshipOpportunities

The Town or F.D. #1 may select the same or different consultant for all or some project categories in this RFQ. The complete RFQ is posted at hydeparkvt.com and the submission deadline is no later than January 5, 2022, by 5:00 p.m.

Send resume and cover letter: HResources@flynnvt.org No phone calls, please. EOE

Statements of Qualifications received after the deadline will not be accepted.

4t-FlynnCUSTSERVICE120821.indd The Flynn has an 1

immediate opening for a skilled Bookkeeper to join our finance team and be part of our dynamic performing arts center in downtown Burlington.

12/2/214t-TownofHydePark121521.indd 4:17 PM 1

CEMS Business Specialist

The full-time bookkeeper works as part of the finance team performing daily accounting tasks related to show activity, payroll, and billing. A collaborative work style, and enthusiasm for the Flynn’s mission could make you the candidate for us! The Flynn is committed to a diverse and inclusive workplace. Detailed job description and more information: flynnvt.org/About-Us/Employment-and-InternshipOpportunities Send resume and cover letter: HResources@flynnvt.org No phone calls, please. EOE

4t-FlynnBOOKKEEPER120821.indd 1

Provide administrative, financial, and business support and guidance to the Dean, HR Manager, Budget Manager, Chairpersons, and faculty in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences. Coordinate and perform complex accounting, reporting, and analysis functions. Ensure compliance with University guidelines and policies; use judgment in prioritization of work and in the development and application of processes and procedures. Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business or related field and one to three years related experience required. Proficiency with spreadsheet and database applications required. Effective interpersonal and communication skills required. Demonstrated attention to detail skills and ability to meet deadlines required. Apply online: uvmjobs.com

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12/6/21 4:56 PM

You’re in good hands with...

12/10/21 12:13 PM

The University of Vermont College of Engineering and Mathematical Science is looking for a CEMS Business Specialist.

BOOKKEEPER

“Seven Days sales rep Michelle Brown is amazing! She’s extremely responsive, and I always feel so taken care of.” CAROLYN ZELLER Intervale Center, Burlington

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

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

1 12/6/21 3v-MichelleCampagin.indd 11:18 AM

8/26/21 4:21 PM

Climate Public Engagement & Communications Services The Climate Economy Action Center of Addison County (CEAC) seeks public engagement and communications consulting services to support its Climate Action Planning project ceacac. org/climate-action-planning. CEAC is a non-profit organization working for deep reduction in greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining a healthy economy in Addison County, VT. Our Climate Action Planning process will address the climate crisis while at the same time grow our local community and its economic and social institutions.

ons r

Communications Coordinator

Evenings

The EVS Supervisor coordinates all routine and project assignments and activities for EVS, maintains all schedules, training, evaluations and performance improvement plans. Eligible for a sign on bonus up to $5,000. Qualifications: • Associate’s degree or equivalent combination of education and experience. • Minimum of three years of supervisory experience in a Health Care environment. Employees at UVM Medical Center receive comprehensive benefits packages, including medical, dental, retirement and paid time off.

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To apply, send resume and cover letter to kathy@ groundsforhealth.org.

89 DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES WORKER Now offering sign on bonuses up to $5,000!

Join The University of Vermont Medical Center in Burlington as an Environmental Service Worker. The EVS Worker is responsible for the cleaning of all areas of the facility with the exception of the OR.

Learn more and apply: bit.ly/2Xy5r0u.

Real Estate Paralegal Burlington Office

Candidates must be highly organized, possess the ability to prioritize, be a team player, and have excellent written and verbal skills. Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel. 5+ years of experience required. Competitive salary and benefits package. Please reply with cover letter and resume to:

4t-LangrockSperryWool120821.indd 1 12/13/21 3:04 PM

Qualifications: Bachelor’s degree in a specialized or related field and one to three years’ related experience required. Successful candidates utilize technology for planning, organizing, record keeping, and reporting; have specialized knowledge of internship processes and legal issues; and demonstrate a comfort with and commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. Application review starts December 15th. Apply online: uvmjobs.com (Job Posting #S3257PO)

12/7/21 1:43 PM

CASEWORK DIRECTOR

Employees at UVM Medical Center receive comprehensive benefits packages, including medical, dental, retirement and paid time off. E.O.E.

www.langrock.com

Join UVM’s student success and workforce development efforts as our Internship Coordinator, facilitating internship expansion: engaging hosts, promoting participation, deepening and assessing learning, and improving systems to benefit students and the state of Vermont.

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Qualifications: • High school diploma or equivalent preferred. • Prior health care or hospitality industry cleaning experience is highly desirable.

Nikki Stevens, Firm Administrator Langrock Sperry & Wool, LLP

INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR

Support and consult across UVM, as well as for current and prospective external partners. Identify and confront barriers to student internship participation, organize scholarship process, and facilitate relationship agreements between stakeholders. Build partnerships with faculty and staff to expand experiential opportunities, promote best practices, and foster connections to related programs and services. With the Office of Engagement, collaborate on joint projects to expand partnerships, opportunities, and funding.

Learn more and apply: bit.ly/3b6DzUZ E.O.E.

Or via e-mail to: nstevens@langrock.com

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JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES SUPERVISOR

Submission details and deadlines are available at: tinyurl.com/2p8bpdtc.

is an focused ention Grounds for Health is an programs international non-profit . We are focused on cervical cancer iopia and prevention through screen e with a and treat programs in low keting and income countries. We es through are currently working in and across Ethiopia and Kenya. We e strong seek someone with a passion instincts. for executing marketing and on based communications initiatives ore info, through email and print org/jobmailings, and across social media. Must have strong writing skills and design nd cover instincts. This is a part-time forhealth. position based in Williston VT. For more info, visit groundsforhealth.org/ job-openings.

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY!

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) seeks an engaging, high-energy individual to serve as the Casework Director in his Vermont office. The position leads a team of constituent advocates in providing direct assistance to Vermonters on issues with federal agencies, including Social Security, Medicare, IRS, Department of Veterans Affairs, and the U.S. Postal Service. Senator Sanders’ casework team provides exceptional constituent advocacy on behalf of Vermonters, while working with colleagues in D.C. and Vermont to identify opportunities for legislative or administrative improvements at the federal level. Excellent writing, communication, organizational, and interpersonal skills are required and familiarity with federal programs is strongly preferred. Qualified candidates will have previous advocacy, legal, or social work experience or training, as well as the ability to exercise good judgement and consistent, respectful communication. Previous managerial experience is strongly preferred, along with a demonstrated ability to implement process improvements to advance the mission of the organization and add value to the work. A successful candidate will be an inclusive and collaborative leader with a passion for helping others. The Senator’s office is an equal opportunity employer. The office does not discriminate on the basis of an individual’s race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, or uniformed service. The office is committed to inclusion and encourages all individuals from all backgrounds to apply. To apply please submit a resume, cover letter, and brief writing sample to kate_farley@sanders.senate.gov indicating “CASEWORK DIRECTOR” in the subject line by December 17, 2021.

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12/13/21 3:20 PM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

KICKBOXING & FITNESS TRAINER Kickboxing semi-private fitness studio at the Blue Mall in South Burlington is seeking a trainer. • Full and part-time trainers desired. • Excellent people skills required. • Training provided. Apply online: 9round.com/careers

ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT

Have you been rethinking your life/work balance? The Rowland Foundation is looking for an administrative assistant to work 20 hours per month (5 hours per week on average) to help with communications, mailings, and event planning. The role requires someone with excellent interpersonal & organizational skills, strong communication & basic 2h-9Round120821.indd 1 12/7/21 technology proficiency, and an ability to autonomously manage projects & problem-solve as needed. Flexible hours and ability to work from home are advantages to this position which pays $50/hr. An DENTAL HYGIENIST office space is also available for work as needed; however, there is no Middlebury Pediatric Dentistry is looking for a dental hygienist to expectation to maintain regular office hours.

OPERATIONS SUPPORT

True North Wilderness Program is seeking a fulltime, year-round Operations 1:16 PM Support person. The ideal candidate is an adaptable team player with a positive attitude who is willing to work both indoors and outdoors join our friendly, close-knit team. Help us take care of Vermont performing a variety of tasks Interested applicants should submit a cover letter and current resume to: kids’ oral health! Full or Part time. Health insurance. Paid vacation. associated with the logistics Michael Martin, Executive Director Please contact us and include your resume, of running our program. Tasks Rowland Foundation, 47 Maple St. #200 including food packing and frontdesk@middleburypediatricdentistry.com Burlington, VT 05401 rationing, gear outfitting, transportation and facilities Administrative Assistant Job Description: tinyurl.com/y2n8x4qr maintenance. Candidates The Rowland Foundation is a Vermont-based educational non-profit must be willing to work organization that invests directly in teacher innovation for school weekends and occasional transformation. After a statewide call for proposals, the Rowland evenings. A clean and valid Foundation awards teacher fellowships each year and supports driver’s license is required. Join our values driven team and be Competitive salary and schoolwide, teacher-led change projects through a two-year cohort responsible for supporting the 2nd comprehensive benefits model. The Rowland Foundation also hosts the largest educational decade of the Farm to Plate Network through offered. Benefits include conference in Vermont each year with world-class keynote speakers planning, facilitation, coordination, and project health, dental, vision and and practitioner-facilitated workshops. management. Specific areas of focus and experience accident insurance, an employee assistance program, are needed, so please read the full job description at a Wellness Fund, student loan vsjf.org/about-vsjf-vermont/job-openings. 5v-RowlandFoundation120821.indd 1 12/7/21 1:27 PM repayment reimbursement, Employee health and dental insurance, paid and a SIMPLE IRA.

FARM TO PLATE NETWORK MANAGER

Providing Innovative Mental Health and Educational Services to Vermont’s Children & Families.

MENTAL HEALTH CLINICIAN

time off, and retirement contribution. VSJF is an equal opportunity employer. People of color are encouraged to apply.

Send cover letter, resume and writing sample by 5pm, 1/5/22 at jobs@vsjf.org.

The Family Center

The NFI Family Center is looking for licensed or licensed eligible social worker, psychologist, or LCMHC to join our multi-disciplinary clinical team. The NFI Family Center is an innovative outpatient mental health clinic dedicated to 4t-VTSustainableJobsFund120821.indd trauma-informed training, supervision, and community collaboration. Candidates will have interest and experience in treatments related to trauma recovery such as EMDR, Child-Parent Psychotherapy, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and Attachment-focused family therapy. The Family Center serves children, families, adults, and groups. We welcome applications from candidates seeking to serve clients across these demographics and those with a specialty/focus. Candidates should exemplify a commitment to anti-racist practices and to meeting the diverse needs of our community. We are seeking a dynamic team player with excellent communication and well-being skills. Flexible hours, community collaboration, and telehealth options available. Opportunities for growth, continuing education, and professional training in a variety of modalities. If you have great passion and integrity, are an eager learner and collaborator, please apply. Compensation and benefits are competitive and based on experience. If interested, apply online at www.nfivermont.org/careers. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and celebrate the diversity of our clients and staff.

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PARKS REGIONAL MANAGER

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The Parks Regional Manager is one of the most exciting, influential positions in the Department of Forests, Parks and Recreation. This position is responsible for general oversight and management of the Northeast Region of Vermont State Parks including parks in the Groton Forest, Waterbury-Stowe area and beyond. This position requires significant knowledge and understanding of recreation management, capital improvement planning, day-to-day park operations and maintenance and facility management.

This position helps make our part of the world a better place to live and contributes to the health and well-being of our visitors in more ways than we can possibly know. To apply: https://bit.ly/3q4AeNl

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All True North employees must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19 and provide proof of vaccination status prior to employment. Please apply at: truenorthwilderness.com.

11/2/21 3:03 PM

YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL SOURCE. JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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1/14/20 12:30 PM

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

COUNSELOR, EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITY PROGRAM (2 positions)

Food Hub Operations Associate

For position details and application process: jobs.plattsburgh.edu select “View Current Openings.”

SUNY College at Plattsburgh is a fully compliant The Intervale Center seeks an employer committed to excellence through diversity. enthusiastic, mission-driven Food Hub Operations Associate to join our team in Burlington, Vermont. For over 12/13/21 30 years, the Intervale Center has 2h-PlattsburghState121521.indd 1 led a community food revolution that sustains farms, land, and people. The Food Hub Operations Associate will collaborate with the Food Hub team to successfully implement operations, increase efficiency and productivity, Join our dynamic Town Office team in beautiful Charlotte! The Town and grow demand for our products and services. They will help maintain of Charlotte is recruiting for the position of Zoning Administrator. The the Intervale Food Hub facility, trucks, primary responsibility of this position is to administer and enforce and equipment, food safety standards land use permitting as per the Charlotte Land Use Regulations. The and quality management, and position is also responsible for the coordination of wastewater system customer order fulfillment. & water supply permitting (with the assistance of a Licensed Designer)

Town of Charlotte

Zoning Administrator

An ideal candidate has operations management experience, knowledge of food quality standards, and a positive attitude! Intervale Center is an E.O.E. For a full job description and instructions to apply, please visit our website: intervale.org/getinvolved/#employment

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The position is a permanent position approved for 32-40 hours per week, to be established at the time of hire. The approved hourly pay-rate is between $19.23 and $31.25, based on qualifications and experience. Generous health benefits are offered. Complete job description is at charlottevt.org; see right-hand sidebar. Please send resumé and cover letter, and any questions, to: dean@townofcharlotte.com. The position is open until filled. EOE

Estate Planning and Probate Administration Paralegal

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NEW RESTAURANT

Hiring all Departments Hugo's Bar and Grill, located at 118 Main St. in Montpelier is a new 200 seat, 3 floor restaurant opening in the previous New England Culinary Institute headquarters. Hugo's Bar and Grill will include a main dining floor, a basement bar, & a top floor jazz club called Upstairs at Hugo's. The food will be accessible, affordable, new American bistro with locally sourced meats and vegetables whenever possible as well as the freshest fish brought up from Boston. We are currently seeking motivated and experienced culinary & customer service professionals to join our team. At this time we are accepting applications for Sous Chef, line cooks, prep cooks, dishwashers, servers, bartenders, hosts and bus people. Kitchen folks, if you haven't seen this kitchen you are going to want to! It's massive. And being the learning kitchen of a top-notch culinary institute, it's filled with state-of-the-art equipment. Please email your resume to: janamarkow@yahoo.com. We look forward to meeting you!

and performance of Health Officer duties.

MULTIPLE OPENINGS PARAEDUCATORS

Colchester School District is seeking Paraeducators in both our elementary and secondary schools. Paraeducators support students and teachers working one-toone and/or with small groups of students with special needs. Responsibilities will vary depending on the assignment, but typically 10:13 AMinclude keeping eyes on supervision during class, transition times, and lunch; offering students redirection as needed; data collection; consulting communications with teachers and case managers; and one-to-one student support and/or small group support. SchoolSpring Elementary Job #3641428 SchoolSpring Secondary Job #3641431

FOOD SERVICE WORKER The Food Service Worker reports to the Head Cook on a daily basis. He/she is responsible for the preparation and serving of school breakfast and lunch programs as well as related activities in the assigned building. SchoolSpring #3735200 The Colchester School District educates approximately 2,200 students across five schools. CSD offers employees a generous benefits package including a competitive wage and an excellent BCBS healthcare plan. In addition, the benefits include dental insurance, long-term disability, retirement plan, life insurance, and tuition reimbursement. Apply at schoolspring.com using the job numbers above.

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Prominent mid-size law firm in downtown Burlington, Vermont seeks paralegal for our estate planning and probate administration practice. The successful candidate will have a strong work ethic; excellent writing and communication skills; fluency in Microsoft Office programs and adaptability to technology generally; good time management skills; and the flexibility to work with multiple attorneys. Qualified candidates must have prior estate planning and probate administration experience, including drafting estate planning documents, deeds and property transfer returns, probate court filings and other trust administration duties. We care most about excellent analytical, organizational and communication skills and initiative. We offer a competitive salary, comprehensive health insurance and other benefits. For more information about Gravel & Shea, please visit gravelshea.com. A qualified candidate should promptly submit a cover letter, résumé and at least one writing sample to:

12/6/21 4:34 PM

HIRING

meaningful work. competitive pay. anewplacevt.org/employment

Shelter Staff @ Champlain Inn Evenings & Overnight Daytime Center @ Champlain Inn Weekends Case Manager Part-time & Full-time

Flossie Miller, Office Administrator, Gravel & Shea PC P.O. Box 369, Burlington, VT 05402-0369 fmiller@gravelshea.com

Our mission is to provide a holistic continuum of services for the homeless, centered in love and dignity, that foster growth, cultivate community engagement, and provide tools for lifelong change so that each person may start anew.

Gravel & Shea is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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91 DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

BOOKKEEPER Hours: 20/hour week. Pay: commensurate with experience, $19 – $22.50 per hour. Benefits include: CTO and health insurance contributions. Keep track of our finances in QuickBooks and process accounts payable and accounts receivable. The ideal candidate will be an upbeat, organized, and dependable person with scrupulous attention to detail and a passion for and experience with our mission; someone with lived experience of marginalization and/or an advanced self-awareness about privilege and accountability; someone who loves numbers and likes to work behind the scenes; and someone who is self-motivated and is forward-thinking about systems and efficiency. Apply at: pjcvt.org/finance-manager

EXPERIENCED COOK Experienced Cook needed for Shrine on Lake Champlain in beautiful northwestern Vermont.

Saint Anne’s Shrine, in Isle La Motte, Vermont is looking for a creative individual to prepare and serve delicious meals from scratch, using fresh local products, year-round, for retreat groups of varying sizes with an average of 30-40 guests as well as serving the public in our cafeteria on Sundays and Wednesdays during the2v-Peace&JusticeCenter120821.indd 1 GLOBALFOUNDRIES, summer pilgrimage season, plus a few special events per year. Compensation is competitive and may include health and dental insurance, 403b retirement plan, life insurance, and paid time off. St. Anne’s Shrine is conducted under the sponsorship of the Society of St. Edmund, a Roman Catholic religious community of priests and brothers. Visit us at saintannesshrine.org, contact Nancy at 802.928.3362 or ndulude@sse.org for more information or an application. Please see our full listing at bit.ly/3cQHwOh.

a semiconductor manuf & 12/7/21 tech co. seeks the following in Essex Junction, VT: Principal Eng Device Engineering #21007184: Work on leading edge technologies such as FinFETs, FDSOI and planar CMOS developing novel ESD device solutions. Apply at http://www.globalfoundries.com/, US Careers, & search by requisition #.

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Production Sewing

BUSINESS AND FINANCE MANAGERV Vermont Afterschool is seeking a Business and Finance Manager to help increase our operational capacity. Demand for our work and resources continues to grow, and we would love to bring someone on board in this capacity who is interested in helping us make a difference in the world. This is a newly created, full-time position, crafted to work closely with the Executive Director and Assistant Director to manage our financial and accounting systems, support our staff and programs, and become a vital part of our team. This is a full-time position that offers benefits and is based in our South Burlington, VT office. All staff are currently working hybrid remote/in-person schedules due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We strongly prefer that candidates be able to work regularly from our South Burlington, VT, office when public health and safety guidelines allow. Reporting to Vermont Afterschool’s Executive Director, this position offers opportunity for growth and development, and we encourage all interested candidates to apply even if they do not meet all of the qualifications. HOW TO APPLY • We offer a competitive compensation package and the opportunity to play a role in growing an organization. Expected compensation for this position starts at $30/hour and depends on qualifications and experience. • To apply, please send a cover letter, resume, and three references to jobs@vermontafterschool.org. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis and must be submitted electronically. The position will be posted until filled and is available immediately. Vermont Afterschool is an equal opportunity employer, and we especially welcome applications from individuals who will contribute to our diversity. Full job description: vermontafterschool.org/about/ employment

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12/9/21

FOURBITAL FACTORY is a new apparel manufacturing facility located in Burlington, VT. We are looking for sewing enthusiasts to help fill our team. Productions Sewists will be trained on a variety of machines and sewing techniques. Fourbital Factory has an ambitious vision for creating a sustainable future in fashion from the materials we use to the recycling of our byproduct. We are at the epicenter of the apparel manufacturing revolution. WHAT WE ARE BUILDING Fourbital’s Training team helps our employees develop their skills with expert training. We will be partnering with local secondary education programs to offer stacked credentials and certifications in advanced manufacturing. WHAT YOUR IMPACT WILL BE Sewing Specialists are key positions at Fourbital. You will be trained in industrial sewing machines, i.e. straight stitch, flat lock, serger, coverstitch, double needle, seamsealer, embroidery, knitting and CAD software associated with laser cutting, embroidery, printing, and knitting.

COMMUNITY SUPPORT Begin a career in 2022, don’t start a job! Spend your time doing work that makes a real difference. We need great people who want to help great people. Are you compassionate, kind, 1:17 PM resilient, and adaptable? Specialized Community Care is seeking unique individuals who will act as mentors, coaches, and friends to provide support for adults in Addison, Rutland, Franklin, and Chittenden Counties with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This is a fun and rewarding career spent “Off the Couch.” 3:10 PM We provide extensive training, support, professional growth and advancement opportunities in a family work environment. We offer pay increases after a probationary period and further advancement and pay for selfpaced skill building. We want to hire your values and train the skills that will help make you successful. Let’s talk!

Please contact us at 802-388-6388 Web: www.sccvt.org Or email denise.smith@sccvt.org

We strongly believe in the value of growing a diverse team and encourage people of all backgrounds, genders, ethnicities, abilities, and sexual orientations to apply. WHAT WE WILL OFFER • Competitive compensation • Medical/Dental/Vision benefits • 401k retirement plan • Flexible time off and paid parental leave • Compensation incentive for recruiting additional team members

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Compensation is based on experience. We are a training facility and welcome whomever is interested apparel manufacturing to apply. rebecca@fourbitalfactory.com

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EMT / FIREFIGHTER Life Savers Wanted!

The Williston Fire Department has full-time openings for a Career EMT/Firefighter. Applications are due by January 30, 2022 with an expected start date of April 1, 2022. Minimum requirements include National Registry - EMT certification at the time of application, with current Firefighter I, AEMT or Paramedic certification preferred. Current Candidate Physical Ability Test (CPAT) certification is required prior to employment start date. Candidates without Firefighter I certification must be willing to obtain said certification within the first 12 months of hire as required by 20 V.S.A. Chapter 179.

NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY! JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

93 DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

NURSING POSITIONS Are you a dedicated and compassionate nurse tired of working a hectic schedule? The Converse Home, an assisted living community in downtown Burlington, is looking for:

• 40 hour RCA or LNA 6:30am-3pm • 22 hour RCA or LNA 4pm-9:30pm on Memory Care Community • 27 hour RCA or LNA 4pm-9:30pm Work for our nonprofit organization and get to know our wonderful residents. The right people for these jobs will be compassionate, dedicated, team players and detail oriented nurses.

Visit www.willistonfire.com for an application and to view full job posting. Applicants must send a completed application, resume and cover letter by e-mail to applications@willistonfire.com or by mail to:

Full time positions have excellent benefits including a regular schedule, a competitive salary, medical, dental, and paid vacation time.

Williston Fire Department, Attn: Chief Aaron Collette 645 Talcott Road, Williston, VT 05495

Send your resume to kellie@conversehome.com and fill out an application on our website!

Williston Fire is an E.O.E.

Please visit www.conversehome.com to learn more about our community. You must have a VT State Nursing License and be able to pass a background check. 5h-ConverseHomeNURSE121521.indd 1

12/14/21 12:35 PM

DIRECTOR OF THE CENTER FOR ARTS & SOCIAL JUSTICE WORKING BRIDGES RESOURCE COORDINATOR

Vermont College of Fine Arts welcomes applications for the Director of the Center for Arts + Social Justice. The Director of the Center for Arts + Social Justice is a leadership and management position reporting to the VP for Institutional Advancement.

Ready to make a real difference in the lives of working Vermont women and families? Then we are ready for you!

The Director will guide VCFA’s newly launched Center for Arts + Social Justice into its next phase of growth, fulfilling and expanding its vision for building an ecosystem of artists and storytellers working to change the dominant narrative and inspire new realities.

We need a flexible extrovert and multi-tasking wizard (also known as the Resource Coordinator) who has an exceptional knowledge of community resources and state services. This knowledge will serve you well as you help employees at our on-site partner workplaces navigate non-work related issues.

Responsibilities include: In this leadership role, the Director will work collaboratively with all departments of the college and program constituencies and manage all functions of the Center for Arts + Social Justice, including creating programming, directing communications, and leading outreach and engagement efforts. Additionally, the Director will work with the Office of Institutional Advancement to identify and pursue funding opportunities. This position requires a high level of creativity and vision, administrative and interpersonal skills, as well as a deep belief and understanding of the range of ways the arts have and can influence forward movement in the quest for a more just and equitable world.

The Working Bridges program also includes offering on-site individual or group training for employees, mobile tax preparation, coordination of income advance loans for employees and participation in employer collaborative meetings. The Working Bridges Resource Coordinator is a key component of both the Working Bridges program and Working Communities Challenge initiative. The Working Bridges program improves business and workforce stability by bringing innovative practices to employers and employees using the workplace as a platform for human services.

Successful candidates will have: a Bachelor’s Degree and Master’s degree or equivalent work experience in the arts, higher ed or non-profit sector; minimum 5 years of experience in program development and implementation; demonstrated aptitude for working on multiple projects; exemplary interpersonal and communication skills; high level organizational skills and capacity for attention to detail; ability to think creatively, entrepreneurially, and strategically as part of a collaborative team setting; and knowledge of equity and inclusivity practices. knowledgeable in equity and inclusivity practices.

The Working Communities Challenge (WCC) is a targeted threeyear initiative that aims to increase economic mobility and overall well-being for Greater Barre Area women-led households experiencing financial instability. The primary role of the Resource Coordinator in this innovative project is to support aligned coordination of employment support utilizing the components of the Working Bridges program and individual wrap-around support.

Candidates are encouraged to consult VCFA’s website to acquaint themselves Candidates are encouraged to learning consult VCFA’s website to acquaint themselves with our distinctive institution, processes, educational philosophy and with our distinctive institution, learning processes, educational philosophy Statement of Community Values. Please see the full job description here. Toand apply, Statement of Community Values. Please see the full job description here. To apply, send the following to careers@vcfa.edu: send the following to careers@vcfa.edu: • Cover Letter; CV/Resume; and Statement on Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion, • Cover Letter; CV/Resume; skills, and Statement on Diversity, Equity, & and Inclusion, outlining your professional accomplishments, experience, willingness outlining your professional skills, accomplishments, experience, and willingness to engage in activities to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Based in Washington County with the home office located at a community hub/fitness facility in Barre, Vermont, this position comes with added benefits of working with a great team, generous PTO and excellent benefits.

to engage in activities to enhance diversity, equity, and inclusion. For full consideration, submit the application by December 31st. Position will For full consideration, submit an application by December 31, 2021. remain open until filled. Position will remain open until filled. 9t-VTCollegeFineArts121521.indd 11 9t-VTCollegeFineArts121521.indd

Apply online: gmunitedway.org/working-bridges-resource-coordinator.

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12/10/21 11:43 AM

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

KITCHEN STAFF Hiring full-time and part-time chefs & cooks with commercial kitchen experience.

GO HIRE.

Competitive pay & benefits available! Explore this beautiful state while creating some of Vermont’s best cuisine, powered by local and seasonal produce. If interested, please email christinecloud9vt@gmail.com.

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

For details and application information, go to: ethanallenhomestead. org/hiring WHERE YOU AND 12/13/21 YOUR WORK MATTER...

12/14/212v-EthanAllenHomestead121521.indd 11:38 AM 1

4:32 PM

B U I L D I N G S E N G I N E E R I I – ( M U LT I P L E ) - M O N T P E L I E R

• Search for jobs by keyword, location, category and job type.

Would you like to make a valuable contribution supporting statewide design and construction? We are currently accepting applications from all architectural and engineering candidates. Candidates should have experience associated with capital improvement and maintenance projects. In addition to project management, this position will also assist the Design and Construction Program Chief with managing technical reviews, vendor evaluations, design guidelines, standard specifications, and procedures. For more information, contact Jeremy Stephens at jeremy. stephens@vermont.gov. Department: Buildings and General Services. Status: Full Time. Location: Montpelier. Job Id #19529. Application Deadline: Open Until Filled.

• Set up job alert emails using custom search criteria. • Save jobs to a custom list with your own notes on the positions.

PAR T C ADMINIS TRATOR – WATERBURY

• Apply for jobs directly through the site.

The Child Development Division is seeking a skilled professional with an early childhood background to join our team as Part C Administrator. This role is responsible for managing Part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) for the state of Vermont. There may be some opportunity to work remotely in this position, aligning with AHS guidance and policies. Preferred Qualifications: Direct experience with early childhood education, special education, social work, or healthcare. For more information, contact Keith Williams at keith.williams@vermont.gov. Department: Children and Families. Location: Waterbury. Status: Full Time. Job Id #21221. Application Deadline: December 22, 2021.

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

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

VOCATION AL REHABILITATION BENEFIT S COUNSELOR – RUTLAND Voc Rehab is seeking a Benefits Counselor to serve job seekers with disabilities for the Rutland and Bennington districts. Benefits Counselors provide benefits information so that consumers can make informed choices about employment and benefits. The nature of the job involves a diverse range of knowledge about state and federal funded benefits, program rules and disabilities issues. For more information, contact Maria Burt at maria.burt@vermont.gov. Department: Disabilities Aging & Independent Living. Location: Rutland. Status: Full Time. Job Id # 25724. Application Deadline: December 22, 2021.

jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Learn more at :

careers.vermont.gov 12-jobsgohire-snowboarder20.indd 1

Ethan Allen Homestead Burlington, Vermont 05408

When you work for the State of Vermont, you and your work matter. A career with the State puts you on a rich and rewarding professional path. You’ll find jobs in dozens of fields – not to mention an outstanding total compensation package.

Job Seekers: Job Recruiters:

MUSEUM DIRECTOR

The State of Vermont is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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12/10/21 11:36 AM

CASE MANAGER

The preferred candidate must have excellent interpersonal and organizational skills, minimum 3-5 years experience working in housing or human services. Job includes travel throughout the Washington, Orange and Lamoille counties so must have reliable vehicle and VT driver’s license. COVID vaccinations required. Position is 40 hours/week with benefits. Send cover letter and resume via email ONLY to Joyce@homesharevermont.org. EOE.

WAREHOUSE PACKAGE HANDLER

JOBS.SEVENDAYSVT.COM

95 DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

THE VERMONT JUDICIARY IS NOW HIRING POSITIONS ACROSS THE STATE

HomeShare Vermont is a 40-year-old non-profit dedicated to promoting intergenerational homesharing to help people age in place while creating affordable housing arrangements for others. We have an opening for a Case Manager in our Montpelier office. The Case Manager will work with both those looking for housing and those considering sharing their homes and provide community outreach & education about homesharing.

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NEW JOBS POSTED DAILY!

12/9/21 3:40 PM

• Up to $20.00 /hour to start* • Includes a pay enhancement of $2 per hour for all package handlers from 9/19/21-1/08/22 • New Bonus Surge is $1 per hour from 10:00PM - 10:00AM. This location is participating in a Weekend Bonus Program from 10/21/21 to 12/25/21. If a package handler works on a Saturday or Sunday, they will receive a $50 bonus. If they work both days, they will receive a $100 bonus. This location is participating in an Hours Worked bonus program from 8/15/21 to 1/08/21. If part-time package handlers work 25+ hours within the week, they will earn a $100 bonus. If full-time package handlers work 40+ hours within the week, they will earn a $200 bonus. This location is participating in a Referral Program from 11/2/21 to 12/18/21. If a package handler refers someone and they stay with the company for 45 days, they will receive a $500 bonus. This location is participating in a Sign On Hours Worked bonus program from 7/4/21 to 12/25/21. If new part-time package handlers work a minimum of 100 hours in their first month, they will earn a $250 bonus. • Fast paced and physical warehouse work – why pay for a gym membership when you can get paid while working out? • Warehouse duties include loading, unloading, and sorting of packages of various sizes. • Part time employees work one shift a day; full time employees work two shifts. • Shift lengths vary based on package volume – generally part time employees work between 3 and 6 hours a day. Full time employees can expect to work between 6 and 10 hours.

Permanent, Limited Service offer full benefits including healthcare, sick leave, holidays, and paid time off. Temporary positions available. For a full listing of positions available: vermontjudiciary.exacthire.com

GENERAL COUNSEL

Full time permanent position reporting to the State Court Administrator providing legal advice and services. Manages public information requests, drafts contracts, review proposed legislation and consult on administrative directives. Starting salary approximately $105k annual. VT license to practice plus 5 years of related experience required.

OUTREACH COORDINATOR (CSA)

Limited-Service position until 6/30/23 in Access & Resource Center (ARC), Language Access Program: scheduling court interpreters, planning logistics and coordination of community outreach for court interpreter certification plan, processing interpreter invoices and other activities affiliated with optimizing language access in the courts. Starting Salary $21.64 per hour. Associate’s Degree and 3 years of customer service experience.

APPLICATION SUPPORT HELPDESK (CSA)

Multiple Limited-Service positions until 6/30/23. Act as the first contact for litigants, attorneys and other customers who need assistance navigating the court’s primary software application. Will learn court procedures and deliver excellent service over phone and computer. Starting Salary $21.64 per hour. Associate’s Degree and 3 years of customer service experience.

LEGAL CLERICAL ASSISTANT

Several permanent, Limited Service and Temporary Docket Clerk positions available. Will perform specialized clerical duties including data entry customer service, multitasking, legal processing, courtroom support and record keeping. Hiring throughout Vermont. High School graduate and two years of clerical or data entry experience required. Starting at $17.49 per hour.

All positions are open until filled. The Vermont Judiciary is an equal opportunity employer.

• Overtime paid after 40 hours per week. • Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified individuals with disabilities.

ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

• Excellent benefits include medical, dental, and vision insurance, tuition reimbursement, and more.

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

Apply online: groundwarehousejobs.fedex.com/groundwarehousejobs/?lang=en-US&src=facbk.

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

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ATTENTION RECRUITERS:

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

DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

MULTIPLE OPENINGS! Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) 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. HCV INTAKE SPECIALIST is responsible for waitlist management of federally subsidized rental assistance programs. This position works directly with program applicants and maintains applications, records and computer entries for all programs and provides administrative support to rental assistance department. LEASING COORDINATOR is responsible for the waitlist selection, screening for program eligibility, gathering information for Property Managers to screen for tenant suitability, processing lease ups, processing tenant move out files, monitoring vacancies and providing back up assistance to the Property Managers. MAINTENANCE TECHNICIAN performs general maintenance work in BHA owned and managed properties, including building exteriors, common areas, apartments, building systems, fixtures, and grounds. Our Maintenance Techs are required to participate in the on-call rotation, which covers night and weekend emergencies. OFFENDER RE-ENTRY HOUSING SPECIALIST provides housing placement and retention services to high-risk offenders returning to the community from longterm incarceration. This grant funded position works as a part of a skilled Housing Retention Team and in close collaboration with Burlington Probation and Parole and Dept. of Corrections Central Offices. RECEPTIONIST manages the main office lobby and answers phones while providing great customer service, processes office mailings, and provides administrative support. RENTAL ASSISTANCE SPECIALIST assists in the operation of all rental programs, including tenant and project-based voucher and grant funded rental assistance programs. This position works with applicants, participants, and landlords to ensure that the required paperwork and annual certifications are processed timely.

Communications Director The Vermont Natural Resources Council (VNRC) has an exciting opportunity for an outgoing person who wants to have a significant impact on the future of Vermont. VNRC works at the state and local level to advance policies, programs and practices that strengthen the foundation upon which Vermont thrives. We are looking for a motivated person to further this mission as our Communications Director. The successful candidate will be self-directed and have excellent writing skills; be able to communicate effectively with a variety of audiences, including members, activists, policy makers and the general public; be able to work collaboratively in a busy office environment; have experience in strategic use of digital advocacy tools and social media, including website management; and be committed to working on behalf of Vermont’s residents, environment and communities. Experience with membership development and fundraising is a plus. We recognize that formal education is not the only pathway to gaining relevant experience, so we invite candidates with any combination of academic, professional, and life experience who can demonstrate outstanding ability to communicate effectively on VNRC’s behalf. VNRC is an Equal Opportunity Employer and strongly encourages applications from candidates whose identities have been historically underrepresented in the environmental movement, including people who identify as Black, Indigenous, Hispanic or Latino, Asian or Pacific Islander, or people of color; people from marginalized economic backgrounds; and people living with disabilities. Starting salary is commensurate with experience, with total salary and benefits package ranging between $64,000$73,000. Email a letter of interest, resume and three references to aconnizzo@vnrc.org. Letters should be addressed to Brian Shupe, Executive Director. All offers for employment are conditioned on the candidate complying with VNRC’s mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy. Position will remain open until filled. Learn more at VNRC.org.

STAFF ACCOUNTANT- RENTAL ASSISTANCE provides financial administration, accounting, and reporting for the various Rental Assistance and HUD Grant programs. This position is responsible for the financial administration of the Housing Choice Voucher (HCV) and Mainstream programs including the processing of monthly Housing Assistance and Utility Allowance payments by check or ACH; monthly VMS submissions to HUD; annual processing of 1099 forms for landlords; responding to periodic inquiries from landlords, Rental Assistance staff, or HUD. To learn more about BHA and these career opportunities, please visit our website: https://burlingtonhousing.org. BHA offers a competitive salary, commensurate with qualifications and experience, and an excellent benefit package. If you are interested in these career opportunities, please send a cover letter and resume to: humanresources@burlingtonhousing.org.

Human Resources , Burlington Housing Authority 65 Main Street, Suite 101, Burlington, VT 05401

New, local, scam-free jobs posted every day!

BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY BY ROB BREZSNY REAL DECEMBER 16-22 fulfill? 7. What secret have you hidden so well that you have mostly concealed it even from yourself?

SAGITTARIUS (NOV. 22-DEC. 21)

The coming months will be a favorable time for you to redefine the meaning of the term “sacred” and to deepen your relationship with sacredness. To spur your imagination, I offer four quotes: 1. “Recognizing the sacred begins when we are interested in every detail of our lives.” — Buddhist teacher Chögyam Trungpa 2. “When you notice something clearly and see it vividly, it then becomes sacred.” — poet Allen Ginsberg 3. “Holiness begins in recognizing the face of the other.” — philosopher Marc-Alain Ouaknin 4. “Modern culture, in its advertising of sex, is in a misguided fashion advertising its longing for the sacred.” — teacher Sobonfu Somé

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): Key questions for you, beginning now and throughout 2022: 1. What do you need to say but have not yet said? 2. What is crucial for you to do, but you have not yet done? 3. What dream have you neglected and shouldn’t neglect any longer? 4. What sanctuary is essential for you to visit, but you have not yet visited? 5. What “sin” is it important for you to forgive yourself for, but you have not yet forgiven yourself? 6. What promise have you not yet fulfilled, even though it’s getting late (but not too late!) to

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): Taurus novelist Anthony Trollope (1815-1882) took one of his manuscripts to a publishing company, hoping it would be made into a book and sold to the public. A few weeks later, he got word by mail that his masterpiece had been rejected. He took a train to the publisher’s office and retrieved it. On the train ride home, he turned the manuscript over and began writing a new story on the back of each page. He spent no time moping. That’s the spirit I recommend you embody in the coming weeks, dear Taurus. GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): “John Coltrane

was an addict,” wrote author Cornel West about the renowned jazz saxophonist and composer. “Billie Holiday was an addict. [Nobel Prize-winning author] Eugene O’Neill was an addict. What would America be without addicts and post-addicts who make such grand contributions to our society?” I welcome West’s sympathetic views toward addicts. Many of us who aren’t addicts understand how lucky we are not to have the genetic predisposition or the traumatic experiences with which addicts often struggle. We unaddicted people may also have been spared the bigotry and abuse that have contributed to and aggravated some addicts’ addictions. Having acknowledged these truths, I nevertheless hope to do whatever I can to help you convert any addictive tendencies you might have into passionate obsessions. Now is an excellent time to launch a new phase of such work. Invitation: Make a list of three things you can do in the coming months to nurture the process.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Actor and model Kate Beckinsale unleashed a cryptic boast: “My best feature is unfortunately a private matter, although I’m told it is spectacular. But you can’t really walk it down the red carpet. What can I say?” Are you imagining what I’m imagining? I bring this oddity to your attention in the hope that I can convince you to be more forthright and expressive about your own wonderful qualities. It’s time to be less shy about your beauty, less secretive about your deep assets. Show the world why you’re so lovable.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Leo-born Edna Ferber (1885-1968) was a celebrated author who won a Pulitzer Prize. She was witty and outspoken. Her stories featured strong women and characters struggling against discrimination. “I never would just open a door and walk through,” she said about her career. “I had to bust it down for the hell of it. I just naturally liked doing things the hard way.” At least in the coming weeks, Leo, I urge you not to adopt Ferber’s attitude. In my view, you’ll be wise to do everything possible to open doors rather than bust them down. And the best way to do that is to solicit help. Cultivate your ability to ask for what you need. Refine your practice of the arts of collaboration, synergy and interweaving. VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): “No one has ever written, painted, sculpted, modeled, built, or invented except literally to get out of hell,” wrote Virgo dramatist Antonin Artaud. That’s a ridiculous generalization, in my opinion. For example, I occasionally generate songs, stories and horoscopes to help me escape from a momentary hell. But most of my creations are inspired by my love of life and a desire to inspire others. I’m very sure that in the coming weeks, your own motivations to produce good things will be far closer to mine than to Artaud’s. You’re in a phase when your quest for joy, generosity, blessings and fun could be fierce and productive. LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): Author Barbara Sher offered this wise counsel: “Imaginary obstacles are insurmountable. Real ones aren’t.” I bring this to your attention because I believe the coming weeks will be an excellent time to identify the imaginary obstacles you’ve erected in your inner world — and then smash them or burn them or dispose of them. Once you’re free of the illusory interference, I think you’ll find you have at least twice as much power to neutralize the real obstacles. SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): Prolific author Ray Bradbury liked to give advice to those with a strong need to express their imaginative originality. Since I expect you will be a person like that in 2022, I’ll convey to you one of his exhortations. He wrote, “If you want to create, you must be the most sublime fool that God ever turned out and sent rambling. I wish you

a wrestling match with your Creative Muse that will last a lifetime. I wish craziness and foolishness and madness upon you.” Keep in mind that Bradbury was referring to constructive craziness, wise foolishness and divine madness.

CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19): Capricorn author E. M. Forster wrote, “The only books that influence us are those for which we are ready, and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves.” I propose we universalize that statement: “The only people, information and experiences that influence us are those for which we are ready and which have gone a little further down our particular path than we have yet gone ourselves.” I believe that this principle will be especially fruitful for you to embrace during the next three months. Prepare yourself for lessons that are vital for you to learn — and on the frontier of your understanding AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Among

America’s Founding Fathers was Aquarian William Whipple (1730-1785). He was one of 56 men who signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, instigating war with Great Britain. Unlike many of his colleagues, however, Whipple believed that it was hypocritical to enslave human beings while fighting for freedom. That’s why he emancipated the person who had been in bondage to him. The coming months will be a favorable time to make comparable corrections, Aquarius. If there are discrepancies between your ideals and your actions, fix the problem.

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): According to Piscean author Ryunosuke Akutagawa, “People sometimes devote their lives to a desire that they are not sure will ever be fulfilled.” So true! I can personally attest to that behavior. Is such a quest misguided? Delusional? Naive? Not in my view. I see it as glorious, brave and heroic. Akutagawa did, too. He said that those who refrain from having inspirational desires are “no more than mere spectators of life.” In any case, I recommend that you think big in 2022, Pisces. From an astrological angle, this could be the year you home in on and refine and upgrade the single most important desire you will ever have.

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

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Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com WOMEN seeking... KINDNESS, CREATIVITY AND FUN I am an independent, vibrant person. I work hard, and I play hard. I am also nurturing, and I come with excellent references. I love the outdoors, and I care about humanity, my friends and family. I live the good life in Burlington and beyond and could use someone to share it all with! Bevviejo, 60, seeking: M, l LOOKING FOR A TRUE PARTNER Isn’t online dating a blast? OK, maybe it can be challenging at times, but it’s still exciting that you have the chance to meet someone special who you might never have met elsewhere. I’m a proud mom/grandmom, an avid rower (concept rower), a professional and, if you ask my friends, a kind (and a bit quirky at times) person. Leelady, 57, seeking: M WOMAN, HONEST, NEW CHAPTER I’m at a crossroad in life. I’m just looking for nothing serious, but if it develops into more, I’m also OK with that. I’m an open book. If you want to know anything, just ask. I’m an open-minded individual looking to develop something new with someone who will cherish my time and energy, which people have taken for granted. vtwomen31, 31, seeking: M INQUISITIVE, WANTING MORE I would like to meet a lady I can become friends with. You can learn more about me when we talk. Adventurewithus2, 46, seeking: W, l

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LOTS OF ENERGY! I’m a high-energy, highly educated person in Vermont for winter skiing and fun. I love live music and get out as much as I can to hear good acts. I am interested in making new friends but would be open to a relationship, even an LTR, if the right connections develop. Winter_friend, 55, seeking: M, l MUCH TO BRING: SEEKING COMPANION/CONNECTION Laid-back, sane, cute, emotionally and financially stable. In Rhode Island, able to move/purchase next (like, cooler hemisphere) full or semi off-grid (or not). Animal lover, DIYer, prepper, self-sufficient. Seeking 50-50 partnership. Have remote work ability and passive income (for financial stability). Have much to bring to the table. Seeking similar for mutually beneficial relationship/partnership/life companion. nptfornow, 51, seeking: M, l WARM BBW FOR CUDDLY T-BEAR Warm BBW seeks cuddly teddy bear (or two) who’s silly, soulful, spiritual and sensual, as I am. Enjoy being near water, eating out or cooking together, drives to nowhere, plays, movies, live music. I’m polyamorous and hope you are, too; I believe it’s possible to have more than one loving relationship at once. Also please be intelligent, reflective and fun! Myzeffy, 63, seeking: M, l DISCREET FUN AND FRIEND WITH BENEFITS I am in my early 40s, married to a wonderful man who doesn’t know I enjoy the company of a woman occasionally. Looking to find another female who would like to be a friend with benefits. Discretion is a must. If we decide, then maybe meet for dinner/drinks and get a room for the night. Send me a message. DiscreetFun, 42, seeking: W COZY, LITERATE HOMEBODY SEEKS CO-CHEF Voracious reader and creative thinker seeks playmate. If you’re someone who thinks deeply, values friendships, respects the world beyond humankind, chooses science over suspicion, and tempers your thinking with compassion and humility, let’s be in touch. I’m a SF, 55, healthy, active and COVID careful. Sanguinely, 25, seeking: M SEASONED WOMAN DESIRES SEASONED MAN 73-y/o woman who wants to meet a man who desires to have a committed relationship to find what life reveals to us. I enjoy theater, walking, hiking (short distances), reading, writing (personal journals). Working part time in the field of DD/ID MH. flynrn, 73, seeking: M IRREVERENCE WELCOMED My passions are travel, food, art, music and more. I like to spend as little time being serious as possible. I’m curious about a lot of things. Do you share these passions and have others of your own? Do you like family time, being in nature or people-watching as you sit at an outdoor table on Church Street? summerplease, 64, seeking: M, l

SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

SEEKING ELUSIVE CHEMISTRY Genuine nice gal — low maintenance, avoider of negative energy. Aim for peaceful coexistence in a beautiful setting. Love nature: big view, mountains, lake and sky; birds and animals; swimming in streams, lakes and waterfalls. Seek similar male who is tall, educated, kind and upbeat. Emotionally stable. Well read. Bonus points if you like cooking garden-to-table, and yard projects. swimwstars, 65, seeking: M, l LOVING AND KIND I am a very nice person who is open to love at any time. When I say “love,” I mean sharing ideas, spending time. I live a very quiet life and do not like the limelight. I love military men. I also love intelligent conversation. Some looks are necessary, but taking care of oneself is important. AnLuv, 50, seeking: M, l HOPING FOR COMPANIONSHIP Don’t need a fancy trip to France. Would enjoy the company of someone for more realistic adventures — things like breakfast. I love getting breakfast out, playing board games, day trips here and there. bluemonarch, 55, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, l LOVE TO LAUGH, KIND, AUTHENTIC Been separated for a while now and, though very happy/content to be solo during that time, I think I’m ready to meet new people. Looking for some fun social times to start. I love to go out for drinks, play darts/cards. Love watching sports on TV, especially Boston teams. Love animals, travel and new but sane adventures. Not looking for FWB. AlmostReady, 64, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking... CAN I MAKE YOU LAUGH? I’m tall, well put together, and I’ve got a great job that I love. I’ve been careeroriented my entire adult life, and now that I’ve come to a comfortable place in my career, ideally I’m looking for someone to talk to, then hang out with, then see where things go. Blueeyedandbearded, 35, seeking: W, l LOOKING FOR MY DISCREET LOVER A total bottom guy who likes to go out and do things, but I always want to have extra fun with him at the end. So, if you’re the type who wants to maybe go out for a pizza and a beer on a Saturday afternoon, then end up in your bed afterward, send me a message. borpsalm69, 46, seeking: M FUNNY, SUBMISSIVE, VERSATILE BI GUY Looking to meet “straight“ and bi men, as well as bi couples and MW couples, for fun and sex. I’m a fun person who likes to enjoy life and am looking for new adventures. Let’s help each other expand and explore our sexual boundaries. I’m respectful and discreet, so let’s meet! Binorth, 64, seeking: M, TW, Cp, Gp NEVER THOUGHT I’D BE HERE I’m as normal as I am abnormal. Just looking around. No preference. Don’t be shy. Notsurewhattoputhere, 22, seeking: W

READY TO SHARE LIFE AGAIN Things are going well for me! Career is on track. Family is healthy. I’m financially secure. And I have been vaccinated. (That is important these days, LOL.) What I’m missing in my life is a special friend/partner/ LTR. Someone to rejoice with our individual/together life events. And to help soften the sting when life’s little failures arises. I’m ready to share life. VTMtnAdventures, 58, seeking: W, l

TRANS WOMEN seeking... BE MY CUDDLE BUDDY? Cute 50-y/o vegan straight-edge polyam ace enby trans girl. Love my parallel polyam primary nesting partner, so I’m looking for a part-time snuggle buddy for walks and talks and handholding and kissing and romance! I fall in love really easily! I’m half in love with you already just because you’re reading this! Anyone but cis guys. EnbyTransgirl, 53, seeking: W, TM, TW, Q, NBP, l

STING IS MY BIGGEST FAN OK, I don’t actually know Sting. Just moved up to Vermont a minute ago and would love to meet some fun folks. I’m not looking for anything serious. That part of my life is accounted for. I’m still fond of female company in all its other forms, though. PlentyOfToast, 39, seeking: W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp, l

T GIRL LIVE IN VT Trans girl. Offbeat sense of humor. Looking for that certain someone. I like dinner and a movie or a game at Centennial Field. I like to ride my bike on the bike path and see shows at Higher Ground. At home I spend my time listening to my record collection and taking care of my house. Luv2BaGurl, 61, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

Y KNOT I’m looking for some NSA, discreet fun. MD515, 54, seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, Cp, Gp

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HAPPY BI MAN Looking to meet others for sensual experiences. Into many things, but mostly hot, lustful fun. paulccc, 61, seeking: M, Cp HONEST, SPIRITUAL, CARING, LOVING Recently relocated to Colchester and work as an RN at UVMMC in Burlington. Highly educated with BSN and BS Chem. Honest, open-minded and willing for LTR. Have faith, hope and love. Seeking female companion/soul mate to share fun times when not working. I enjoy most indoor cultural and outdoor recreational activities. No drugs or alcohol, please. Nursesteve1, 60, seeking: W, l LOOKING FOR A NEW FRIEND Hello! I am looking for a new friend and looking to have more fun this winter than last winter allowed. The friendship I’m looking for may be a bit “unconventional,” but it would be a lot of fun! Who likes conventional anyway? Let’s chat or get together and see if we could be friends. Forfun802, 38, seeking: W CURIOUS, SEEKING ACTION Looking for after-midnight hookup. If you are horny and not ugly and local, hit me up. jasper, 62, seeking: M SILVER HEAD, FOR GOOD COMPANY Friendly, social guy seeks good male company with possible benefits. orion, 68, seeking: M STILL LOVING CURIOSITY creative type — still trying to figure out life... looking for someone who questions, explores, is happy to be out of the mainstream,and is looking for a partner in crime. With the right person, ready to give and get constant touch and affection. timeandtouch, 62, seeking: W OLD BUT STILL HORNY At 83, I am blessed to be healthy and “vital,” and am looking for older women who are the same. I believe couples should make the rules that work for them. I am open to a variety of activities and types of relationships. I don’t judge and believe that mutual respect is most important if a relationship is going to work. barreloves, 83, seeking: W, TW, Cp, Gp, l

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking... FEMININE CROSS-DRESSER SEEKS THOSE INTERESTED I’m looking for others interested in femininity and sensual possibilities. Let’s chat. Nicole123, 62, seeking: M, TW, Q, NC, NBP

TRANS MEN seeking... FRIENDLY VERMONTER, MEETING NEW PEOPLE I’m looking to meet folks in the Burlington area. I’m 28 and work at a local college. I like doing things outdoors but also like to do low-key things, too, like hang out with a dog or watch a movie. I identify as trans masculine. I’m getting into cooking and would like to make some good meals with someone. llido, 28, seeking: W, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

COUPLES seeking... READY TO EXPLORE THE UNKNOWN My girlfriend and I want to live out our fantasies! So, we are looking for a couple or a female who we can explore and have fun with. We are both fairly attractive and clean. I can be wild, and she wants to learn how to unleash the hidden inner beast. BigRed_Little_Tuff, 41, seeking: Cp 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, 37, 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 MF + F = FUN We are an attractive, fun, respectful, discreet, loving couple. We would love to sexually experiment with a woman. We love the outdoors, the pool, the hot tub, boating and anything sunshine, good food, eating out, campfires, and being in good company. Join us for dinner and drinks and see what happens. unsureinVT, 51, seeking: W, Cp, l SPICING IT UP I’m a cancer survivor happily married to my husband. We’re seeking a couple or single woman to help me find my sensuality. We’ve done this before, but it’s been many years now. Anyone interested in helping out? Lookingforfun116, 53, seeking: W, Cp

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PURPLE HAIR AT CITY MARKET You rang me up in the evening. Your purple hair is awesome, and you were really friendly. I appreciated you bagging for me while I paid. Thanks for making my night brighter with the beautiful purple and with your kindness. I hope I see you at the cash register again soon. When: Wednesday, December 8, 2021. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Trans man. #915468 LAUGHS AT WILLISTON CVS You asked how a fan of my team ended up here. I replied quickly, and we shared a quick laugh. You wished me a good rest of the day as you passed me at the self-checkout. I would have asked you to coffee if I had seen you outside. If anything, thanks for the smile. When: Monday, December 6, 2021. Where: Williston CVS. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915467 FOUND! GODDESS TO SPOIL Goddess V: You truly are the unicorn of unicorns! So glad you took the chance and responded to our personal ad. One of the most epic weekends of our lives is in the books. Next up? More adventures, laughs, great conversation, cuddles on the couch, continuing to spoil you in and out of the bedroom, and contributing to your sexual awakening! When: Sunday, November 14, 2021. Where: Seven Days Personals. You: Woman. Me: Couple. #915466 MIDDAY SHAW’S SHOPPER To the hat-wearing bearded lunchtime grocery shopper stuck in a long checkout line: We crossed paths a few times. Please know you were the main character in my lunchtime errand. I want to know what happens next! When: Thursday, December 2, 2021. Where: Waterbury Shaw’s. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915465

MEMORIES OR FEELINGS No matter how hard I tried, it wouldn’t work. Once a single imperfection is revealed, I’m toast. In the end, all I could do was run while looking back at memories of feeling alienated. In brief reflective moments, almost asleep, feelings go deep and life feels free. All that work so eternity can stay a little longer with each visit. When: Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Where: somewhere out there, somewhere near here. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915464 SWEET GIRL MAKING CONFECTIONS I am so very grateful to have initiated our conversation, which led to a first meeting, which has subsequently led to another and another, and I hope they don’t stop. You have given me the feelings I have been searching for, and I look forward to us getting to know each other more and more and being your wood stacker. When: Wednesday, November 24, 2021. Where: Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915463 MY LOVE BURNED IT DOWN Was it because you were afraid or because you didn’t love me? Every memory is suspended here. They’re ghosts armed with knives. I could have laid my head on your chest every night ‘til I was old. “You broke my heart from the start ... made me work so hard ... The last recluse ... Or was it, ‘Courage ... it didn’t come...’”? I am gutted. When: Sunday, November 21, 2021. Where: at the stupid end. You: Man. Me: Woman. #915462 BURKLYN/VTANTRA LAST TRY I and M: You look like a fun couple, but I never get a response from you on #Open, OkC or Feeld. I’m disappointed. Me: masculine-presenting muscular climber, polysexual, multiamorous, tatted. When: Sunday, November 21, 2021. Where: #Open/Burklyn. You: Couple. Me: Genderqueer. #915459

WORKING AT SWEET CLOVER We chatted briefly at the Weird Meat fridge. I came in for coffee and a chance to say hello to you, but I lost my nerve. Catch up for a cup of coffee and another chance? You: slender, long straight hair, moving with purpose, making eye contact over your shoulder. When: Monday, November 22, 2021. Where: Essex. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915461 SAW YOU AT THE ANTIDOTE You: very cute hippie girl eating dinner with someone I assume was your boyfriend. Me: alone at the bar eating the Thursday special. I caught your eye a couple of times, and got the “I’m interested” look. I’m there every Thursday. Want a new friend? Could get interesting! Hotter than the fried chicken! When: Thursday, November 18, 2021. Where: Vergennes. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915460 WORKING AT DUNKIN’ DONUTS IN MONTPELIER I only see you once or twice a week, early mornings. I would like to take you out for dinner and chat with you. When: Sunday, November 21, 2021. Where: Dunkin’ Donuts in Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915458 RICHMOND BEAUTY Came to Sweet Simone’s for the coffee but stayed for your (cinnamon) buns. Saw you next door at Hey June, too! I had coffee and a scone and was looking for holiday cards next to you. Let’s get coffee? When: Thursday, November 18, 2021. Where: Richmond. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915457 TRYING TO CONTACT SMARTY PANTS I’m looking to be reunited with the most amazing girl. I made a mistake, and I’ve paid dearly for it. Please reach out to me. #Sunshine #Smartypants #Montpelier When: Monday, November 1, 2021. Where: Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915453 BERLIN PLANET FITNESS You: beautiful, very curvy blond girl with black leggings, white shoes and half shirt. Me: guy admiring your amazing physique on Saturday and Sunday, October 30 and 31. When: Saturday, October 30, 2021. Where: Berlin Planet Fitness. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915452

Ask REVEREND

RE: LOST Deleting numbers is OK. Crossing paths is a sign. If you are her, we should connect. Tag! You’re it! When: Saturday, November 6, 2021. Where: crossing paths?. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915456

THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW! Our paths are running next to each other. I hope they cross sooner rather than later. I hope you turn here as much as I do. When: Sunday, October 10, 2021. Where: my daily read. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915432

DUNKIN’ DONUTS, EARLY 11/1 You: an adorable tiny lady, full of fire. Me: just a guy on his way to work. We both shook our heads at the garbage truck flying through the parking lot. Just wanted you to know I thought you were adorable. Be careful of those candy trucks. When: Monday, November 1, 2021. Where: Williston Dunkin’ Donuts. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915451

I MISS YOU, SUNSHINE I made a mistake, and it cost me the best woman I ever knew. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about my Montpelier girl. I do wish the best for you but wish we split on better terms. You will always be in my heart, Smarty Pants. When: Monday, September 27, 2021. Where: Montpelier. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915428

HOT WOMAN CHATTING WITH ME We were chatting waiting in line. Then an older lady was trying to cut, and you made it a point to tell her, “You’re behind him!” That was hot! I could be wrong, but I felt a connection. I liked what I saw; did you? I’m game if you are. Chat or even more — send you home smiling. ? When: Friday, October 29, 2021. Where: Hannaford, North Ave., in line. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915449 RANDI WITH THE GRAY CURLS I’ve always secretly admired you and like talking to you when you come into my work, but I haven’t seen you in a while. Let’s hang out sometime. Maybe I could be your winter warmth. If you see this, please respond or come see me. I hope you are doing well! When: Friday, October 1, 2021. Where: South Burlington. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915447 BEAUTIFUL MOM AND ADORABLE DAUGHTER You and your daughter visited me and my goats. I think we caught eyes a few times. I wanted to chat more and get your name, but I was occupied with other visitors. You: wide-brimmed green hat, cowboy boots, beautiful smile and adorable daughter. I was the goat guy. When: Friday, October 8, 2021. Where: Richmond Farmers Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915442 STONE SOUP Me: 60 y/o. You: about the same. We caught each other’s eye at the café. I was with a friend having a piece of pie and a tea. You were with a younger woman, possibly your daughter. I would be interested in finding out more about you. When: Saturday, October 16, 2021. Where: Stone Soup café. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915439

Dear Angsty Annie,

the

Irreverent counsel on life’s conundrums

Dear Reverend,

I was recently elated because I had a wonderful date with someone new and started to see this potentially becoming something more. I learned, however, that they are unvaccinated because of medical reasons that I trust are legitimate — there’s research behind it regarding a condition that they have. They get tested weekly and have offered to coordinate testing with our time together. I am triple vaxxed. I don’t know how comfortable I would feel about this situation if it were to become intimate. The connection really feels worth exploring, but then again, it could end up being nothing. I feel a responsibility to my own health, but more so to the roommate I live with and my coworkers, as we have an unmasked office. What do you think?

Angsty Annie (FEMALE, 35)

In this situation, the person whose health you should be most concerned about is the one who isn’t vaccinated. It’s great that you’ve gotten all your shots, but you can still transmit the virus, and it would be a heck of a lot worse for your new pal to pick it up from you than the other way around. So why aren’t you wearing a mask in your office? If you’re planning on dating an unvaccinated person, that’s something you should definitely reconsider. Also, if they’re going through the trouble of getting tested before you spend

SHELBURNE ROAD, ADVANCED AUTO PARTS You and your guy were waiting at the counter as I walked by and wished you good luck on your project. Did I imagine it, or did you come over by me a few times and then bend over in front of the air fresheners for my benefit? If so, I’m really glad you did. Meet for a drink? When: Friday, September 24, 2021. Where: Shelburne Rd. auto parts store. You: Couple. Me: Man. #915425 BURLINGTON CUMBERLAND FARMS, GAS, SMILES You: F, light brown hair in a bun, blue Volkswagen wagon parked at the pump. Me: M, tall, salt-and-pepper hair, shorts, floral mask, held the door for you as you came in. We caught each other’s eye, smiled as you walked to the pump. I said hi. I should’ve come over to talk. Care to do that sometime? When: Tuesday, September 21, 2021. Where: Cumberland Farms, Pine St., Burlington. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915424 FOREVER, EVER? Forever never, seems that long until you’re grown / And notice that the day-by-day ruler can’t be too wrong. / I wish I could become a magician to abracadabra all the sadder / Thoughts of me, thoughts of she, asking what happened to the feeling that her and me had. When: Sunday, October 14, 2018. Where: separate ways. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915416 GEORGIA MARKET You: blue shirt and jeans, and some tats. Me: blue shirt and shorts. We smiled at each other, said hi, and then I dropped my keys and said, “Sh*t.” I would enjoy hearing from you if you are single! G. When: Wednesday, September 15, 2021. Where: Georgia Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #915410

time together, you should do the same so that you both can be sure you’re in the clear. As you mentioned, it’s too soon to tell where the relationship may go. But if you feel a spark, by all means pursue it. We may be in the midst of a pandemic, but with a little precaution, there’s no reason to put your life on hold. Time keeps marching on, and there’s no better reason to keep up with the beat than taking a chance at love. Good luck and God bless,

The Reverend What’s your problem?

Send it to asktherev@sevendaysvt.com. SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

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Gay white male looking for gay males in the area of Tunbridge/ South Royalton. 5’10 and a half. Slender build. Dark brown hair and brown eyes. Good looking. Can be discreet. Contact me. #L1541 I am a rural woman interested in building a romantic relationship. I follow the teachings of Dr. Pat Allen, inspired by science and Taoist philosophy. I want to be cherished by a gentleman who wants to be respected. #L1537 65-y/o woman, but not showing my age yet, looking to meet calm, mature, honest men. I enjoy adventures with most outdoor activities, animals, music. #L1536 Woman, 56. Need a simple life in the country with a gentle, caring man sharing similar values to keep the relationship healthy. Desire to engage in deep conversation, be active in nature and support good health. Must love coffee, good food and the art of cooking. Phone number, please. #L1543 SWM bi top seeks sub bottom. Enjoy fem heels, stockings, panties, painted toenails. No drugs. Clean. Vaccinated. Steady lover. Phone. #L1542 I’m a GWM, 60s, 5’9, 170 pounds, seeking a man or men into spanking and/or wearing/ using adult diapers. #L1540

Bi-curious male, 40s, seeking pen pals and phone freaks. Confess your closet kinks, freaky fetishes and taboo tales. I’m open-minded and nonjudgmental. I want to know all your sexy secrets. All are welcome. I’ll reply if asked. #L1539 36-y/o SWM seeking captivating pen pal. Looking to establish an upright, modest relationship with like-minded people. I’m funny, energetic, appealing and enjoy the little things. I love the beauty the outdoors bring. Open to all. Life’s too short to miss an opportunity. Can’t wait to hear from you. #L1538

HOW TO REPLY TO THESE LOVE LETTERS: Seal your reply — including your preferred contact info — inside an envelope. Write your penpal’s box number on the outside of that envelope and place it inside another envelope with payment. Responses for Love Letters must begin with the #L box number. MAIL TO: Seven Days Love Letters

P.O. Box 1164, Burlington, VT 05402

PAYMENT: $5/response. Include cash or check

(made out to “Seven Days”) in the outer envelope. To send unlimited replies for only $15/month, call us at 802-865-1020, ext. 110 for a membership (credit accepted).

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!

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SEVEN DAYS DECEMBER 15-22, 2021

49-y/o woman seeks male 55+. I love nature along with water and walking. I’m spiritual, looking for companionship with truth and honesty, building life through good and bad, and becoming stronger. I enjoy dancing, music, charity work and adventure to learn from. #L1535 Slim guys 18-36 wanted. Willing to meet at any time of your calling. #L1534 I am a crossdresser (M-to-F) seeking female friends for coffee, friendship or just corresponding. Any age, race and ethnicity OK. Retired and ready. Will answer all letters. #L1531

Internet-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness letters. DETAILS BELOW. SWM seeks SBF for lovers. Winter is coming, and I need someone to keep me warm. Honest and clean. Phone. #L1530

GWM seeking other GM for friendship and more. Write me with name and phone number. #L1532

How feral’s feral? Energetic Luddite(s) indeed, but easier to be progressively backward with a mischievous coconspirator. Artist here, resourceful cottager, surrounded by books and mason jars. Worth every penny of your $5. If you disagree, I’ll reimburse! M seeking F. #L1529

70-y/o WM seeks mid-70s to mid-80s WF. I want to experience sensuality with a very mature WF woman. Phone number, please. #L1524

Humble, honest, loving and fun 69-y/o searching for his soul mate to enjoy life’s adventures with. Looking for that special gal who enjoys skiing, beaches, boating, biking, animals and cares for our natural environment. Someone spiritual who can “see the light.” A love of theater, music and dancing a plus. #L1528 Discreet oral bottom. 54y/o SWM, 5’8, slim, dark hair, blue eyes. Seeking any well-hung 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. #L1526

GM in Rutland County seeking other GM or bi for social interaction. Maybe leading to FWB or more. I’m easygoing, stable and like adventure. Phone only. Hope to hear from you. #L1523 Fit 50ish M, green-eyed, kind and witty, seeks fit F 40 to 60. Well read, rugged, capable, collected, patient. Values community, gardens, art, acts of making. Let’s cook, share absurdist humor, read together. Prefer handwritten to the screen. Simple! #L1522 Man looking for a woman. I will return calls to everyone. I’m over 50 y/o. Widower. She died very young of cancer. Time to move on. Please leave your name and number. #L1520

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below:

Required confidential info:

(OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.)

__________________________________________

I’m a _________________________________________________ __ ____

NAME

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

seeking a__ ___________ __________________________________________

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_______________________________________________________ MAIL TO: SEVEN DAYS LOVE LETTERS • PO BOX 1164, BURLINGTON, VT 05402 OPTIONAL WEB FORM: SEVENDAYSVT.COM/LOVELETTERS HELP: 802-865-1020, EXT. 110, LOVELETTERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

THIS FORM IS FOR LOVE LETTERS ONLY. Messages for the Personals and I-Spy sections must be submitted online at dating.sevendaysvt.com.

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12/2/21

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Making a Holiday Shopping List? CHECK IT TWICE — FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO GIFT LOCAL! We need to support and sustain our local economy, our friends and neighbors. Gifting local keeps folks here in business and also helps grow our Vermont economy. So many small businesses have been impacted by Covid-19, I feel that there has never been a better time to buy as local as you can whenever possible! Kat Patterson

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67¢

stays in the local community.

When you gift local, you are supporting your community in more ways than one, and you are purchasing gifts that are thoughtful, unique and well made. Erin Bombard

(SoUrCe: BuSiNeSsWiRe)

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

Check out our... The

holiday shopping

handbook

Holiday Gift Guide

for a curated roundup of local gift ideas for your friends and family. sevendaysvt.com/gift-guide-2021

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