Seven Days, December 25, 2024 by Seven Days

OPEN HEARTS AND ENRICH LIVES BY SUPPORTING THE

Last season, we had the largest audience in Flynn history: 160,000 people, the equivalent of 1 out of every 4 Vermonters. We also expanded our free programming for children and families. Highlights include:

•735 student jazz musicians from across Vermont played on Church Street during the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

•13,000 students and families across 7 Vermont counties attended Playing Fields, which celebrates the start of the school year with free, joyful outdoor performances

•400 students joined us for Kickline, a day of dance and movement at the Burlington Waterfront

In this season of giving, we hope you will consider supporting The Flynn with a membership or tax-deductible donation. Your contribution will play a pivotal role in sustaining our mission and making the arts accessible for all.

Bay Ridge Condominiums

Don Eggert, Colby Roberts

& POLITICS

Matthew Roy

Sasha Goldstein

Ken Ellingwood, Candace Page

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

ARTS & CULTURE

Dan Bolles, Carolyn Fox

Chelsea Edgar, Margot Harrison, Pamela Polston

Jen Rose Smith

Alice Dodge

Chris Farnsworth

Rebecca Driscoll

Jordan Barry, Hannah Feuer, Mary Ann Lickteig, Melissa Pasanen, Ken Picard

Alice Dodge, Angela Simpson

Katherine Isaacs, Martie Majoros

DIGITAL & VIDEO

Bryan Parmelee

Eva Sollberger

James Buck

Je Baron DESIGN

Don Eggert

Rev. Diane Sullivan

John James

Je Baron SALES & MARKETING

Colby Roberts

Robyn Birgisson

Michelle Brown, Logan Pintka, Kaitlin Montgomery

Carolann Whitesell ADMINISTRATION

Marcy Stabile

Matt Weiner

Andy Watts

Gillian English CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Jordan Adams, Justin Boland, Alex Brown, Erik Esckilsen, Steve Goldstein, Amy Lilly, Bryan Parmelee, Suzanne Podhaizer, Samantha Randlett, Jim Schley, Dayton Shafer, Carolyn Shapiro, Xenia Turner, Casey Ryan Vock CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS

Luke Awtry, Daria Bishop, James Buck, Bear Cieri, Rob Donnelly, Tim Newcomb, Jeb Wallace-Brodeur FOUNDERS

Pamela Polston, Paula Routly CIRCULATION: 35,000

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

DELIVERY TECHNICIANS

Harry Applegate, Joe Bou ard, Pat Bou ard, Colin Clary, Julie Copley, Elana Coppola-Dyer, Becky Gates, Matt Hagen, Russ Hagy, Nat Michael, Frankie Moberg, Liam Mulqueen-Duquette, Dan Nesbitt, Dan Oklan, Ezra Oklan, Matt Perry, Danielle Schneider, Andy Watts, Tracey Young With additional circulation support from PP&D.

SUBSCRIPTIONS

A SPOONFUL OF HUMOR’

Here’s to Rachel Noyes of the Vermont Agency of Transportation, who clearly understands that a spoonful of humor helps the healthy driving guidance go down [“Signs of the Times: VTrans Makes the Season Bright — and Safe — With Funny Highway Slogans,” December 11]! Nice to see another Vermont hero in the Seven Days spotlight. Thanks for reminding us of the pundamentals of tra c safety. Hope you can come up with something to calm some of the cowboys on I-89!

Bridget Ahrens WINOOSKI

‘YOUR BIAS IS SHOWING’ “Hanging in the Balance” [December 11], regarding president-elect Donald Trump, is misleading, one-sided and ﬁlled with fearmongering.

First: You use words like Trump “could” and “may” to push fear and support your agenda and do not allow for any other viewpoints but your own. If I were allowed more than a 250-word response to this large, multipage article, I would gladly break down each section, tell you why I voted for Trump, and share my viewpoints regarding migrants, LGBTQ+, drugs, pollution, schools, health care, tips and more. Your truths and opinions are not everyone’s.

Careful: Your journalistic bias is showing.

UNITED STATES OF NEW ENGLAND?

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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 advertising, including inserts, at the discretion of the publishers.

I am stunned, as are many, that Donald Trump won the election to return to the White House. [“Hanging in the Balance,” December 11] does an excellent job of listing the concerns. I respect those who may have voted for him, but I cannot in my own mind reconcile a liar and convicted felon holding that position. The six New England states, with their Electoral College votes, agree.

Perhaps, rather than a wall along the Mexican border, we should erect one around New England to keep Trump and his loyalists (not already living in New England) out. (Did Trump ever pay the Flynn for the use of that venue in January 2016?) There are a lot of smart people in

Bonnie Barrows BRISTOL

New England who could figure out logistics, finances, protection and other factors so that New England would survive with such a

Roger Crouse SHELBURNE

WEALTHY PAY PLENTY

The state legislature’s plan to alleviate the property tax crisis by shifting education funding from property taxes to income taxes is nothing more than a shell game [“Vermont Teachers’ Union Pitches Income Tax to Fund Education,” November 22]. VT-National Education Association political director Colin Robinson says this would result in the wealthy paying “their fair share,” but the plan would have enormous unintended consequences that would ultimately adversely affect all Vermonters.

The wealthiest 1 percent of Vermont taxpayers currently pay 26 percent of the state’s total income tax revenue, and the top 10 percent pay nearly 60 percent, or six times their proportional share. While few would disagree with a progressive tax structure, Vermont already has one of the highest state income tax and property tax rates in the country. So many wealthy-ish former Vermont taxpayers have fled to tax-free Florida that Naples, Fla., is now sometimes jokingly referred to as “southern Vermont.” Driving even more high-income taxpayers out of the state is not the answer.

In short, Vermont doesn’t have a revenue problem; it has a spending problem. We currently spend more per student than any other state in the nation except New York (56 percent more than

medical care, and I urge UVM to find a way to keep this facility open, for the benefit of our family members, friends and community.

Danielle Kangas MONTPELIER

‘RUINING A GREAT CITY’

Burlington Progs: Well, you’re well on your way to accomplishing a goal that some of you wished for: abolishing the police. Your votes, overemphasis on negative stories and lack of foresight have now caused an effective police chief to announce his resignation [“Burlington Police Chief Jon Murad to Resign Next Year,” November 19, online].

Chief Jon Murad tried, but you made his position and that of the department almost untenable.

the national average), and yet our test scores have been falling steadily since 2013. Vermont needs to look hard at creating union schools, consolidating school boards, sharing administration and other resources, and generally making hard decisions that have been kicked down the road too long. Simply shifting the cost to “others” ignores the real work to be done.

Dan Morris SHELBURNE

PSYCH UNIT IS CRUCIAL

[Re “UVM Health Network Announces Service Cuts, Blames Regulators,” November 14, online]: I am a new clinician working toward becoming a licensed clinical psychologist in the state of Vermont, and I oppose the closing of the Central Vermont Medical Center psychiatric unit as an underdeveloped response to the limits the Green Mountain Care Board placed on the University of Vermont Health Network revenue.

Inpatient psychiatric units are vital to our community and something that cannot be sufficiently replaced by any urgent care facility and, more obviously, a trip to an overloaded emergency department. I, and many of my fellow clinicians, have worked with clients that have been profoundly helped by a stay in an inpatient setting. Some of them are still alive today because of that stay. An inpatient stay provides stability, safety to themselves and others, and access to psychiatry, therapy and other resources while going through a mental health crisis or an increase in their symptomology.

Mental health care is just as vital as

The Burlington City Council Progressives, who seem beholden to a rigid ideology that doesn’t adapt to facts on the ground, are on their way to ruining a great city. A shame.

Nothing I can do about it other than sympathize with those who aren’t captive to your agenda and avoid going downtown after dark.

Rob Mann COLCHESTER

IS BURLINGTON ABOVE THE LAW?

On November 18, the Burlington City Council passed a resolution and an ordinance which would ban possession of firearms in any establishment that sells liquor [“Burlington Will Try Again to Ban Guns in Bars,” November 19, online]. By taking those two actions, the Burlington City Council broke Vermont law.

The law, 24 VSA § 2295, is clear: No city, town or village can pass an ordinance or resolution that regulates the possession or carrying of firearms.

In creating that statute, the legislature wisely decided that Vermont would not

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ARTS+CULTURE

Backstories Seven

Life

Remembering Vermonters who

Starry Eyed

Deux

Six

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger looks back

MAGNIFICENT

MUST SEE, MUST DO THIS WEEK COMPILED BY REBECCA DRISCOLL

TUESDAY 31

Once in a Lifetime

ONGOING SIGHT-SPECIFIC

e 2024-2025 Curated Program at the newly minted Mill in Westport, N.Y., brings museumquality contemporary art to the region. Curated by Catherine Ross Haskins, the exhibition displays works by Amy Ellingson, Adam Frelin, Stephen Hendee, Jillian Mayer and Ann Toebbe throughout the building’s unique gallery spaces.

SEE GALLERY LISTING AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

TUESDAY 31

Early Bird Special

Talking Heads tribute band Start Making Sense bring the funky new-wave vibes to Higher Ground in South Burlington for an epic New Year’s Eve show ﬁt to burn down the house. e band, fronted by David Byrne doppelgänger Jon Braun, faithfully re-creates the group’s genius, expertly executing all of its most danceable, quirky hits of the ’80s and beyond.

SEE CLUB LISTING ON PAGE 77

FRIDAY 27

Bird’s the Word

e Hunger Mountain Winter Bird Count allows Waterbury-area birders to contribute to the longest-running community science project in Vermont. e count began in 1900 when an ornithologist posed an alternative to the traditional Christmas side hunt (no shotguns necessary). Now in its 125th season, volunteers continue to provide invaluable data on feathered friends.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 80

e Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich offers New Year’s at Noon for wee ones who desire that celebratory ringing-in experience — a little bit early. e morning features hands-on family activities, plus New Year’s countdowns every hour, on the hour, until noon. Revelers are invited to dress creatively (jammies and glitter encouraged!) to usher in 2025 with style.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 81

TUESDAY 31

Get Your Fixe

Gastronomes buckle up for a New Year’s Eve Dinner at Barr Hill distillery in Montpelier. e prix fixe menu of five delectable courses — including a chef’skiss surprise course — serves up brown butter Tom Cat gougères, Maine crab cakes and seared yellowfin tuna. Paired with a cocktail or two, there’s no better way to kick-start 2025. Word to the wise: Wear stretchy pants!

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 82

TUESDAY 31

Happy Feet

Favorite local roots group Dave Keller Band play party tunes with enough energy to tear the roof off of Bent Nails Bistro in Montpelier. Folks don their dapper dancin’ shoes and boogie down while Keller belts out soulful blues and slings some ﬁery guitar. For a New Year’s Eve shindig to remember, look no farther than Langdon Street.

SEE CLUB LISTING ON PAGE 77

“Buisine” by Stephen Hendee

TUESDAY 31

Ballin’ Out

New Year’s Eve With Joe’s Big Band at Middlebury’s Town Hall eater includes a Champagne toast for those who imbibe and a swing dance lesson for those who jive. Founded in the ’80s by local legend Joe Levesque, the 17-piece jazz ensemble continues to dazzle listeners with a dynamic repertoire ranging from funk to the Great American Songbook.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 82

TUESDAY 31

Drop the Ball

First Night North spreads

New Year cheer all across St. Johnsbury, with shuttles running loops around town so that no one misses out. If your bedtime happens to be before midnight, don’t fret: Festivities begin before sundown and include vaudeville acts, circus performances, storytelling and magic. For you night owls, a midnight dance party awaits after the ball drop.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 82

WEDNESDAY 1

Summit All Up

Vermont State Parks’ First Day Hikes are a statewide effort to usher in the New Year on the right foot — outdoors! Park entry is free all winter long, but January 1 is a particularly good day to get outside on a guided hike. No matter where you live in the Green Mountain State, a park trailhead surely isn’t far. As Jack Kerouac would say, “Climb that goddamn mountain.”

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 83

WEDNESDAY 1

Roll Over, Beethoven

e Green Mountain Mahler Festival Orchestra & Chorus take the stage at Elley-Long Music Center in Colchester for a stirring performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony. Conductor Daniel Bruce and talented vocal soloists make this “Ode to Joy” a classical concert to remember all year long.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 83

FRIDAY 3 & SATURDAY 4

It Takes a Village

All events are family-friendly and free at Cabot Village’s annual 12th Night Celebration e two-day festival marks the end of Christmas with an array of activities for all ages — from a Newfoundland ugly stickmaking workshop to a winter woods scavenger hunt. Don’t miss Saturday evening’s magical sunset lantern parade. (Bring those ugly sticks!)

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 83

SATURDAY 4

Be Sharp

Marty Fogel’s Mixed Bag Quartet assume the spotlight at the Phoenix in Waterbury to play original jazz compositions from Fogel’s 2023 double album, Now and en. e multi-instrumentalist — a deft saxophone, clarinet and ﬂute player — has many claims to fame, including the fact that he spent several years taking a walk on the wild side with legendary rocker Lou Reed’s band.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 84

SATURDAY 4 & SUNDAY 5

To the Pointe

Billings Farm & Museum presents Chelsea McMullan’s immersive 2023 documentary, Swan Song, as part of the Woodstock Vermont Film Series. e ﬁlm affords audience members a behind-the-scenes look at the National Ballet of Canada’s new production of Swan Lake, while simultaneously challenging the outdated — yet seemingly dug-in — dance ideals of body type, class and race.

SEE CALENDAR LISTING ON PAGE 84

THROUGH JANUARY 7

Hint of Tint

Edgewater Gallery at Middlebury Falls’ “Color Dance” group show is a juried art competition showcasing the work of ﬁne artists carefully selected by Terry Norton-Wright. rough paint, mixed media, photography and other mediums, the artists interpret the theme of color in extraordinary and diverse ways.

SEE GALLERY LISTING AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ART

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Susana Monoco

Behind the Backstories

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I don’t edit as many Seven Days articles as I used to. But one annual editorial project is still my baby: wrangling “Backstories” from our writing sta .

In 2017 I had the idea of asking our reporters to review their work from the past year with an eye toward personal parts that didn’t make it into the ﬁnal version — for example, mishaps that might have occurred in the course of reporting.

It took some coaxing. A lot of reporters are shy, it turns out — unlike me.

But I think they’ve ﬁnally gotten the hang of it. This year — like the seven before it — I got to receive each backstory in my inbox, revel in its behind-the-scenes insights and watch the collective story grow into a compelling, almost 12,000-word read.

While writing is a mostly solo venture, conducting the individual voices of our reporting sta into a polished package is satisfying, akin to listening to a good chorus.

Starting on the next page, you’ll hear Derek Brouwer’s clever excuses for missing deadlines and how procrastinating actually helped him ﬁnd the subjects of his cover story on senior scams. Visual art editor Alice Dodge meditates on taking over for her predecessor, Seven Days cofounder Pamela Polston. And Colin Flanders reveals that, while working on his cover story about the alarming rise in health care costs in Vermont, he underwent surgery himself.

Ideally, the backstories remind readers of some of our most important work of the year. Absent from the group, though, is Derek’s exposé on the horrendous living conditions in Decker Towers, the 11-story Burlington high-rise that houses low-income seniors and disabled adults.

When Derek followed up on a tip last winter, he found that dozens of people who didn’t live in the building were entering daily to buy or use drugs, often passing out in the stairwells. Decker’s 160 residents pleaded with city o cials and the housing authority that runs the building for more security. In desperation, a group of them began to arm themselves with knives and stun guns to patrol the hallways on their own.

When I asked Derek for an end-of-year backstory about it, he said he’d put everything into “The Fight for Decker Towers,” published on February 14. Whatever personal material was left — how he and photographer James Buck earned the trust of the residents and spent some very uncomfortable days and nights observing the place — he felt I had covered in this column at the time.

That’s an unfortunate e ect of my weekly note to readers. But it’s worth cannibalizing year-end material to explain, every seven days, who we are and what it takes to publish this newspaper.

One thing we always need? Money: to pay the writers, editors, proofreaders, designers, sales sta , video journalist, digital team, health insurance, printer, landlord, etc. Most of it still comes from the businesses that advertise with us. I suspect that’s not just because we deliver results, but also because they understand how Seven Days connects our community. Our 2024 advertisers were listed in last week’s edition. Patronize them, please; we are all in this together.

Increasingly, too, we are counting on readers to pitch in to support

the paper. The income from our generous Super Readers, whose names appear on page 30 of this issue, has almost doubled this year, supplying weekly revenue we can rely on to fund everything we do, from comprehensive event listings to enterprising journalism.

Major donors and foundations provided ﬁnancial support in 2024 through our ﬁscal sponsors: Journalism Funding Partners and the GroundTruth Project, the administrative arm of the Report for America program. They’ve enabled our employee-owned business to qualify for philanthropic dollars to fund investigative journalism, rural reporting, arts and culture coverage, and our youth civics project, the Good Citizen Challenge. If you’re interested in making a tax-deductible donation of $2,000 or more to any of these causes, please get in touch with deputy publisher Cathy Resmer at cathy@ sevendaysvt.com.

Cathy also collects the kind notes people send in with their checks and puts

them up around the o ce to remind us that people actually read what we write. These heartfelt messages inspire us to “Press On,” as our bumper stickers say. The accompanying “by-thenumbers” sidebar o ers some o eat measures of how we’re doing.

Enjoy this year-end double issue, which also contains a roundup of memorable images from the year and “Life Stories,” our annual collection of reported obituaries of some noteworthy Vermonters who died in 2024. The next Seven Days hits the streets on January 8, 2025.

Paula Routly

If you like Seven Days and can help pay for it, become a Super Reader!

Look for the “Donate” button at the top of sevendaysvt.com. Or send a check with your address and contact info to:

SEVEN DAYS, C/O SUPER READERS

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BURLINGTON, VT 05402-1164

For more information on making a ﬁnancial contribution to Seven Days, please contact Gillian English:

VOICEMAIL: 802-865-1020, EXT. 115

EMAIL: SUPERREADERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

SEVEN DAYS, ONE YEAR

2024 BY THE NUMBERS *

10,754

Listings for concerts, art shows, talks and other events — each one painstakingly crafted by our writers

464

Signed, veriﬁed, published letters to the editor written by Vermonters of all political persuasions

1,892 Super Reader donors

1,163

Advertisers

1,315

Activities completed by kids in Seven Days summer Good Citizen Challenge

228

Food features, reviews and news

119

Reviews of local albums

Visual art reviews and features

*And counting!

“Stuck in Vermont” episodes shot this year. e most popular, “Living Sustainably,” documents Eva Sollberger’s visit to the Jericho homestead of Birch Hill Sugarworks owners Ann Gnagey and Tom Baribault. Her 723rd video story, it garnered 80,000+ views.

Number of ﬁrst-place awards

Seven Days won in regional and national journalism contests

1,200+

Postings on Seven Days Jobs

Local gifts featured in Seven Days’ 2024 Holiday Gift Guide

Guest appearances by Seven Days writers and editors in local schools and colleges

184

Comments on the New York Times article about Seven Days — before the moderators shut them off. See “Dating App Fatigue? In Vermont, Personal Ads Still rive,” published on November 25, 2024.

Residents of Decker Towers

FILE: JAMES BUCK

BACKSTORIES 2024

Seven Days writers show their work from a year of local storytelling

BY SEVEN DAYS STAFF

So much of journalism is about the now and the what’s to come that we often race to the next story without stopping to honor the minor miracles and quiet heroics that produced the last one. But if you sift through a year of storytelling at Seven Days, it’s not hard to come up with a brimming trove of such narrative leftovers, glistening remnants from the jeweler’s worktable.

Each year, we gather up these lively bits and bundle them as “Backstories,” behindthe-scenes accounts of our published articles — the odd origins, sudden twists, mid-reporting freak-outs and a ecting epilogues. Rummaging in the margins yields outtakes that are personal, self-effacing and often funny. They are also as revealing about our profession as the published stories themselves.

category for food editor Melissa Pasanen, who found an inventive way to extend her interview session with a 100-year-old activist and former baker: by joining him in a nap — in a separate room, of course.

BIGGEST ‘HOLE’

“Noah’s Arc: Noah Kahan Is Vermont’s Biggest Cultural Export in Years. How the Hell Did That Happen?”

RUMMAGING IN THE MARGINS YIELDS OUTTAKES

THAT ARE PERSONAL, SELF-EFFACING AND OFTEN FUNNY.

This year’s collection makes clear how far Seven Days writers will go to get the best story. Reporter Kevin McCallum ventured to New York City to visit a safe-injection site, as Vermont o cials debated overdoseprevention strategies. Culture writer Hannah Feuer was pressed into service as a costumed extra when she arrived to cover the ﬁ lming of a Christmas movie. Derek Brouwer showed an instinct for the unsung when he veered from the crowds at Burlington’s main eclipse-watching party to share totality with a tra c ﬂagger. And there should be a separate

If angst is more your thing, Mary Ann Lickteig conjures the jolts of panic produced by recording glitches and a fiercely protective publicist as she pursued a cover piece about Shaina Taub, the Vermont-girl-makes-goodon-Broadway creator of Su s. Colin Flanders fought sleeplessness before publication on behalf of a former Afghan fighter he was profiling for a package of stories about recent Afghan evacuees in Vermont. Music editor Chris Farnsworth was vexed by a different problem: how to report a cover story on Noah Kahan when the über-popular folk singer wouldn’t be available to talk to him.

It’s not all stress and strain, however. Read along as veteran writer Ken Picard gamely accepted a freshly rolled fatty while he talked on the air with the host of a cannabis podcast he was writing about. Ken does not mention a nap.

KEN ELLINGWOOD

Ken Ellingwood, a Seven Days consulting editor, is a former Los Angeles Times correspondent and the author, most recently, of First to Fall: Elijah Lovejoy and the Fight for a Free Press in the Age of Slavery

JAN 31

There was one big problem with crafting a cover story about the meteoric rise of Vermont native Noah Kahan: He wasn’t likely to be in it.

I’d interviewed the folk singer from Strafford back in 2022, just as he was releasing his breakthrough album Stick Season, and it was a pretty simple a air. We both hopped on a Zoom call and talked music, soccer and therapy for 45 minutes or so. I wrote about it in my column, and that was that.

Flash forward one year, and Kahan was coming o a wildly successful 2023 full of chart-topping hits and sold-out world tours. Landing an interview was no longer an easy prospect. His management politely let me know that Kahan wouldn’t be available to talk about his Grammy nomination for Best New Artist, or anything else, until later in the year, after his tour was ﬁnished.

To add to my torment, Kahan and his oeuvre had become omnipresent. At ﬁrst, I thought it was just a Vermont thing — I’d hear “Hurt Somebody” at a restaurant in Waterbury, or I’d see someone wearing a Stick Season T-shirt on the trail while hiking. Soon, though, his songs were dogging my steps everywhere. At a rest stop in upstate New York, “Northern Attitude” played while I pumped gas. I recorded a podcast episode with a friend in Virginia, ostensibly to talk about the modern cost of being a touring musician, and I ended up answering Noah Kahan questions for most of an hour. Catching a few Zs in LaGuardia Airport after a missed connection, I was treated to a 2 a.m. “Dial Drunk.”

Did I mention my editors were determined? Seven Days had to explain how this had happened. They proposed writing the cover story about Kahan … without Kahan. The Kahan phenom. Talk to other people about him, they advised. As veteran journalist Joe Sexton told our team: “Write into the hole.”

I had never faced this speciﬁc reporting challenge, but I let myself be convinced. I talked to Kahan’s high school soccer coach, music therapists, die-hard fans known as Busyheads, venue owners, record shop clerks, DJs, even the head of the University of Vermont Children’s Hospital, which had hosted Kahan for a fundraiser earlier in the year. It was like creating a negativespace painting by using the experience and stories of others to produce a strange, slightly removed portrait of a native son turned rising rock star.

As I sifted through the testimonies, I began to understand that the story wasn’t so much about Kahan himself but the reaction to his ascension. Not since the Vermont band Phish made it big had the state seen such a cultural success story.

Although it’s not ideal, obviously, to have a Kahan-size void in a story about him, it put the focus on how his songs connect with fans, many of whom ﬁnd solace in the way he sings about his own struggles with mental health. I found no shortage of Vermonters beaming with pride that one of their own had sold out Madison Square Garden.

Still, I hope he answers the phone next time!

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

Noah Kahan

WORST CALL

“Emma

Mulvaney-Stanak Wins Burlington Mayoral Race”

I’m not in the business of predicting elections, but for Burlington’s mayoral race on Town Meeting Day, it was a job requirement. I had to choose which candidate was most likely to win so I could capture the moment when the city elected its first-ever woman mayor. It would be either Democrat Joan Shannon or Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak.

MAR 5

After weeks of covering the campaigns, I thought Shannon had the edge. In a race defined by concerns about public safety, she had an endorsement from the police union, whereas Progs were still being lambasted for leading the 2020 vote to scale back the size of the force. Mulvaney-Stanak wasn’t on the council then, but even she had acknowledged that her party’s label could harm her at the polls.

I strode into Team Joan’s gathering at Halvorson’s Upstreet Café that night feeling fairly confident in my calculus. But as the night wore on, it became clear that I’d picked the wrong party.

Shannon hadn’t yet arrived by the time polls closed at 7 p.m., but her supporters were starting to pack the place. Bartenders were serving up specialty drinks such as All Hands on Deck, a gin and tonic rebranded with Shannon’s campaign slogan. People were laughing and visiting with their neighbors. Vibes were good.

Just past 7:30, the first results came from Ward 6, showing Shannon with 1,019 votes to Mulvaney-Stanak’s 825. It was a lead, but not as strong a showing as I’d expected in a

HIGHEST-STAKES SWITCHEROO

“Emma Mulvaney-Stanak Wins Burlington Mayoral Race”

MAR 5

As one of the more novice journalists at Seven Days , I’m always eager to help out with assignments outside my “small towns” beat. The opportunities to learn about Vermont’s court system while covering for Derek Brouwer, or to sit in on a city council meeting while filling in for Courtney Lamdin, are invaluable.

So when I was asked to report on Burlington’s Town Meeting Day results from Zero Gravity brewery, the Progressive Party’s command post, I gladly agreed. Lamdin, our adept Burlington reporter, would be at Halvorson’s Upstreet Café with the Dems. My editors assured me that they expected Joan Shannon, the democratic candidate for mayor, to win.

All I had to do was get a quote or two from mayoral candidate Emma Mulvaney-Stanak after she lost, interview Progressives who had run for city council and provide some “color” — journalism shorthand for the details that bring a story to life: a description of the crowd, say, or the music playing during an event.

Lamdin had been following the mayoral race for months and had penned a recent cover story about it.

Dem-controlled district. Ward 4 was next, with Shannon notching about 600 more votes than Mulvaney-Stanak. That’s when I got the first prickle of doubt: In the last mayoral contest, Ward 4 voters gave Democrat incumbent Miro Weinberger just over 900 more votes than his Progressive competitor, Max Tracy.

Shannon would need to make up some ground, but she didn’t: The next three wards reporting — 1, 2 and 8 — all went to Mulvaney-Stanak. Our office’s election night Slack channel was blowing up. “Emma’s going to win,” one of my colleagues wrote.

From my perch at a counter, I could see Shannon supporters coming to the same conclusion. Animated discussions had turned to quiet confabs, and Shannon remained conspicuously absent. Bartenders were still slinging drinks, but the mood inside the pub was decidedly sober.

The last results finally trickled in at 9:24 p.m., declaring Mulvaney-Stanak the winner with 51.2 percent of the vote. Back on Slack, my colleague Rachel Hellman — who typically covers small towns — was sending dispatches from the rapturous victory party at Zero Gravity brewery. There were so many people in the room, Hellman said, that it was hard to move.

It was The Place to Be, and I wasn’t there.

At Halvorson’s, Shannon arrived and addressed her supporters, accepting the outcome with grace. I grabbed a few quotes and headed back to the office to type up the story I hadn’t expected to write.

In three years, there will be another mayor’s race. I’ll spend weeks covering it, telling readers what I learn about the candidates.

Just don’t ask me who’s going to win.

COURTNEY LAMDIN

Meanwhile, I had been busy reporting my annual Town Meeting Day roundup. The story requires my full attention for two weeks: I request and read the ballot warnings of almost all of Vermont’s 247 municipalities and choose seven to highlight. It’s a heavy lift.

Needless to say, Lamdin was meant to be in the room where Burlington history happened. I was just happy to help out. To prepare, I made a cheat sheet with pictures of all the Progressives running for city council.

On election night, I showed up early to Zero Gravity and noticed more, and more, and more people arriving. Soon, I could barely navigate the huge crowd and had to elbow my way to sources as election results came in.

It was becoming clear that Shannon was not the shooin my editors thought she’d be. The energy was high at the brewery; cheers erupted as ward counts came in. Around 9 p.m., all results had been reported except those from Ward 5, Shannon’s neighborhood. Mulvaney-Stanak was barely ahead.

My phone buzzed. It was deputy news editor Sasha Goldstein. I would likely be reporting on MulvaneyStanak’s win, he told me nervously. I needed to be there when it happened, talk to her after — if I could — and capture the crowd’s reaction. This was a major moment: Mulvaney-Stanak would be Burlington’s first-ever woman

mayor, as well as the first openly queer person to hold the seat, and I would be the one to report it for Seven Days

I fought my way through the crowd to a spot near a podium where Mulvaney-Stanak was expected to speak. I was nervous. Could I deliver the goods? I kneeled on the ground — it was the only way to take in the full room and ensure I could record her speech. From this position I watched as the crowd exploded in cheers as MulvaneyStanak was declared mayor of Burlington. The energy was electric. A few people cried with joy.

I scribbled furiously in my notebook, wanting to do Lamdin, and my team, proud. After Mulvaney-Stanak’s speech, I successfully cornered her outside the brewery to ask a few questions, ensuring Seven Days got an exclusive quote. I took a deep breath. What a thrill!

Not bad for a rural reporter.

RACHEL HELLMAN

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

Emma Mulvaney-Stanak

LONGEST HAUL FOR A STORY

“‘Safe Haven’: Vermont Is Considering Controversial Overdose-Prevention Sites. Seven Days Went to New York City to See One.”

MAR 20

I didn’t really want to go to Harlem, to be honest.

I figured there must be an easier way to write about Vermont’s raging debate over overdoseprevention centers than to go all the way to New York City to visit one.

I could make a few calls to folks at OnPoint NYC to get them to describe the two centers — also known as safe-injection sites — that they run in the city. I could interview a few drug-reform advocates to understand why they felt one should be allowed to open in Vermont, as lawmakers were considering. I could throw in a skeptical quote or two from Gov. Phil Scott, add a dash of fearmongering from law-andorder lawmakers, and Bob’s your uncle!

I could have done that, but it would have been a journalistic cop-out.

There are just two legal safe-injection sites in the nation. The only way to

WORTHIEST ETHICAL LAPSE

“Senior Senator: Bernie Sanders Sits Down With Seven Days to Talk About Aging Vermont”

I have a confession: I took a photo with Bernie Sanders. I know, I know. But before you grab your pitchforks, hear me out. There’s a good excuse, and it begins with an unexpected phone call in March from my grandfather.

APR 3

“Colin, if you ever meet Bernie, could you take a picture with him for me? I’d like that.”

The request was unexpected not because of my grandfather’s politics; Tommy McTygue had been a proud Democrat his entire life and was fond of Vermont’s independent U.S. senator. His timing is what surprised me.

Unbeknownst to him, I had landed an interview with Sanders a few days earlier to talk about issues facing Vermont seniors as part of our yearlong “This Old State” series. It would be Seven Days ’ first sit-down with the senator in seven years — and my first time meeting him.

understand and communicate what happens there was to visit one.

So I drove to Connecticut, hopped a Metro-North train to Harlem and spent the day visiting OnPoint’s center in an old brick building on East 126th Street.

It was an unsettling experience — but well worth the trek.

An overdose-prevention center is a place where people who are addicted to illegal, deadly drugs can use them in relative safety. Better to give them a clean, quiet, supportive place to use, the theory goes, than to leave them to smoke or shoot up alone and risk death by overdose.

That risk has soared as street heroin is increasingly mixed with fentanyl, a potent synthetic opioid, and xylazine, an animal tranquilizer. That’s why Greg Gordon, one of the guys I met at the center, vowed never to use alone again. Since losing the lower part of his left leg in a subway accident,

Gordon used drugs in part because he was haunted by the memory of that experience.

“I’m trying to do the impossible,” Gordon told me. “I want to forget about something I can’t forget about.”

The desperation of that addicted, fearful, wheelchair-bound man stuck with me. If Gordon lived in Burlington, I thought to myself, what would he do? Would he get the treatment he needed from a place like Howard Center? Would he find his way into recovery housing and stay clean?

Or, with no other option, would he

I promised to do my best. “Great, thanks,” my grandfather replied, hanging up before I could say goodbye.

I felt anxious as the interview drew near. Journalists aren’t supposed to ask sources for favors, and it wasn’t hard to imagine the photo popping up somewhere later and potentially undermining my credibility.

On the other hand, a photo was a small gesture for a man who, in many ways, inspired my journalism career.

For more than three decades, my grandfather served on the city council in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. His political

career played into some of my fondest childhood memories: being towed in a wagon during the July 4 parade; racing around the historic Canfield Casino with my cousins during his annual St. Patrick’s Day fundraising parties.

My grandfather taught me that you do not have to hate people with whom you disagree and that politics can be a force for good, even if that is rarely reflected in the headlines. (Trust me, Tommy got his share of negative ink.) He also reminded me to stand up for the little guy, a lesson I’ve embraced in my own career.

continue to use alone? Would he eventually, after multiple efforts by first responders and ER staff to save him from overdosing, die on the street?

After my story ran, lawmakers passed H.72, then overrode the governor’s veto of it, allowing Burlington to open the state’s first overdose-prevention center as a pilot project.

Perhaps it will provide the kind of safe haven that the 236 Vermonters who died of overdoses in 2023 never found.

KEVIN MCCALLUM

And so, after I had exhausted my questions for Sanders, I mentioned the call from my grandfather and popped the awkward query: “A photo, please, Senator?”

Sanders, to his credit, took it in stride and resisted making any wisecracks about quid pro quos.

My mother framed the photo and displayed it in my grandparents’ living room, where Tommy loved to point it out to visitors. “How ’bout that?” he’d say with a smile.

In September, five months after I sat down with Sanders, my grandfather was hospitalized due to complications from a prolonged illness. He died shortly after, at home, surrounded by family.

Long before he passed, he had asked that I write his eulogy. When his time came, I put it off for as long as I could, then wrote it in a sprint one morning from a window seat at Burlington’s Kru Coffee, with a view of Sanders’ congressional office across the street.

After the funeral, friends and family gathered at my grandparents’ house. As we mingled around the living room, someone brought up my tribute and suggested that my grandfather would have approved. He was so proud of you, they said.

I glanced over at the photo and smiled. “I know,” I said. “I know.”

COLIN

Greg Gordon

Colin Flanders with Sen. Bernie Sanders

2024backstories

LEAST SCENIC PLACE TO WATCH THE ECLIPSE

“Totally

Transfixed: A Rare Eclipse on a Bluebird Day Dazzled Crowds in Northern Vermont”

APR 10

To mark the total solar eclipse, Seven Days dispatched reporters across the state to document the varied ways that Vermonters and tourists were observing this once-in-a-lifetime event. News reporter Rachel Hellman joined Bread and Puppet Theater’s purification orchestra/snowball fight in Glover. Food editor Melissa Pasanen watched chickens do chicken things at a Shelburne farm. Culture reporter Hannah Feuer boarded the Spirit of Ethan Allen, and music editor Chris Farnsworth tailgated at the Sunset

Monday afternoon, which meant we were all working under pressure to get our collective cover story filed, edited, designed and sent to the printer in time to appear in Wednesday’s paper.

I wasn’t thrilled with my assignment. What was there to say about a waterfront watch party? “Thousands of people sat by the lake and looked up to the sky?” The purification orchestra, whatever that was, sounded more exciting.

I dutifully spent the morning interviewing waterfront visitors. Then I hopped on my bike to pursue something of a side quest. I had an idea that it might be interesting to watch the eclipse with someone who was helping make the festivities happen, for whom the eclipse was a hectic day at work. I thought of the city’s decision to turn Route 127 into a massive parking lot — and of the parking attendants who would be watching tourists’ cars while they oohed and aahed near the water.

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Drive-In Theatre. Others went to a prison, mountaintops and the Statehouse.

The editors, using their unassailable judgment, assigned me to stay put in Burlington and work with my colleague Courtney Lamdin to chronicle the city festival at the Lake Champlain waterfront. Their idea was for Lamdin and me to roam the city by bicycle, collecting quotes and anecdotes that we could compile in a concise introduction to the other reporters’ more adventurous vignettes. The eclipse took place on a

Out on the Burlington Beltline, I pedaled up to some flaggers who were directing traffic. I chatted with them for an hour or two and awkwardly asked one guy, David Faske, if I could watch totality with him.

Our viewing location — on the pavement, near a Porta-Potty, halfway down a hill — was far from ideal. As totality neared, the flow of tourists briefly stopped, and a bus driver and a couple of city employees came over. Our small, spontaneously assembled group watched the eclipse together. As soon as the sun reemerged, Faske got back to work.

I did, too. I pedaled back to the Seven Days office, feeling awestruck and also satisfied. I’d found just the sort of adventure I was looking for. And I still had a few hours left to put it into words.

DEREK BROUWER

David Faske watching the eclipse

BLUNTEST CONVERSATION

“Chewing the Phatty: ‘Cannasations’ Podcaster Kris Brown Aims to ‘Humanize’ Vermont’s Weed Culture”

APR 17

Journalism, by its very nature, requires reporters to immerse themselves in the environs they cover. War correspondents get shot at, disaster reporters choke on wildﬁre smoke, and sportscasters are doused with Gatorade. And occasionally, cannabis reporters get too high for their own good.

Cannabis podcaster Kris Brown greeted me in his driveway in pajamas, then led me into a house ﬁlled with the pungent aroma of a freshly smoked joint. Six-foot-two, muscular and tattooed, Brown is a combat veteran and a convicted felon. He also has a friendly smile, a meaty handshake and a baritone voice that rumbles like a subwoofer.

I visited Brown’s home studio in Je ersonville to interview him about his popular weekly podcast, “Cannasations w/Kris,” during which he sits down with members of Vermont’s cannabis industry for blunt

HIGHEST-DRAMA INTERVIEW

“Born

conversations about weed. By that, I mean, they smoke a blunt and chew the fat. Brown’s interviews with local growers, processors, dispensary owners and regulators often are less about weed itself than they are meandering conversations steered by weed’s intoxicating e ects.

After I ﬁnished my interview, Brown turned the tables and asked if he could interview me for the podcast. Initially, I balked. Getting high during work hours is generally frowned upon, even at an altweekly. But the big man twisted my arm, and a fresh doobie, so I donned some headphones and parked myself in front of his mic. A sit-down with WCAX this was not.

With the smoke rising and Brown’s digital recorder running, I began with a clariﬁcation and a precondition. First, I emphasized that anything I said, especially while high, was strictly my own opinion

for Broadway: Waitsﬁeld’s Shaina Taub Arrives in a Big Way, Starring in Her Own Musical, Su s”

APR 17

Improvements in technology have made some things easier for reporters. Gone are the days when recording an interview meant hours of transcribing the resulting conversation, painstakingly rewinding a cassette to get every word. Now, you can upload an interview to Otter.ai and, minutes later, have the transcript. You can search it by keyword, click on it to hear a speciﬁc portion, ﬁx the bits Otter got wrong and highlight the sections you know you’ll need. Recording is a breeze.

Until it fails.

Hours before I was to interview Shaina Taub, the Waitsﬁeld native who created and stars in the Broadway musical Su s , I recorded an interview with her high school music teacher. When I tried to upload it, a message appeared on my recorder screen: “Process Error.” I’d never seen that. I routinely erase ﬁles to make sure I have enough memory. I regularly check and replace the triple-A battery. I had watched the device during

and did not reﬂect the views of Seven Days or my employers. Second, Brown had to wait to air the interview until my story about him was published a week later — what journalists call an embargo.

But embargoing the podcast created a mind-altering dynamic: We started

the interview to make sure the recorder was working, but there was no ﬁle. And I had a call scheduled with Taub later that day.

talking about the story I had written about “Cannasations” before I had even written it “Seven Days just dropped with me in it,” Brown said. “It’s kinda cool to say, even though it hasn’t happened yet … Smoke weed, and you’ll understand.”

Granted, it was a video call and I planned to record via Google Meet, but I wanted backup because I could not screw this up. Getting this interview had taken me to hell and back. I had worked through the show’s public relations ﬁrm, corresponding with one primary publicist who routinely cc’d two or three others. I had initially asked to shadow Taub, because the best stories about people show them in action. But Taub’s life — as writer, composer, lyricist and a lead actor — was understandably hectic as the musical’s April opening approached. The publicist o ered a 45-minute video call.

The rest of my interview was too cringey for me to listen to in its entirety. Su ce it to say, in the future I’ll save my recreational consumption for after work and o the record.

KEN PICARD

as a high school student running her own production and as a 16-year-old enrolled at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts.

To prepare for the interview — and to ﬂesh out the story of how a small-town Vermont kid came to make a splash on Broadway — I called as many people as I could who had known Taub through the years: as a child actor on the Flynn stage,

Two weeks before I was to interview Taub, the publicist canceled. The reason? I had called Taub’s mother, she explained, without permission. Of course I called Taub’s mother. Who else would have seen the earliest signs that this child was born for the stage? (Her dad? I tried to reach him, too.) The same publicist had been helping me arrange interviews with the show’s producers and other actors. She ended it all.

I knew she was my access to everyone involved with the show. I didn’t know

she expected to be told about every interview I planned. I pled my case: “I can’t ask someone in New York to set up my interviews in Vermont.” I followed with an email: This was a miscommunication. Please reconsider. Vermonters care about Taub. They’re cheering for Taub. It would be nice if she could be part of the article written for the people who “knew her when.”

Then I waited. Six days later, I got a call. The interview, albeit 15 minutes shorter, was back on. After being rescheduled two more times, it was ﬁnally set for April 2 at 5:15 p.m. My recorder failed at 11 a.m.

Crowdsourcing advice from colleagues, I learned that Otter could also record, so I set that up. But my faith in technology had been severely shaken. Just before 5:15, I clicked “record” on my phone, on my iPad, on Google Meet and on Otter. Taub appeared on my laptop screen from her dressing room, makeup free and cocooned in a bulky scarf. She talked about using her work to advance equality and justice. She praised the arts education she got in the Mad River Valley, sent her love to her former teachers and thanked Seven Days for featuring her.

We had a perfectly lovely conversation, and I captured every word — four times over.

MARY ANN LICKTEIG

Waitsﬁeld’s Shaina Taub arrives in a big way, starring in her own musical, Suffs

Kris Brown

2024backstories

MOST INSCRUTABLE SOURCE

“Cat’s Got Her Tongue: Animal Communicator Amy Wild Wants a Word With Your Pet”

APR 24

His eyes, black as a shark’s, stared into mine, defying comprehension. Like some magician having the worst day of his life performing at a Holiday Inn conference room, I reached my hands toward the beast, trying my best to focus my mind on reading his.

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Alas, nothing. He stared back at me, a ziggurat of secrecy as his tongue slipped out of his gaping maw to leave a long trail of saliva along my hand, still reaching out toward his head. My good friend, former roommate and designated dog nephew, Wilbur, had just received the results of his session with pet psychic Amy Wild. The Starksboro animal and spirit medium had o ered to perform a reading on the 80-plus pound pit bull for a story I was writing for our annual Animal Issue. The tale generated strong opinions among my friends and coworkers. (I write about how the insurance industry is kneecapping live music across the country, and not a peep. I talk to someone who says she can tell if your cat is angry at you, and my inbox overﬂows. Figures.) Some were wary of writing about something as woo-woo as a pet psychic, who could be seen as taking advantage of people desperate to communicate with their furry loved ones. Others just wanted me to ﬁnd out if it was all on the level, perhaps eager to surrender their own pets for closer examination.

I already knew I wouldn’t ﬁnd a concrete answer — I know, shocking, a music journalist failed to disprove telepathy — and was really just curious for any insight into Wilbur, one of the strangest, least logical creatures I’ve encountered. Why does he always bury himself in my dirty clothes hamper? What is he thinking when he stares o into space? Is he contemplating his own existence? Working up a fart? Both?

Wild’s insights on Wilbur didn’t necessarily solve the big boy’s mysteries, but they gave me plenty of food for thought. According to her, he kept stealing my clothes to feel close to me. And though that didn’t explain why he’d, you know, eat said clothes, I took an old, very past-its-prime Joy Division T-shirt from my drawer and presented it to the dog as an o ering.

“Here, Wilbs,” I told him as he watched, bemused. “This is yours now, OK? You don’t have to keep sneaking out of my room with socks.”

A lone line of drool fell on the shirt. The next day, the shirt remained on the ﬂoor in that exact spot, unmolested or chewed. Wilbur laid nearby, helping himself to a black Nike sock, freshly fetched from the hamper.

CHRIS FARNSWORTH

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Amy Wild with Elvira

Wilbur

HARDEST-FOUGHT DISCLOSURE

“Lawmaker Releases Spy Cam Video of a Rival Dumping Water in His Bag”

The videos that showed a Bennington lawmaker surreptitiously soaking a colleague’s canvas bag in the Statehouse didn’t just emerge in June.

JUN 11

There was some arm-twisting involved in their disclosure that underscores the role of the media in holding elected ocials accountable.

I had to persuade Rep. Jim Carroll (D-Bennington) to share the spy camera videos he shot of Rep. Mary Morrissey (R-Bennington) getting a little tipsy with her water cup.

I asked nicely, at ﬁrst. After hearing from a Statehouse source that the videos existed, I emailed Carroll to inquire about them. Since I wasn’t certain what they depicted,

FULLEST PLATE

“Order Up: What Vermont’s Classic American

Diners Tell Us About the Current State of Restaurants”

JUL 3

I cast a wide net, asking him for videos of “unusual conduct by a fellow lawmaker.”

“Since these videos were taken in a public place documenting behavior by a public o cial and that behavior is of public interest, I’d like to request copies of these videos under the state Public Records Act,” my email read.

I asked to interview him once he sent them over so that Seven Days could “properly contextualize the circumstances” before we printed anything.

Seemed fair to me. But not to the legislature’s top lawyer, Mike O’Grady, who denied my request. O’Grady argued that the documents were exempt from disclosure because, among other

things, they were “personal documents relating to an individual,” a category that included medical and ﬁnancial records.

If I wanted to appeal his decision, O’Grady said I would need to ﬁle my appeal to Carroll directly. This was because, as an “independent constitutional o cer,” Carroll was the “head of the agency” in possession of the documents in question.

In essence, O’Grady was saying the videos were Carroll’s, so if I wanted them, I’d need to convince him to turn them over. Challenge accepted!

My appeal letter to Carroll started out straightforward, but my annoyance grew as I wrote what amounted to a mini legal brief to convince a lawmaker and his attorney to turn over public documents. I told him I didn’t think the videos could “meet the high bar set for exemption from public disclosure” in the Public Records Act, including the instruction that the act “shall be liberally construed,” and that the burden of proof was on Carroll.

After a bunch of other statutory lingo about the need for government transparency, I sought to take the legs out from under any defense he or O’Grady might concoct to withhold the videos.

“While the videos may reside on your personal property, they are clearly not personal in nature, such as pictures from a birthday party or a fishing trip. They document actions by a public official to the property of another public official in a public area of a public building,” I wrote.

Notice how I worked “public” into that last sentence four times?

I also urged Carroll to consider the public’s right to know about the conduct of public o cers and the “corrosive e ect that a denial of those rights” might have on public trust.

I added that I was cc’ing House Speaker Jill Krowinski (D-Burlington).

While waiting for Carroll and his counsel to do the right thing, we broke the news of the videos based on interviews we’d done with people who had seen them.

Six days later, Carroll cited the ongoing press coverage and “warnings of more litigation” for his decision to share them with the public, as he put it, “reluctantly.”

In a ﬁnal twist, Carroll lost his legislative seat on Election Day while Morrissey, his tormentor, is heading back to the Statehouse.

KEVIN MCCALLUM

When new acquaintances ﬁnd out I’m a food writer, their usual reaction is, “You get to eat for a living? Cool!”

Yes, technically, though the writing part of the title takes up most of my time. My dining companions are the ones who really have it all ﬁgured out. For every restaurant review I ﬁle, there’s someone who sat across the table. If they’re willing to order what I tell them to, they eat for free.

It’s not always fun for those plus-ones, though. For assignments such as the cover story Melissa Pasanen and I cowrote this summer about classic American diners, the physical slog of back-to-back meals can be a little much.

Pasanen and I set out to visit diners from Bennington to the Northeast Kingdom. We hoped to find out how their no-frills business models were faring against challenges plaguing the restaurant

industry, from rising costs to staffing shortages. While we were there, of course, we’d also find giant pancakes, piles of corned-beef hash, bottomless co ee and so many pies

Pasanen was headed to southwestern Vermont, so she hit the Blue Benn and Castleton’s Birdseye. We split the diners close to Chittenden County, and I took the other four we were checking out, three of which ended up in the story.

For my first road trip, I picked up my friend Diane Corsones, a diner expert, in Burlington. We’d been in grad school together, where she researched the unchanging cultural portrayal of diner waitresses; before that, she covered immigration patterns that led to so many Greekowned diners in the U.S. I hounded her the whole way to Martha’s Diner in Coventry about the history of diner car manufacturers and why their stools are bolted down.

Like a true pro, Corsones had her order ready to go the second we sat at Martha’s counter: coffee, home fries, dry toast.

ORDER UP

She’s vegan, so I was on my own tackling a massive mound of sausage gravy over biscuits — with a plate-size pancake slathered in butter on the side.

Corsones had the right idea. From Martha’s, we hopped down Route 5 to our second stop, arriving an hour later

after a quick dip in Lake Willoughby. I was still digesting my first meal when we sat in a booth at the stalwart — and sadly now-closed — Miss Lyndonville Diner. I hyped myself up enough to order a tuna melt, but I skipped a shake and got my slice of chocolate-peanut butter pie to go. Meanwhile, my friend downed her whole veggie burger with fries. My omnivorous husband didn’t fare so well on the next reporting trip, which took us to Chester and North Springﬁeld. I learned my lesson and ordered light, but I didn’t say anything when he chose a forearmsize breakfast burrito at the Country Girl Diner. A 13-minute drive away at the Springﬁeld Diner, I sadistically encouraged him to order a patty melt. He ate it, but I could see the meat sweats starting. Back in the car, he said he’d never been so completely, uncomfortably stu ed. It was a long drive home.

JORDAN BARRY

Spy cam footage of Rep. Mary Morrissey

2024backstories

BIGGEST HEARTBREAK

“Swamped

and Shocked: Plainfield Reels After Latest Flood”

It had rained all night in Marshfield, where I live, and I knew what that meant. At 5:30 a.m., a friend texted me a photo of Plainfield’s Heartbreak Hotel apartment building. Floodwaters had torn it in half. Route 2 was closed, so it took me 25 minutes to get there instead of 10.

JUL 11

Plainfield was foggy and quiet. A small crowd stood at the crumbling edge of the chasm where the Mill Street bridge used to be. Nearby, across the still-raging Great Brook, the Heartbreak’s quaintly formal Italianate façade looked untouched, but a side wall had been torn off by debris, exposing a stranger’s kitchen décor to the world. The rambling rear section had been swept away altogether.

My friend Lauren Geiger was standing outside her Hudson Avenue home, looking stunned. Her car was socked in by two feet of sandy mud, and her basement was flooded to the ceiling.

“I don’t know what to do,” she said repeatedly. The two of us saw Nancy Everhart of Marshfield approaching to help, pushing a wheelbarrow full of shovels. In a classic case of small-town Vermont, she’s married to Geiger’s ex-husband.

I was stunned myself. It had been exactly a year since a flood had devastated my town of Marshfield, and I’d been dreading the anniversary. Now it was happening again, only worse, one town away. I suppressed the feeling of guilt that I had a home to return to.

I felt relief that no one was harmed in the fall of the Heartbreak — but also disbelief and, well, heartbreak that a local institution was no more.

The ramshackle grandeur of the old apartment house embodied the

freewheeling spirit of odd, irrepressible Plainfield. My kids’ dad, Eric Allen, lived in the Heartbreak as a newly arrived idealist in the 1990s. Later, the Heartbreak — so named because it was often a refuge from broken relationships — was home to a dear friend displaced by divorce.

Eli Barlow, who had lived in the Heartbreak, pulled a pair of lawn chairs out of his car and politely invited me to take a seat while I interviewed him about the events of the night before.

“It sounded less dramatic than a tree coming down — a couple of crashes,” said Barlow, who was on a neighbor’s lawn when his home fell into the brook.

As the morning went on, the village filled up with gawkers, journalists and scores of other helpers. I found myself playing all three roles. I talked to people who had been up all night, listening to the rocks crash in the Great Brook, wondering what they’d find when the sun came up. I met a trio of women caring for a trembling, injured dog.

Though the village smelled like sewage and gas, the residents who were counting terrible losses were friendly, and they wanted to tell their stories. I chatted with a woman who was salvaging items from her family’s wrecked house. When she learned that I live next door to a family friend who had offered her daughter a place to stay, she asked if I could give the kid a ride.

Ten hours after my dawn departure, I returned to Marshfield with a cheerful and resilient 12-year-old — and I marveled at the spirit of can-do optimism that pervaded Plainfield that day.

ANNE WALLACE ALLEN

Eli Barlow

MOST MEANINGFUL STORY

“Final Act: Rita Mannebach Traveled From Florida to Vermont to Choose How She Died”

JUL 17

Seven Days gets interesting and provocative news tips regularly, but one that came in on July 7 stopped me in my tracks.

“My 84-year-old sister from Florida is in Burlington now participating in the death with dignity program due to her terminal lung disease. She will take the medication to end her life on July 11,” it read. “My sister is very articulate and knowledgeable about this program and now is a patient and beneficiary of it. I thought this might be a … story that many of your readers would find of interest.”

The topic was outside my regular beat. But within hours of receiving the tip, I’d volunteered to look into it. I had a feeling that reporting the story would be a lifeexpanding experience.

COZIEST INTERVIEW

“A Baker’s 100: Marshfield’s Jules Rabin Celebrates a Century of Intellectual Curiosity, Trailblazing Bread and Standing Up for Peace”

AUG 7

The first time I drove into the Marshfield hills to interview Jules Rabin, it was early afternoon, after his usual postprandial nap. Although the centenarian activist and former baker still regularly drove himself to Montpelier’s Friday peace protest, he had admitted that he needed to rest several times a day.

“It’s a concession to old age and a confession of old age,” Jules told me.

I had long known of Jules and his wife, Helen, and their trailblazing Upland Bakers bread business, but I had never met them or, sadly, tasted the bread. The couple’s initial retirement in 2002 coincided with the start of my food-writing career, and I missed the bakery’s brief, hyperlocal comeback a few years later.

Over the decades, many of the serious Vermont bread bakers I’ve interviewed have cited the influence of the couple’s

Two days later, I pulled into the crowded driveway of a house in Burlington where Rita Mannebach, the woman at the center of the story, was staying with her family in preparation to die. I was greeted by her death doula, Meg Tipper, whom I interviewed on a covered sunporch. Then it was time to meet Mannebach. I tentatively entered the house, where I found a petite woman

tucked into one corner of a leather couch. Despite an oxygen tube in her nose, she spoke clearly about what being able to come to Vermont to end her life meant to her and what she was thinking about as she approached death. Her brother, John Cummins, sat quietly in the corner, recording the interview.

At first, I was worried I would say the wrong thing or ask an inappropriate

wood-fired, naturally leavened loaves.

The late poet David Budbill wrote, “Their crusts are like nothing else; they make your teeth and jaws remember what they’re there for.”

My first conversation with Jules that May afternoon ran more than three hours, during which the 100-year-old displayed the recall, quick wit and stamina of someone far younger. His succinct response to my query about what he missed most as he aged?

“Grand sex,” he replied without missing a beat.

I, by contrast, missed quite a few beats

question. But Mannebach’s matter-of-fact attitude about dying allayed my nervousness. It was refreshing to talk about death in such an open, honest way. When we were finished, Cummins walked me out and reassured me that I’d done a good job. It felt strange to craft an article about someone who wouldn’t be alive to read it. As I wrote, I got news from Mannebach’s family that her passing, and the celebration of life that preceded it, had gone smoothly. Tipper emailed me a photograph of Mannebach’s wrinkled hand resting in the palm of a relative.

“The family would like you to have this photo taken today at the time of Rita’s death,” she wrote.

Mannebach and her family had been so open and gracious; I wanted to write a story that would honor her memory.

A text from Mannebach’s daughter-inlaw the day the story was published made me feel like I’d accomplished that goal.

“It was a perfect characterization of her and her decision. I could hear all of her quotations in her voice,” it read. “Rita would have been so proud to see how it turned out.”

ALISON NOVAK

while gathering myself for the next question.

For my second visit, I invited myself for the midday meal, which Jules had listed among his remaining daily pleasures. Helen, Jules and I ate al fresco looking over their vegetable garden and then chatted for more than two hours until I sensed he was flagging. That’s when I said, mostly truthfully: “You know, I didn’t sleep well last night and could use a break. How about we both take a short rest?”

Helen wash the lunch dishes before she showed me to a cozy guest room where I laid down for a catnap.

About 45 minutes later, we both emerged refreshed from our respective bedrooms and resumed the interview. I had been waiting to ask Jules to demonstrate the push-ups he reportedly still did from time to time. Bolstered by his nap, he happily dropped to the ground to show off his prowess.

Not only did he have good form, the centenarian kept answering questions while he did them.

Just five years prior, he could still do 50, Jules said. Now, “I’m capable only of 10.”

A few months later, the Rabins and their daughters hosted my husband and me for lunch. As the conversation swirled and eddied around the table, Jules did not seem to be missing his usual post-meal nap. When I asked him if he wanted to excuse himself for a short rest, he demurred.

“Naps are gray,” Jules said. “This is lilac and orange.”

MELISSA PASANEN

Jules headed upstairs, and I helped

Rita Mannebach

Jules Rabin doing push-ups

Melissa Pasanen and Jules Rabin

2024backstories

BIGGEST SHOES TO FILL

“Kents

Corner Is Lit: ‘Illuminated Worlds’ Features 24 Vermont Artists”

“So you’re the new Pamela Polston?” That’s how state curator David Schutz posed the question as we discussed the art show he cocurates every year at the Kents Corner State Historic Site. I explained that Polston would still be writing for Seven Days, though stepping back.

SEP 11

“She’s a little like me,” he said. “I kind of want to move into a mode where I don’t have to work quite as hard, but I also don’t want to let go of my babies — and this is one of those babies.”

Polston is one of Seven Days’ founding mothers. Taking over from her as visual art editor has indeed felt like being handed a precious bundle I’d best not drop. Polston knows everyone in the Vermont art world. Over the past 30 years, she hasn’t just reported on that community; she’s been instrumental in strengthening it. Wherever I’ve gone in the past six months, from White River Junction to Middlebury, I have had some version of the same conversation: I introduce myself, and people respond with, “You’ve got big shoes to fill!”

The topic came up with Joseph Pensak of the Phoenix in Waterbury, when I went to see Ana Koehler’s show upstairs at the Hesterly Black gallery. With Richard Saunders, after Hunter Barnes’ artist talk at the Middlebury Museum of Art, and with Mary Admasian as we walked through her solo show at the T.W. Wood Gallery in Montpelier. With Theresa Harris at Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury. With Doreen Kraft at a sculpture unveiling in Burlington’s Dewey Park.

I have tried to imagine exactly which “big shoes” I’m stepping into: elegant, editorial black suede pumps? Trusty Louvre-worthy hiking boots? Wheelies? Surely, only my colleagues reporting from the Statehouse need hip-high muck waders? The reality is, Polston donned many a pair: We’re talking about an Imelda Marcos-level closetful.

Both as visual art editor and on the team of weekly proofreaders, I keep learning how much of the paper’s style, voice and focus have come from Polston. She started out as the scrappy punk rocker balancing cofounder Paula Routly’s strict ballet background, the two of them doing everything together. Polston was the music editor, managed freelancers, came up with features and themes, envisioned the culture section, and also did the office dishes. Her decisions — as obscure as why we lowercase “the” in “the Phoenix” and as important as why we still write weekly reviews of visual art at all, when so many outlets no longer do — are written in Seven Days ’ subtext, even when her byline is missing.

I am thrilled to be the new visual art editor at Seven Days, but I’m not the new Pamela Polston. Luckily, I don’t need to wear all of her shoes — I’m part of a whole team of folks. I am eager to see and learn and write about art every week; all I’ve got to do is lace up these punk shitkickers and start walking. I’m just glad they’re not toe shoes.

ALICE DODGE

Pamela Polston with a portrait of herself as “St. Pamela” by Jesse Azarian at a Seven Days semiretirement party in 2021

BEST EXCUSE FOR A BLOWN DEADLINE “Bilked

and Bereft: Surging Cyber Scams Leave Older Vermonters Destitute, Frustrated and Saddled With Tax Debt”

SEP 18

I blow a lot of deadlines, but my reasons are always very legitimate. They include, to name a few: Someone Hasn’t Called Me Back Yet; A Public Agency Is Dragging Its Feet on a Records Request; I’m Not Very Excited About the Story; I’m Very Excited About the Story; You Assigned Me Too Many Stories at Once; and Writing Is Hard.

This summer, I missed my deadline for a story about cyber scams targeting elderly Vermonters. It was assigned as a short trend piece by news editor Matthew Roy, who was managing a series on the state’s aging demographic.

We agreed that I would get it done in advance of a vacation I had planned — which of course became a convenient excuse for failing to. But the real reason I missed the deadline was that my relationship to this assignment was stuck in some

MOST COURAGEOUS SOURCE

muddy middle ground between I’m Not Very Excited About the Story and I’m Very Excited About the Story.

I found the cyber scam phenomenon immensely interesting, particularly the psychological dimension. But I hadn’t managed to find someone who had been victimized to speak about their experience in a way that would make it real for readers. The story had to show the potentially devastating e ects of digital deception.

Then, while I was on vacation, the paper received a news tip from a community nurse who was working with an elderly scam victim. “I have a story,” her email subject line read.

Talk about timing! I replied to the nurse while on vacation, then asked Roy to extend my new deadline. Roy, who knows a good story when he hears one, obliged.

“A World Away: Hundreds of Afghan Evacuees Are Cobbling Together New Lives in Vermont. But They Can’t Help Looking Homeward.”

Sleep can be elusive on the eve of a big story. Did you double-check the data? Did you reﬂect all sides of the debate? Does it read like a fourthgrade essay, so bogged down in clichés and jargon that you will su er career-tanking embarrassment and be forced to enter the witness protection program, move to Minnesota and become a sugar beet farmer?

SEP 25

My own 11th-hour anxieties typically involve my sources. I worry that I didn’t explain the story explicitly enough and that my subjects will be left reeling from the reality of seeing their innermost thoughts exposed in print for all to see.

That was my concern for Raﬁqullah, a slim, soft-spoken 30-year-old whom I proﬁled as part of our cover story on Vermont’s Afghan community.

Rafiqullah was one of thousands of Afghan soldiers who worked on behalf of the U.S., which meant they had to ﬂee their country after the Taliban reclaimed power. These men were told that the U.S.

would help reunite them with their wives and children. But most have spent the past three years waiting to see whether those promises would ever be fulﬁlled.

Raﬁqullah was unfortunately a good representation of this agonizing limbo. He had been building a new life in Vermont. But his mind was often stuck in his native country, where his wife and their four children were in hiding.

I met Raﬁqullah for the ﬁrst time at the o ces of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, then later at his Essex apartment, where he cooked me a traditional Afghan meal.

His place in my story solidiﬁed during this second conversation, so I asked him whether he’d be willing to have his photo taken. When, much to my surprise, he said yes, I explained that our newspaper gets published online for anyone, from anywhere in the world, to read. That includes the Taliban. There would be a risk, I said.

I understand, he replied. He wanted people to know what he and his countrymen had experienced.

Bereft Bilked and

With the extra time, I visited the nurse and the woman, Martha “Mickey” Pullen, at her home in Stra ord. Next, I talked to a Vermont Legal Aid attorney who was helping Pullen sort through a tax nightmare as a result of being scammed. It had sent her into a deep depression.

The attorney mentioned that he’d worked with one other woman who had been duped in a similar way. Maybe she would talk, too?

Jeanette Voss had lost nearly $1 million in an elaborate, monthslong scam during the pandemic. She’d thought about contacting a reporter at the time, Voss told me, but she felt too overwhelmed. Three years later, she was in a better place emotionally. She sensed that speaking publicly about it could help others avoid similar anguish — and perhaps help her heal.

Roy and I reimagined the story as a longer narrative that could recount the experiences of Pullen and Voss, blow by blow, in a way that brought the scams to life. We upgraded it to a cover story to ensure readers wouldn’t miss it.

Just before we published, Voss told me that she was planning to send the story to her loved ones to inform them, for the first time, about this harrowing chapter of her life. I was shocked to learn that she had been holding in all that shame, guilt and anxiety for years.

But I could understand it, too. The hard stu takes time.

DEREK BROUWER

couch. That photo ended up on the cover of Seven Days Raﬁqullah asked that I text him a link to the story when it published in late September. I did, then waited for his thoughts. Finally, in mid-October, Molly Gray, executive director of the Vermont Afghan Alliance, texted me a photo. There was Rafiqullah, holding up a copy of the paper, a smile on his face. He had translated the story, Gray wrote, and was very proud of it.

I slept a little easier that night. But in the weeks since, Rafiqullah has been on my mind. His wife and children remain in hiding back in Afghanistan, and with president-elect Donald Trump vowing to reinstate his “Muslim travel ban” upon taking office, there is no telling when Rafiqullah may see his family again. COLIN

Photographer Luke Awtry captured Rafiqullah sitting in front of a large Afghan ﬂag he and his three roommates had pinned against the wall behind their

2024backstories

MOST ELOQUENT SUBJECT

“Mark

Utter, Vermont Writer and Filmmaker With Autism,

Dies”

NOV 1

My first interview with Mark Utter, who died on October 28 at age 59, was unquestionably the slowest one I’ve ever conducted in my 25 years as a journalist. Born with a form of nonverbal autism, Utter “spoke” using a communication method known as supported typing. His facilitator, Emily Anderson, would sit at his side and hold his elbow to focus his attention. Utter would then hunt and peck at a keyboard with one finger. His first sentence to me, “I am really happy to meet you,” took him five minutes to compose.

And yet, like those letters that Civil War soldiers penned to their loved ones back home, Utter’s slow and deliberate writing process could result in eloquent prose, the kind rarely found in most people’s mile-a-minute emails, texts and instant messages. Utter labored to produce his words, so he chose them carefully.

When I first met Utter, in 2012, he was largely unknown outside of Vermont’s disability community and was still getting accustomed to sharing his thoughts. Deemed “mentally retarded” as a child, Utter couldn’t communicate with others for the first three decades of his life. Though he understood everything people around him were saying, he existed mostly in his own mind — until supported typing freed him from his cage.

Once, I asked Utter, “You seem like such a happy person all the time, despite your disability. How do you stay so upbeat?”

“ First, I don’t think of myself as disabled, which gives me a stronger foundation than those who have fallen into that trap,” he replied. “I am happy because, like

Abraham Lincoln, I know ‘You are only as happy as you allow yourself to be.’”

Utter went on to write, produce and star in an award-winning 2013 movie called I Am in Here: A View of My Daily Life With Good Suggestions for Improvement by My Intelligent Mind.

While he was working on that project, I wrote an April 11, 2012, cover story about him headlined “Utterly Mark: A Vermonter With Autism Makes His Inner Voice Heard Through Film.” Utter was so delighted, he started a blog and called it “Utterly Mark.”

Because I’m friends with Anderson, his collaborator from 2006 to 2020, I maintained a connection with Utter over the years. I knew that when Anderson got engaged to Brian Merrill, Utter insisted he would officiate their wedding, announcing it on his blog before the couple OK’d it.

“I was going to be perpetually engaged,” Anderson recalled with bemusement. “That didn’t happen.”

Since Utter had never officiated a wedding before, I offered a blueprint to guide him: the script of a wedding ceremony I had written for friends a few years earlier. He tailored his remarks to the couple and, with his words projected on a screen, “read” them aloud using a voice generator.

Anderson and Merrill’s wedding in August 2018 was a stunning affair on a mountaintop in Barton, featuring kites, bubbles, and performers from Bread and Puppet Theater. And, in his own inimitable way, my former subject created a ceremony that was an Utter masterpiece. KEN PICARD

Mark Utter in his 2013 film, I Am in Here

MOST PERSONAL STORY

“Urgent Scare: The Price of Health Care Plans in Vermont Has Doubled in Six Years. The Prognosis for Cost Containment Is Grim.”

NOV 6

To breathe life into my reporting on Vermont hospitals, I did what any ambitious journalist would: I scheduled a surgery and had half of my thyroid removed.

I’m kidding. Sort of.

The reporting of my cover story about Vermont’s rising health care costs was interrupted by the removal of a benign growth in my neck and an overnight stay at the University of Vermont Medical Center. My thyroid is indeed 50 percent smaller. But nothing about my time under the knife ended up in the story. Nor was it necessary to convince me of the importance of a functioning health care system.

That’s a lesson I learned long ago.

In 2013, I experienced some worrisome changes. My appetite vanished, my weight plummeted and one day I started coughing up blood. An alarming X-ray landed me at Albany Medical Center. Three weeks of

poking, prodding and transfusions later, I was diagnosed with cancer. A type of nonHodgkin’s lymphoma — di use mediastinal large B cell — had spawned a tumor in my chest the size of a cantaloupe, a fruit to which I am otherwise partial.

For the next five months I lived at the hospital for weeklong chemotherapy treatments, then recovered for two weeks at home. My bones ached, I was constantly nauseous, and over time the tumor shrank, never to return again (much like my hair).

I noticed during my treatments how hospitals have a rhythm to them — the shift changes, the daily resident rounds. Painkillers lowered my inhibitions, and I interrogated the dozens of technicians, nurses and custodial staff who cycled through my room — about their jobs, their interests, even their kids. It was a way to pass the time and remind me of the world that existed beyond those sterile walls.

MOST UNDERCOVER ASSIGNMENT

“Once Upon a Stable: Locally Filmed Christmas Cowboy Tips its Hat to Vermont”

Last January, culture coeditor Carolyn Fox sent me on a mission to check out the ﬁlming of Christmas Cowboy at the Opera House at Enosburg Falls. Ideally, I would write a quick story about the novelty of a holiday movie being shot in small-town Franklin County.

DEC 11

But then the casting director, Shayna Sherwood, informed me that the producers weren’t ready for the movie to receive press. I pushed, and she agreed to let me observe on the condition that I would write about the ﬁlm closer to the time of its release.

Upon arriving on set, there was another catch: I could watch the ﬁlming, but only if I did so as an extra in the movie

I wondered if appearing in the ﬁ lm posed some sort of conﬂict of interest. I called Fox, who gave me the green light, suggesting that my role could become part of the story and give me a front-row seat to the action.

But there was still one problem. The scene they were ﬁlming was a debutante

had co-pays, but they were reasonable, and we never had to consider whether we could a ord my next treatment.

ball. I looked down at my jeans and sneakers. Oops.

Not to worry, Sherwood said. She led me to the costume closet, where I ditched my outfit for a sleek black dress and heels. Then I took my seat at a table and did my best to fake realistic claps, gasps, and “oohs” and “aahs” as we repeated the same scene over and over again.

It took almost a year for my reporting to see the light of day. In November, Christmas Cowboy was ﬁnally released. I watched with anticipation, wondering if I’d made the ﬁnal cut.

Sure enough, there I was: the back of my head, at least, clearly visible for a couple of seconds during the debutante ball. I was even noted in the credits. Well, sort of. My name appeared under “Additional Cast” — misspelled as “Hannah Fever.”

It may not have been the most glamorous movie debut, but it’s a story I’ll never forget.

HANNAH FEUER

I came to appreciate the people who are willing to do this di cult and draining work.

I also learned the importance of health insurance.

I was 19 at the time and covered through my mother, who works for the New York public school system. We

Years later, signing up for health insurance through Seven Days , I selected a plan with a higher monthly premium. I knew it would cover almost anything I needed once I hit my $2,500 deductible, a good chunk of which the paper covers through a health reimbursement account. The bill on my recent surgery came to more than $20,000; I was only on the hook for about $1,000 of that.

Nothing to sneeze at, sure. But it was manageable. Many Vermont families are far worse o : saddled with huge medical debts or delaying care out of fear of what it might cost.

Vermont faces numerous challenges, too many to list here. But above all, in my mind, has to be this: A ordable health care is a life-or-death proposition.

Here’s hoping 2025 brings some solutions — and a nicely healed neck scar.

COLIN FLANDERS

Eliana Ghen and Armando Gutierrez in Christmas Cowboy

From our local family business to yours, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

FEEDback

become a patchwork of conﬂicting ordinances that change at town lines.

The creation of a “gun-free zone” — that is not enforced — is nothing more than a false sense of security to anyone who chooses to enter. Unless and until guards are present, along with expensive scanning machines and bag searches, passing a law that says “No guns allowed” does nothing more than to create a “zone of illusionary protection,” which is no protection at all. Beyond that, this is not just “guns in bars”; it is guns in any establishment that sells alcohol, which would also mean restaurants and other venues.

In a utopian world, there may not be any need for ﬁrearms, but in today’s world that is not the case. Innocent people are being horribly a ected by violent crime across Vermont, especially in Burlington, and people have a right to defend themselves.

At this juncture, it would seem appropriate for the Vermont attorney general to inform the Burlington City Council that it has broken Vermont law.

Chris Bradley NORTHFIELD

Bradley is president and executive director of the Vermont Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs.

‘NO FARMS NO FOOD’

[Re “Entrepreneur Paul Ralston Is Investing in Local Food Access,” November 27]: It is correct to say that a lot of us are more familiar with calamity than we wish. The disastrous flooding of the past two summers damaged homes, schools, businesses, bridges, roads, forests and farms. It was more than families, businesses, communities and the state could handle. Damage to farm fields and crops was particularly severe, and many farmers were unable to get aid until long after their crops were lost. The lag between damage and assistance affects farmers doubly. When a farm field is flooded, not only is the current crop lost, the next year’s crop is in jeopardy as well. Why should we all be concerned that farmers have the means to restore production in the face of natural disaster? The bumper sticker “No Farms No Food” says it all.

Farmers’ stewardship of the land produces our food. They are an iconic part of Vermont culture. Wendell Berry put it this way: “Farming itself, like life itself, is different from information or knowledge or anything else that can be verbally communicated. It is not just the local application of science; it is also the local practice of a local art and the living of

a local life.” Is it conceivable that Vermont could be Vermont without farms?

Support the Northeast Organic Farming Association lobbying e orts to create a Vermont farm disaster impact recovery fund. You can contact your state representative and voice support. You can help ensure Vermont’s farmers can recover from unanticipated natural disasters.

Chris Rice LYNDONVILLE

‘A WISER WAY FORWARD’

It is a tragedy whenever human lives are lost on the roads [“Crash Course: Activists Want to Reshape Shelburne Road

After Another Cyclist Is Killed in South Burlington,” November 27; “Two Pedestrians Critically Injured in Shelburne Road Crash,” December 12, online]. But reconﬁguring Shelburne Road because it is an especially dangerous road for reckless cyclists and jaywalkers is not the answer.

In fact, Erin Sisson, deputy chief engineer of the Vermont Agency of Transportation’s highway division, notes that since 2019, all but one of 10 crashes on Shelburne Road involved “unsafe or erratic behavior on the part of the pedestrian or the cyclist.”

The very notion of downsizing busy (30,000 drivers a day) Shelburne Road from five to three lanes is yet another example of a disproportionate reaction by well-meaning but naïve do-gooders to an emotionally charged issue.

A wiser way forward is to make sound decisions based on empirical studies and analysis, such as the Shelburne Road Corridor Study.

Jack Scully COLCHESTER

CARS KILL

I appreciate the words of the activists being shared in [“Crash Course: Activists Want to Reshape Shelburne Road After Another Cyclist Is Killed in South Burlington,” November 27], about how unsafe non-car commuting is in and around Burlington, but this article chooses to muddle the impact of this much-needed call for better infrastructure by insisting that changes would be a “complicated, yearslong process.” As several citizens gracefully stated before city council that night, this is an issue that could be solved tomorrow. Turn one of the driving lanes into a bike lane.

Citizens are being murdered by automobilists. Why have we become so numb to the lethality of cars?

I CRASHED ON SHELBURNE ROAD

[Re “Crash Course: Activists Want to Reshape Shelburne Road After Another Cyclist Is Killed in South Burlington,” November 27; “Two Pedestrians Critically Injured in Shelburne Road Crash,” December 12, online]: It’s hard to believe that nothing has been or is about to be done to improve the current situation. In 2020 I was riding on Shelburne Road in the “bike lane” near Pauline’s Café in the exact spot where Joseph “Byrdman” Allen was later killed. I had front and rear lights, it was broad daylight on a clear and sunny day, and nobody involved had been drinking. Yet I got crowded by a tractor trailer that encroached into the “bike lane,” hit a sewer grate that takes up the right third of the “bike lane,” lost control and crashed. I ended up with a fractured scapula. It could have been worse; the last thing I recall was I was either going to hit the curb or land under the tractor trailer.

Living o of Shelburne Road — behind the soon-to-be “Crombach development,” which will only make things worse — my only way out is by getting onto Shelburne Road. Now when I want to ride my bicycle somewhere, my bike goes into my car, I drive up to Spear Street, and I start riding from there. Hardly ideal, but I think you can understand why.

There is a relatively easy solution: Take the existing sidewalk on either side, slightly widen it and put a layer of asphalt on top of it to create a bike lane that would be safely separated from tra c.

How many more people have to be killed before something is done here?

Pete Serisky SHELBURNE

The city has responded to pedestrians crying out in fear for their lives by saying it intends to change nothing about Shelburne Road’s dangerous design. This is expressing that there is a price in human life that our officials are willing to pay to avoid further traffic wait times. That disturbs me. I hope it disturbs you, too.

Grifﬁn DeMatteo BURLINGTON

Editor’s note: Look for ﬁve more letters on this topic online at sevendaysvt.com.

TEAR DOWN THAT CHURCH

The likely demolition of the former Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception this winter couldn’t happen soon enough [“Supreme Court Approves Demolition of Burlington Cathedral,” December 6, online]. In October the Burlington Police Department announced a large presence at the church for training. One can guess — active shooter, hostage rescue, mass shooting? Even surrounded by fence and chained gates, the grounds are still vandalized by intruder trash and gra ti. Gra ti almost reached the roof supporting the cross that proclaims it’s a church.

Preservationists chided the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington for exercising doctrine in deconsecrating the church. They fuss over the honey locust trees on-site planted in straight rows 20 feet apart. These trees are no di erent from the ornamental trees lining the Church Street Marketplace.

The preservationists demanding the building, trees and open space be given over for another purpose is similar to strangers demanding the Cathedral Church of St. Paul one block away be torn down because its brutalist style of architecture is o ensive. “The customer

“Ghost bike” memorial at the site of the Shelburne Road crash that killed Sean Hayes

is always right” is invalid, because they are not customers or owners.

In their dreams, they see open space. The abutting bus terminal street is notorious. The interpretive signs memorializing the loss of Burlington’s Little Italy to urban renewal within the three-block radius are defaced. If preservationists had pressed their credo in the ’60s and ’70s, there would be a neighborhood and parish alive there today.

Roger Donegan HINESBURG

WHITHER WEATHERIZATION?

[Re “Cold Discomfort: Burlington’s Goal to Weatherize Hundreds of Apartments Is Imperiled by a Lack of Workers,” November 13]: The City of Burlington could use other strategies than relying 100 percent on a private-market solution, which has never worked in the energye ciency sector.

Long ago, the city-owned Burlington Electric Department opted out of Vermont’s statewide energy-e ciency utility, Efficiency Vermont. Vermont ratepayers pay a small fee on our electric bills for energy-e ciency services. In Burlington, ours goes to Burlington Electric. Vermonters without a municipal utility pay E ciency Vermont. E ciency Vermont’s value is an R&D arm that designs and delivers comprehensive programs with incentives to “transform the market” to net emissions. E ciency Vermont coordinates the right hand working with customers and the left hand working with contractors and equipment vendors.

Burlington lacks this coordinated program design and delivery. Even worse, the city now has two energy-e ciency utilities, which bifurcates program design, delivery and incentives. Two entities with di erent cultures and missions

must trip over themselves to align their services and incentives while customers wait for good advice.

What would overcome our weatherization workforce shortage woes?

A single energy-efficiency utility that educates the market, mandates then pays for energy audits, completes 100 audits at a time, signs tari -ﬁnancing agreements with building owners, then puts 100 buildings out to bid to weatherization contractors in the region. A bulk bid under a single contract could incentivize contractors to sta up and train workers.

This proposal is not without challenges and is not the only solution, but right now we lack vision and leadership for a comprehensive approach at scale.

Liz Curry BURLINGTON

LET’S TALK ABOUT MILK

[Re “Vermont to Begin Testing Milk Supply for Bird Flu,” December 10, online]: Let’s start the conversation about milk. Real milk comes from mammals — in particular, female mammals. Soy milk is not milk! Almond milk is not milk! Rice milk is not milk! Oat milk is not milk! Coconut milk is not milk!

Humans have been drinking milk for thousands of years prior to pasteurization. That meant they were drinking raw milk. There was no government interference. Local dairy herds were the primary source. The dairy farms were local and mostly small family operations. Today, this facet of dairy farming is disappearing. Large mega-industrialization of milk production is increasing. This increases the chances of problems in our food chain. Can you keep count of the number of food recalls on all types of processed food products? Too numerous to keep track of.

Forty-seven out of 50 states allow for the legal sale of raw milk, Vermont included. When milk testing takes place for bird flu, let’s be sure that it is accurate, using guidelines that fit and are not inflated to ensure that the outcome is in favor of big agriculture at the expense of the local dairy farmer.

Bart Hauser NEWARK

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Life Stories

Remembering Vermonters who died in 2024

BY SEVEN DAYS STAFF

Since 2014, Seven Days has ended each year by recounting the lives of a handful of Vermonters who died in the previous 12 months. We call these profiles “Life Stories.” You’d think that after a decade of doing them, they’d get easier. But the opposite is true.

When deputy publisher Cathy Resmer conceived this project, her idea was to pay tribute to Vermonters of a wide range of backgrounds, ages, locations and renown. Some of the folks we’ve profiled have been household names, but we generally try to avoid people whose deaths made major headlines.

Iwhom to write about presents quite a conundrum.

THROUGH THE YEARS, ONE UNDENIABLE TRUTH HAS EMERGED OVER AND OVER: EVERYONE HAS A COMPELLING STORY TO BE TOLD.

Instead, we seek to tell smaller stories that move us in one way or another. In the past 10 years, we’ve written about famous poets as well as musicians who rarely played outside their bedrooms; rabble-rousing counterculture heroes as well as straightlaced businesspeople; and centenarians with rich, full lives as well as children lost far too soon.

In producing these profiles for so long, we’ve learned a few things. One is that “Life Stories” are challenging and can intimidate even experienced journalists. Another is that they’re deeply rewarding to write — and read. And, yeah, they’re also often sad.

Through the years, one undeniable truth has emerged over and over: Everyone has a compelling story to be told. Which also means that choosing

To curate “Life Stories,” I track obituaries throughout the year, flagging those I think might make for good profiles. Seven Days editors and reporters also send me suggestions when someone dies on their respective beats. It amounts to hundreds of potential candidates. Most years we choose about eight. If you pressed me, I couldn’t tell you precisely why one person makes the cut and another doesn’t. Sometimes you know the moment you read an obit. Others might require a second or third look. And occasionally it’s as simple and unscientific as a gut feeling.

I can tell you that I feel a tinge of remorse every time I narrow the field, like I’m passing some strange sort of final judgment on people whom I never met and never will. It would actually be easier if we limited our scope to notable or famous figures — “Vermont famous,” at least. But that would truly miss the point.

In the end, our hope is that the people you’ll read about in the following pages will inspire and move you. Not because they were necessarily the best at what they did or the most successful or overcame great odds. But because through the simple act of living, they charted out stories worth telling, as each of us do. Thanks, as always, to the families and friends of the deceased for sharing those stories with us.

DAN BOLLES

‘Every Day Was About Art’

GREGG BLASDEL, January 14, 1941-June 6, 2024

BY ALICE DODGE • adodge@sevendaysvt.com

f asked about his accomplishments, Gregg Blasdel might have said he’d recently perfected a recipe for daikon radish cakes, or that he had taught his cat, Tootone, to roll over.

He valued these small successes — feats requiring the creativity, persistence and patience for which he was known — just as much as his larger achievements. Gregg died in June at age 83, after a reoccurrence of the esophageal cancer he had successfully treated 30 years ago.

Since the 1960s, he had been instrumental in defining and legiti mizing the work of self-taught artists within the context of art history, traveling around the country to talk with them and document their expansive constructions. Gregg taught studio art and art history at Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, and he created his own prints and sculptures up until his death.

“I probably walked by it a hundred times — I took it for granted that it was always going to be there,” Gregg recounted in a 2021 panel discussion recorded by the Bennington Museum. When later asked why he had devoted so much of his life to documenting this kind of art, Gregg said, “because I didn’t think it would be saved.”

Unlike the installations he studied, Gregg’s work was not obsessive or immersive but clean and technically skillful; he was experimental, always interested in learning new ways of doing things. One recent black-and-white print shows a carp swimming in broad swipes of ink. Silhouettes of actual plants and geometric forms seem to float on its surface; Gregg exposed the objects directly on the plate, using a nontoxic etching process. He rarely talked about the “why” of his work and simply followed his artistic intuition. As his friend and colleague Will Mentor described it, “He would just make something, and it’s that ineffable resonance — if it resonated, that was enough.”

Gregg grew up in Belle Plaine, Kan., the second of four brothers. His mom, Erma, was an oil painter; his dad, Red, ran the local grain elevator. About a block away from their house, a man named David Rousseau had built a whole world in his front yard out of colored concrete — a model city suspended over a fish pond.

REGREBLLOSAVEFOYSETRUOC

In 1968, soon after graduating from Cornell University with his MFA in 1967, he published “The Grass-Roots Artist” in Art in America, a seminal article that introduced several such artists’ work to a larger audience. He went on to publish, lecture and curate exhibitions on self-taught artists at major museums, championing their work and that of other “outsider” artists, who were often marginalized within mainstream society. Gregg received research fellowships in 1967 and in the 1970s from the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City and the National Endowment for the Arts to document art environments all over the country. In some cases, he created the only remaining records of them.

Gregg’s daughter, Oakley, recalled going with her dad to upstate New York to visit the artist Clarence Schmidt and the rambling “House of Mirrors” he had created on his five-acre property. Its tarcovered towers made of windows and sticks rose above a forest of doll heads impaled on silver foil-wrapped trees. “It didn’t occur to me what a weird thing that was,” Oakley recalled. “It was like, This is just this guy’s kind of art.”

In 1974, Gregg separated from his wife, Ann, the mother of his kids Oakley and Illinois. While working on a book about Schmidt with his friend Bill Lipke, who taught art history at the University of Vermont, he fell in love with the Green Mountain State. Gregg joined Bill on the art and art history faculty at UVM for the next several years. He later met and married Sheryl Bellman, and their son, Max, was born in 1983. Until he and Sheryl

Gregg Blasdel with a "Life and Death Rattle"

split up in 1989, they lived in a rambling farmhouse in Underhill which Gregg was always working on. He began teaching at Saint Michael’s College in 1982 and stayed for the next three decades.

As an artist and teacher, Gregg was soft-spoken and unassuming, focusing more on art practice than theory. Mentor, his colleague at St. Mike’s, described how, before his students arrived, Gregg would stand perpendicular to the blackboard, “and he would take a piece of chalk, and he would make his arm go in a circle from that position to try and draw a perfect circle. He’d do it every morning. It was so quiet, and it was odd, in a kind of friendly, private way; I loved that about him.”

In 2005, Gregg married his partner of 32 years, Jennifer Koch, a former student at St. Mike’s and fellow artist. Over two decades, they made a series of 40-by-30inch collaborative prints called “Marriages of Reason.” Each one is made from two very different images. Where Jennifer carved her woodcut blocks, Gregg took an experimental approach, sometimes building his reliefs from thin strips of veneer, sometimes etching. Jennifer’s halves are usually detailed and intricate — a tulip, a twisted skein of yarn — while Gregg’s are bold: a woven geometry of lines, a foot, an ink splotch in silhouette.

“Every day was about art,” Jennifer said. “The way he saw the world was creative.”

During the 2010s, Gregg managed the Burlington City Arts print studio at Memorial Auditorium, volunteering many hours to teach classes and keep the shop organized. BCA executive director Doreen Kraft remembered how he had systems for everything, so visitors could easily use the studio. He was equally welcoming as a teacher, with infinite patience.

“He had a brilliant way of bringing the ideas out of individuals … he wasn’t afraid to experiment with new ideas or to let people try things that he hadn’t tried before,” Kraft said. “He made himself both teacher and student — I think that’s a rare talent.”

Gregg and Jennifer traveled around the country, collecting artwork from and maintaining relationships with self-taught and folk artists, many of whom had mental health challenges. In particular, they grew to know Burlington artist Paul Humphrey, whose “Sleeping Beauties” series of xerox drawings numbered at least in the hundreds. Gregg helped the artist with everything from selling his work to making doctor’s appointments. Gregg valued these friendships and could talk to anyone: “He had a curiosity about the world and people and art,” Jennifer said, “and I think that he made people feel really listened to.”

Gregg’s perceptiveness and patience extended from people to objects to

HE WASN’T AFRAID TO EXPERIMENT WITH NEW IDEAS.

processes. He loved to cook and practiced recipes over and over until he got them right — and then would improvise and experiment with them. He spent hours discussing food with friends and family, and with Oakley in particular; they once spent a long, snowy New Mexico day learning to make tamales. On a trip through the Southeast, Gregg insisted on trying all the barbecue he could find and later concocted his own killer sauce.

He was meticulous in his art practice, and he could spend hours creating a specific cardboard form to hold up a plaster mold. He would often make his own tools for a one-time purpose — and then carve or paint them, turning them into art objects.

“Everything he used had this sense of value, and he would take the time and the attention to detail to honor it,” said artist Kevin Donegan, a close friend. “It wasn’t just people that he made feel special, but he imbued this sense of meaning on material as well.”

Gregg’s artwork was incredibly varied. At Burlington City Arts in 2013, he showed “Bounty,” an installation of plaster-cast objects and body parts affixed to fence posts. His sculptures included a giant metallic catfish that seemed to hover and a miniature house frame brimming with tiny pieces of wood. On camping trips to Lake George, N.Y., Gregg would find sticks and turn them into painted snakes. He’d take dirt from his many travels (including all of the lower 48 states) and affix it in stripes to a bowling ball-size mud ball in the studio.

Despite his own tendency toward craftsmanship, he had a strong appreciation for what he called “make-dos.” He would swap photos of them with friends — a knife held together with twine, a creatively cobbled farm implement. One of Jennifer’s favorites is a small ceramic jug that broke; Gregg repaired it, aesthetically if not functionally, with a cardboard extension in the same folded geometric style.

Donegan and his partner, Susan Smereka, recounted how Donegan once gave Gregg a little plastic rabbit, spray-painted chrome. Soon after, they started finding plaster-cast versions of the same rabbit hidden in the house or studio. “Either he made something for you, or he found an image that he wanted to share,” Smereka said. “You always knew you were thought about.”

In 2023, Gregg presented “new works,” a solo show at Smereka and Donegan’s new new art studio in Burlington. It included his “Life and Death Rattles,” a series of intensely colored, joyful wooden constructions that make a cacophony when shaken — a noise that delighted him.

DOREEN KRAFT

Gregg with "Devil's House"

‘She Had This View of How Things Ought to Be’

BY MARY ANN LICKTEIG • maryann@sevendaysvt.com

In 1969, Barbara Nolfi drove from California to Vermont to start a commune. She was 27. She came with her husband, their young son and a dog named Sam.

Two California friends who wanted in on the commune followed them a few weeks later. The four picked Vermont because Barbara’s husband, Jim, got a job teaching at the University of Vermont. Two more couples soon signed on and the group, financed by a pair of Jungian psychologists in California, bought a farm in Franklin. In February 1970 they moved in and embarked on their political and social revolutions.

They ripped out the phone and the washing machine — despite having three kids in cloth diapers. They rejected their benefactors’ offer of snowmobiles because the machines polluted their ideal: living off the land collectively and simply. They would grow their food, farm partly with horses, and turn off their electricity periodically to use kerosene lamps and a

woodstove. If they needed to get around in the wintertime, they’d use snowshoes and skis.

They shed societal norms, and sometimes their clothes, as they pursued a new way of living. They planned to smash monogamy, wipe out the nuclear family with its patriarchal hierarchy and live as one big family.

It wasn’t Barbara’s idea. “I wasn’t so much into the social experiment,” she told an interviewer in 2015, “but I definitely was into the politics.” A child of Eisenhower Republicans, she was “relatively conservative” in the late ’60s, she told the Vermont Historical Society for an oral history project. News coverage of monks setting themselves on fire in the streets of Saigon turned her into a war protester. Starting a commune, however, appealed more to Jim and their friends, she said: “I was just coming along.”

But Barbara, who rode into Vermont on somebody else’s dream, spent the rest of her life here building a better reality. Grounded

by a deep sense of self and driven to work for the common good — especially the good of women and poor people — Barbara helped start or shape organizations that grew into local institutions.

Believing health care was a right, she cofounded the People’s Free Clinic in Burlington’s Old North End. It’s now Community Health Centers, with nine locations. Empowering women who didn’t want to give birth sedated and in stirrups, she became a midwife and ushered 100 babies into the world in their own homes. She cofounded the Charlotte Family Health Center and became a physician’s assistant, then a registered nurse.

A proponent of collective action, she participated in one of the food-buying clubs that dotted Chittenden County and grew into Burlington’s City Market, Onion River Co-op. Barbara served on its board. Eventually, she entered city government. She served on Burlington’s Youth Employment Program’s board of directors, on the city’s water resources commission, its parks

THERE’S JUST SO MANY THINGS IN BURLINGTON THAT BARBARA HAD HER FINGERS ON.

BRIAN PINE

and recreation commission, and, for eight years, its city council, then called the board of aldermen. She helped change that, too.

“There’s just so many things in Burlington that Barbara had her fingers on,” said Brian Pine, a fellow Ward 3 Progressive councilor who served with her for four years. “But you wouldn’t have known it because Barbara Nolfi never stood up at the podium and took credit or got pats on the back.”

Finally, coming full circle in a way, Barbara helped start another, albeit less radical, intentional living community. In 2007, after working 18 years to create it, she and her longtime partner, Don Schramm, moved into Burlington Cohousing East Village. They later lobbied its board to allow green burials: interments that forego embalming and vaults to allow natural decomposition. Barbara’s became the first. She died of a stroke on September 29 at age 82.

Dozens of people, including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), gathered at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center’s Film House earlier this month to grieve their loss and celebrate Barbara’s life. “She had this view of how things ought to be, and she would move to learn new things so she could help make that happen,” said Helen Keith, a speaker at the event who once shared a house with Barbara.

Those who knew her use many of the same words to describe her: smart,

Barbara and her son, Dylan

Barbara Nolfi (far right) with her family

level-headed, practical, competent. Other women emulated her. She was the takecharge big sister.

Hippies had a DIY attitude, and Barbara personified it, said her son, Dylan Nolfi, a child of the commune. When it was time for him to attend school, Barbara and other parents started one in the basement of a Cambridge church. Barbara taught tai chi there. When Birth Book author Raven Lang came to the free clinic to teach midwifery Barbara thought, My gosh. That’s great. I could do that

When she saw something that needed to be created or fixed, she approached it with similar zeal. She was straightforward. She could be blunt. Sitting in audiences where everyone struggled to hear the speaker, Barbara was the one who piped up: “Use the mic!” Not everyone liked her, and she was OK with that. Longtime friend Dan Albert called her “an acquired taste.”

“Honesty was really important to her,” said Don, her partner for the past 42 years. He, too, bore its brunt. “Don, you talk too much,” she told him often. But that’s true, he said, and Barbara’s critiques didn’t trigger him: “I just loved the daylights out of her.”

The second of four children, Barbara Catherine Smith was born in 1942 in Texas to two chemistry PhDs who taught at Texas A&M University. The family moved to Oklahoma when she was 3 and to California when she was 13. An avid reader, she was assigned to advanced classes.

She studied English for two years at Pomona College, then transferred to University of California, Berkeley, switched her major to psychology and graduated with Phi Beta Kappa honors in 1964.

At a wedding her senior year, she met Jim Nolfi, a Stanford University grad working on a PhD in zoology at Berkeley. They married, had a son, and named him for Dylan Thomas and Bob Dylan. He was born in a hospital. “I had my baby at 12:30 at night and didn’t get to see him until, like, seven in the morning,” Barbara told the historical society. “So sad.”

Dylan was almost 2 years old when his parents cofounded the Franklin commune, Earthworks, and he, like the other children there, symbolically came to belong to all the adults. Grown-ups took turns caring for the kids, an arrangement Barbara found empowering because it freed her up to learn new skills. She worked with horses, helped repair a manure spreader and pounded nails into the rafters of the shop the group was building. A thin woman who wore dungarees and brown braids, Barbara felt herself getting physically stronger.

For the two and a half years she lived at the commune (it dissolved a couple of years after she left), she played a pivotal role. “Barbara was ‘the one,’” said Louise

Andrews, one of the eight cofounders.

“Barbara was the one that found the farm.” She was the one who planned the garden and coordinated canning. When the commune ballooned in the summer with runaways, draft dodgers and other itinerants, Barbara ordered the chaos and divvied up the chores.

Amid the sex, drugs, and rock and roll, Barbara remained pragmatic. “She didn’t smoke dope, for example,” Earthworks cofounder Bruce Taub said. (She didn’t like marijuana, she told the historical society — “I did like psychedelics.”)

A 1971 summer weekend proved to be a seminal catalyst for Barbara and others. Earthworks members invited residents of other communes to Franklin for a “gathering of the tribes.” As many as 200 people

“turned on by their lives,” as Barbara put it, discussed the changes they wanted to make in society.

Three main ideas emerged: affordable health care; banding together to buy food; and using newspapers to spread their messages.

Barbara pursued health care. She and about a dozen other volunteers launched the People’s Free Clinic. They recruited doctors to train them as paramedics and to donate a day every week or two to provide care. They set up exam rooms and a lab and began diagnosing and treating colds, coughs and sexually transmitted infections. Barbara became one of two lead midwives in the clinic’s “birth group.” She exuded competence and support while attending births, but not necessarily warmth, assistant midwife Phyllis Stambolian said: The assistants tended to emotions; Barbara tended to business. And when you were out in Bristol or Charlotte during an

ice storm and labor took a bad turn, that’s what you wanted. “She would be the person who would keep her cool,” Stambolian said.

As a parent herself, Barbara instilled in her son an understanding that he mattered to her more than all others. She and Jim split up when Dylan was 2, and Jim died when Dylan was 13.

Barbara read Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and Treasure Island to Dylan when he was 7 years old and Ursula K. Le Guin’s Earthsea trilogy when he was 10. She took him to all the Akira Kurosawa movies.

She indulged his obsession with fishing and let him take risks. “I had a butane torch — like a plumbing torch — in my bedroom when I was, like, 13,” he said. “I was into blowing things up.”

Dylan was 14 in 1982 when Barbara and Don met through Single Vermonters, a newspaper where each had placed an ad. Don noticed Barbara’s: “37, divorced, 5’6”, 125 lbs, beautiful, unique, intelligent woman, dark-haired with blue eyes, shy. Seeks companionship for fun, humor, love.” She listed her interests, mentioned her work in health care and said she preferred a man who likes kids.

He showed the personal ads to his friends. “I even sat down with my mom, and we went through the list, and we all ranked them,” Don said. “Barbara always came out on top.”

For their first date, he took Barbara and Dylan to dinner at Tortilla Flat. (He learned that Barbara was actually 40, not 37, perhaps the only thing she ever lied about.) Barbara and Don shared a love of nature and movies and probably 100 friends. They discovered that they had even attended some of the same parties and meetings. “Holy Toledo,”

he said. “It was a perfect match.” To this day, he can’t believe that Barbara, “this gem,” had stayed single for 12 years.

She was halfway through nursing school when they met. After graduation, she worked on the pediatrics ward in what is now the University of Vermont Medical Center.

In 1988, campaigning on tenants’ rights, property tax relief, affordable childcare, and improvements to streets and sidewalks, Barbara won a seat on Burlington’s board of aldermen. When she considered policies, councilor Pine said, she thought of the people who would feel their impact — the people not likely to be in the forefront of other policy makers’ minds: women, children, people of color and those with disabilities. Cut lifeguards from city beaches to save money? No, Barbara argued; single moms depend on summer camps that use those beaches.

She played prominent roles in developing Burlington’s publicly owned Waterfront Park and in the voters’ rejection of a longterm contract extension to buy electricity from Hydro-Québec, whose practice of flooding land displaced Indigenous people and harmed wildlife.

Illness gradually impeded Barbara’s ability to multitask and, eventually, her mobility. She started showing signs of Parkinson’s disease around 2011, though it wasn’t diagnosed until 2023. She also had multiple myeloma, which responded well to treatment, Don said. Her health declined rapidly in her last months, but she remained curious and continued to read. She and Don did their customary crossword puzzle together the day before she died.

The day after, Don, Dylan, friends and relatives dug Barbara’s grave. “Also DIY,” Dylan noted. Barbara and Don had picked the spot, right behind the barn, next to her beehives and overlooking a pond and gardens. Don will be buried next to her. He’d like to see a small marker noting the coordinates, their names, and their birth and death dates, he said, but otherwise, cohousing residents can do what they want with the area. “The community can have a garden on top of this. They can plant a tree. They could put a chicken coop here, whatever,” he said.

In a short October ceremony, about 50 people gathered near Barbara’s grave. Dylan, his wife and longtime friends carried her body on a pine board, down a stone path to the barn. Don spoke. Dylan read some of Barbara’s writing. They focused on Barbara’s love of nature.

Then the pallbearers lowered her body into the clay soil, where her four grandchildren had dropped flowers, and Barbara Nolfi went back to the land.

Snow swirled on a blustery, bitterly cold Saturday in January as more than 900 people packed the University of Vermont’s Ira Allen Chapel to celebrate the life of Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne. Several of Jarlath’s friends and relatives remarked that he would have loved the miserable weather and might have even stripped off his shirt and bicycled through the snow in Lycra shorts. An extreme athlete whose idea of fun was pushing himself to the edge of his physical endurance — in triathlons, Spartan races, even family outings — Jarlath embraced suffering; it only drove him harder.

He did nothing half-heartedly. His younger daughter, Maeve, 13, remembers hiking with her father to the summit of Mount Mansfield, descending the other side, then climbing back to the top and returning halfway down before camping for the night. She was 6 at the time.

After Jarlath died unexpectedly on January 6, his son, Gus, 18, tried to envision his father relaxing in heaven. “But for some reason I was never really able to picture it,” he said. Instead, Gus imagined his father as Sisyphus, the mythological Greek character who angered the gods and was doomed to roll a boulder uphill for eternity. “My dad, he would love that.”

Jarlath, 49, was a beloved, larger-thanlife figure at UVM. A retired U.S. Marine Corps combat veteran who served in Africa, Asia and the Middle East, he ran the university’s Spatial Analysis Lab for 12 years and founded the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Team, UVM’s nationally renowned drone program. The aircraft carry high-resolution cameras and infrared equipment for creating maps, videos and 3D landscape models used by researchers, engineers and landuse planners.

Despite qualities that could make him seem intimidating at first — his Herculean build, his reputation as a challenging professor, his professional achievements and extreme athleticism — Jarlath was widely admired for his humility, integrity, playfulness and commitment to helping others succeed.

“Jarlath directly inspired thousands of people to be better human beings,” fellow UVM professor and close friend Chris Danforth said. “He did impossibly hard things, not to show us how strong he was, but how strong we could be.”

Jarlath Patrick Macbeth O’NeilDunne was born in Somerset, England, then raised in Mahwah, N.J. The oldest of four siblings, he was bullied as a child and struggled to make friends. His brother Aengus described him as “an asthmatic, pudgy kid” who was terrible at sports and “atrocious” at running well into his teens.

Then Jarlath developed an astonishing work ethic. Inspired by the story of

company to haul artillery on foot. As the temperature rose into the 90s and the humidity went “through the roof,” he said, several Marines collapsed from heat exhaustion.

“I felt myself being overcome. Then I saw Jarlath blast by me, not only with his 68 pounds of individual gear and weapons but an entire 100-pound mortar system strapped on his back,” Ferrito said. “I knew at that moment he wasn’t just a stud but an absolute beast.”

Jarlath loved endurance sports and frequently tried to convince others to join him, with mixed results. His brother St. John remembers visiting Jarlath at Camp Pendleton, near Oceanside, Calif. There, Jarlath thought it would be fun for his brother, a self-described “non-fit, awkward teen,” to sea kayak in rough surf, “a new sport Jarlath had taken up, because the Marine training didn’t seem challenging enough,” St. John recalled. “I immediately got knocked over, because I wasn’t an adult Marine.

“Everything he did always seemed to exceed the norm of whatever was achievable or possible,” he added.

‘A Purple-Lycra’d Superhero’

JARLATH O’NEIL-DUNNE

September 15, 1974-January 6, 2024

BY KEN PICARD • ken@sevendaysvt.com

long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine, he started running every morning before school and on weekends. He became obsessed with fitness and nutrition. By his senior year of high school, he was a stateranked runner. Aengus suspects that Jarlath trained so hard because their father died in his forties when they were just teenagers.

Jarlath studied forestry at the University of New Hampshire, where he took up rowing. Jason Blackburn, who met him during their first year, remembers their first season of rowing together. It ended with an abysmal record, capped by a humiliating defeat when their boat zigzagged down the Connecticut River in a race against Dartmouth College.

“Jarlath would joke that we would have won if we’d only remembered to row straight,” Blackburn said. By their second season, however, “A hero emerged, a purple-Lycra’ed superhero.”

“Make no mistake. We were still terrible,” Blackburn continued. “But we

were finally a team.” The esprit de corps that Jarlath inspired became a theme throughout his life.

He met Julie Hathaway, his future wife of 24 years, in their final months at UNH. Among her earliest memories of him was his hard-to-place British accent. Though he left England as a baby, she said, “Jarlath would joke that he used [the accent] when he met me, so he had to keep it up for the rest of his life.”

Jarlath had already committed to joining the U.S. Marines when the couple started dating. After college, Hathaway moved to Boston while he attended USMC Officer Candidates School, in Quantico, Va. It was there that Jarlath met Capt. Michael Ferrito.

“Jarlath definitely stood out,” Ferrito recalled. “On weekends, when we were stuffing our faces with doughnuts and beer, he’d be doing pull-ups, push-ups and sit-ups.”

Ferrito remembers one grueling, eightmile training march, which required their

In 2000, Jarlath and Julie moved to Burlington to attend graduate school at UVM. They married the same year, settled in the New North End and started a family. By then a reservist, Jarlath was called up for several military deployments. Because of his training in the use of drones and advanced spatial imagery, Jarlath was sent to Kuwait in 2002 to codirect the Marines’ intelligence assets during Operation Iraqi Freedom, a prestigious assignment for a junior officer. Essentially, his job was to search for weapons of mass destruction.

“It was pretty scary,” Julie said. “Were there chemical weapons? Biological weapons? Nobody really knew.”

Upon his return, in 2004, Jarlath became a geospatial analyst in UVM’s Spatial Analysis Lab. There, he gathered, compiled and analyzed data and aerial imagery that enabled city planners to assess their urban tree canopies, wildlife biologists to measure habitat loss, and structural engineers to document riverbank erosion and bridge damage.

He became the lab’s director in 2012.

The following year, in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Irene, Jarlath applied his military know-how to creating UVM’s drones program. The drone-assisted research has played a critical role in helping communities recover from natural disasters, including Vermont’s recent floods.

“We didn’t know what drones were in 2013 or how to use them,” said Adam Zylka, team leader at the spatial analysis lab. Jarlath grew the program to its current level of 15 full-time employees and 50 students and recent graduates.

Jarlath O’Neil-Dunne in a Spartan race

Jarlath also focused on making the team racially and ethnically diverse, offering opportunities to people from groups traditionally underrepresented in the field. As Zylka put it, “We don’t look like other teams in the drone industry.”

“Jarlath truly understood the value of investing in people and treating them well,” Ernest Buford, a research specialist at the lab, said. Once, after receiving what he considered a disproportionately large pay raise, Jarlath mailed checks to his entire staff so that they could share in his good fortune.

“He might have been the best supervisor at UVM,” Buford said. “His spirit of openness permeated the lab.”

sexual orientation,” Aengus said. Jarlath’s reply: “Don’t ask, don’t tell.”

While many people have described Jarlath as a superhero, “He was also very human and had his weaknesses, like all of us,” longtime family friend Meredith Breiland said. He could be extremely competitive, for example, though his kids pointed out that he was his own favorite competition.

“As long as we went out and did our best, he was always proud of us,” Maeve said.

And when they failed, she said, her father often told them, “Find the laugh in something you failed at.”

HOW’S THE RIDE FEELIN’?

As did Jarlath’s sense of humor. To honor his colleague and friend at January’s memorial service, Buford donned a neon yellow bike helmet and red and white Lycra as a “fellow MAMIL,” an acronym Jarlath coined for “middle-aged men in Lycra.”

Jarlath loved making people laugh, be it with groan-worthy dad jokes or his terrible dance moves, for which he never felt embarrassment. Aengus said Jarlath’s sense of humor often served a higher purpose, either to remind himself and others to not take themselves too seriously, or to challenge institutional groupthink.

While deployed in Kuwait, Jarlath started an underground weekly newspaper on the base called A Surrealist Look at Camp Commando. Posted inside the Marines’ portable toilets, Jarlath’s newspaper offered humorous commentary on military life.

Another time, he mail-ordered a flowery outfit, including tiny shorts and tank top, which he wore in the desert during his deployment. “His commanding officer called him in and asked him about his

One summer, Julie recalled, Jarlath visited his mother to help powerwash her house. He immediately leaped into the job without researching how it’s done.

“Shingles started flying off, and the ones that stayed on were etched so badly that they had to re-side the house,” she said. “As Jarlath would say, ‘Good initiative, bad judgment.’”

Jarlath had another weakness: an undiagnosed heart defect. While Nordic skiing with friends on January 6, he collapsed and died from a heart attack.

He is survived by his mother, Mairi O’Neil-Dunne; siblings, Aengus, Iona Munjal and St. John; wife, Julie Hathaway; and their three children, Ailsa, Gus and Maeve.

“He could be stubborn. He could be obsessive at times. He had a difficult time acknowledging social norms about spontaneous yoga,” Blackburn said about his friend’s propensity for doing stretching exercises in public. “In the grand scheme of things, however, his idiosyncrasies were a small price to pay for the full Jarlath show.”

Jarlath and wife Julie Hathaway

SHE WAS A SINGULAR FIGURE BUT BURNED VERY BRIGHTLY AND THEN DISAPPEARED.

HECTOR SALDAÑA

‘The Annie Leibovitz of Outlaw Country’

May 28, 1947-March 18, 2024

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH • farnsworth@sevendaysvt.com

In the black-and-white photo, she’s perched in front of the stage, the crowd behind her out of focus. The young woman’s face radiates confidence, the visage of an artist at work. Her trusty 35mm camera hangs around her neck. It’s July 4, 1976, the U.S. bicentennial, and she’s photographing the celebratory picnic thrown by Willie Nelson in Gonzales, Texas. She peers into the camera aimed at her. For once, she is the subject of the photo. Her eyes are ablaze. It’s one of the most enduring images of Melinda Arceneaux-Swearingen, taken during her years photographing some of the biggest names of rock and country music. She kept it by the side of her bed until she died after ongoing health problems on March 18,

at age 76, at her home in Montgomery Center.

A much larger print of the photo also hangs in her home state in the gallery of the Wittliff Collections at Texas State University in San Marcos, where an exhibition of her work is running until July 2025.

“She told me that when she looked at the picture, she was reconnecting with the young woman that she had let go a long time ago,” said Hector Saldaña, the music curator at the Wittliff Collections.

Born in Dallas in 1947, Melinda Arceneaux began her photography career while working at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library archives at the University of Texas. She shot various political events and candidates, with her work appearing in Time

John’s father and Melinda’s second husband, Allan Nicholls, is an actor, musician, writer and film director whose work includes films such as Dead Ringer, Nashville and Slap Shot

Many of Melinda’s photos were hung on the walls of the family home, but her son failed to notice until he was older just who was in them.

“One day, I realized that Bob Dylan is in one of the pictures, and I’m like, ‘Hey, I have that guy’s poster on my bedroom wall,’” John recalled. “It was strange; she wasn’t embarrassed or trying to hide anything, but I’m certain that she believed she would never have an audience.”

Melinda met Allan on the set of the Robert Altman film Health in the late ’70s, after she had moved on from music photography to shooting stills for films, a more lucrative gig. They eventually bought a house in Allan’s home city of Montréal, raising their two sons, John and Andrew, there. One day, while driving to Jay Peak Resort, Melinda noticed an old Victorian house off Route 242 in Montgomery Center. The place had a long history, including as a boardinghouse and art gallery.

and Newsweek. She was living in Austin at the time, after marrying Rick Lee Wickman in 1968.

Her passion, however, was photographing musicians, not politicians. She quickly established herself as a force within the Austin music scene in the late 1960s, taking pictures of the likes of Janis Joplin, Bob Dylan and Marcia Ball. She shot many of the photos in Jan Reid’s seminal book The Improbable Rise of Redneck Rock, as well as album covers for artists such as Waylon Jennings and Nelson. She later shot stills for classic films including The Blues Brothers, Popeye and Coal Miner’s Daughter. Melinda gave up professional photography during the last 30 years of her life. Instead, she took on what her son John Nicholls described as her third career and became a librarian — like her mother, Reba, before her — in her adopted home of Montgomery Center. She worked at the Bellows Free Academy in St. Albans before moving to Enosburg Falls High School.

“I definitely grew up with parents who had a lot of creative accomplishments,” said John, a voice actor who lives in St. Albans and played in area rock band Near North.

“She saw it from the road and knew it was the one,” John said. “It was one of her visions: She just knew this was going to be her home, and she loved that house.”

The family soon moved to Vermont.

Allan and Melinda divorced in 1991 but remained friends. Over the years, he tried to get her to exhibit her photography, but she would always decline. “I think she was nervous about showing her work, but she really deserves the recognition,” he said.

She married Edward Bruce Swearingen on the Fourth of July in 1993, celebrating with a jazz band on the porch. She settled into a new phase of family life, breaking out the camera sparingly to take nature shots or family portraits. She also worked on her art projects, notably illustration and calligraphy, two of her passions. (Edward died in 2010.)

She stored her extensive collection of photographs and negatives from her Austin days in the basement of the house. A flash flood in 1997 destroyed much of her work, which so broke her heart that she couldn’t even look at what remained. She had the detritus moved into boxes in the loft of her barn and refused to so much as go near them for the better part of 20 years.

“She was sure all of her work was lost and would be forgotten,” John said. “She’d say things like, ‘No one cares, and no one will ever know.’”

Back in her home state, however, the music curator at the Wittliff Collections was helping to ensure that Melinda’s fears would not be realized.

“Part of the beauty of what I do is

Melinda with Allan Nicholls and sons John and Andrew

Melinda Arceneaux-Swearingen at Willie Nelson's Fourth of July Picnic in 1976

story,” Saldaña said in a phone call from his office at Texas State University. “I mean, how can it be that the Annie Leibovitz of outlaw country could almost be lost to history? It’s unbelievable — her work was seminal. When she took those photos of Waylon and Willie, people don’t real ize that these weren’t household names yet. She had a lot to do with that happening.”

When Melinda first took photos of Nelson, Saldaña noted, the legendary country singer had just signed up for an open mic. “That’s how far back she went with the Austin scene back then. She was a singular figure but burned very brightly and then disappeared; she left and started working on movies.”

acknowledged in this way,” her son John said of the collection. “It brought her a lot of happiness to know her work wasn’t forgotten.”

John hopes the exhibition helps highlight the quality and heart in his mother’s photos.

“She was so interested in finding beauty in the mundane,” he recalled. “Yeah, she knew how to put together a picture, but she also wanted to find out who was behind the photo, what was bubbling underneath the surface.”

What John remembers most about Melinda is her dedication to making sure people were heard.

While preparing a Jan Reid exhibition at the Wittliff Collections, Saldaña came across four of Melinda’s pictures from Reid’s book and started to wonder what had become of the photographer who took such formative images.

“There was a lot of mystique around Melinda down here,” Saldaña said. “It was her photos that really put a face to the music coming out of Texas, but we only had four of them. So I knew I had to find her.”

Eventually, Saldaña connected with Melinda, flying to Vermont in 2022 to meet her and try to procure more photos from her catalog. That’s when she told him about the flood.

“That flood had just utterly broken her heart. It was traumatic and very, very emotional for her,” Saldaña said. He coaxed her into investigating what had been recovered from the flooded basement.

“Lo and behold, not all was lost,” he said.

Together with Melinda, Saldaña curated 19 never-before-published photographs from her surviving negatives and put together her show at the Wittliff — the first-ever collected exhibition of her work.

“I didn’t really put that together until near her death,” he said. “But it’s a through line for her entire life, whether it was making sure I was heard as a child, which she always did for my children as well, or photographing these musicians that, at the time, were not being taken seriously as artists.”

In her later years, he said, Melinda started leading group meditations and would always dedicate them to “the forgotten ones.”

“She was a wonderful, soulful, humble and very, very sharp woman,” Saldaña recalled. “Her death hit me quite hard because I was so hoping she would get to see her exhibition.”

Melinda did take a virtual tour of the show before she passed. Seeing her work preserved and presented with the honor it deserves moved her to tears, particularly the massive shot of her at Nelson’s Fourth of July picnic.

“Melinda epitomizes the mission statement of the Wittliff Collections or any institution like the Smithsonian or Rock & Roll Hall of Fame,” Saldaña said. “This is history, and we can’t afford to let it slip through the cracks.”

The Melinda Wickman Swearingen exhibition at the Wittliff Collections

Melinda with John and Allan Nicholls

‘He Reinvented

Himself Many Times’

BY STEVE GOLDSTEIN • sgoldstein@sevendaysvt.com

In a long life well lived, Henri de Marne was, at various times, a teenage volunteer for the French Red Cross in World War II; a postwar émigré to the U.S., where he became a French teacher; the owner of a home remodeling business; a ski instructor; and the author of a nationally syndicated newspaper column on home improvement.

Henri left France — but France never left him. A Gallic tang suffused his speaking voice. He was a gourmand, of sorts; when a dish pleased him, he would compare its delectability to “the baby Jesus sliding down my throat in velvet pajamas.” Yet his perfect lunch was gazpacho, grilled cheese and a brownie at the Garden of Eatin’ Café inside Gardener’s Supply in Williston.

“He just loved French cheeses,” said Loretta de Marne, the younger of his two daughters. “I think of him as he aged so beautifully, like a French cheese and wine.

World War II. He recalls fleeing Paris at age 14 with his family in a memoir that he began before his death. Just as he and his mother stepped out of the hot car for a break, they heard the scream of approaching Nazi warplanes. “My mother shoved me into the ditch. She dove in and threw herself on top of me as the planes came over with guns blazing,” Henri wrote.

The attack over, they were shocked to see nearby the dead bodies of a mother and daughter.

“A couple inches to the left and my mother and I would have suffered the same fate,” Henri wrote.

HE AGED SO BEAUTIFULLY, LIKE A FRENCH CHEESE AND WINE.

LORETTA DE MARNE

Staying fed was a challenge, given that so much food was commandeered by the German army. Henri was living with his grandparents, lusting after cantaloupes in a nearby farmer’s field. What the Nazis didn’t take had to go to market. Henri vowed to have a cantaloupe all to himself when the war ended.

At 17, Henri volunteered for the French Red Cross and, a year later, joined the French 2nd Armored Division, eventually serving alongside U.S. general George Patton’s Third Army. At war’s end, Henri decided he would immigrate to America. That decision led him to the U.S. Embassy, where he obtained both a visa and a wife.

South Carolina-born Muriel Mann, a consular employee, was charmed by the young Frenchman. They married and

But we always laugh because he had terrible taste in wine.”

During his near-century on Earth, Henri had more lives than a litter of kittens. “He was constantly reinventing himself,” said Kitty Werner, his older daughter.

“Henri was unique, a descriptive word that is the same in both French and English, his principal languages,” said Matthys Levy, a close friend and fellow Frenchman. The two of them wound up as neighbors at Wake Robin retirement community in Shelburne.

“Renaissance” means “rebirth” and is another word shared by both languages. Surviving his war-struck youth seemed to grant Henri the will to pursue any endeavor.

“My father [learned] to ski when he was 40,” Loretta said. “So whatever he put his mind to, he was going to learn it in every detail.”

Henri was born in Paris in 1925 and schooled at the famous Sorbonne University. His youth was scarred by the devastation of

moved to Bethesda, Md., a suburb of the nation’s capital, where budding foreign service officers had to learn languages. Henri taught French to students at a private boys’ school, the University of Maryland and the Pentagon. The couple had three children, Kitty, Philip and Loretta, and moved to the upscale suburb of Potomac, Md.

But Henri had an itch; he was a DIY guy with a jones for engineering. In 1957, driving on River Road to work one day, he noticed a home renovation business for sale — a perfect way to scratch that itch, he thought. He renamed the business de Marne & Day and specialized in home construction and the three Rs: restoration, remodeling and renovation.

But a fourth R, renaissance, beckoned. Henri had developed a passion for downhill skiing. During the 1970s, he sold the business — it retained his name for many years — and moved to Vermont. He quickly became proficient and got a job as a ski instructor at Bromley Resort in Peru, Vt.

“It’s amazing that he started skiing so late,” Loretta said. She explained that he learned at Bromley using the graduated length method, in which beginners start on three-foot-long skis, then move to four- and five-foot-long skis. “They had you skiing in a week,” she said.

Henri (center) in the 1960s

Henri de Marne in the 1970s

After skiing Mad River Glen in Fayston, Henri’s allegiance shifted. He began teaching at Mad River and built his fantasy home on a Waitsfield hill with a commanding view of the valley.

However, man — or Henri, anyway — could not live on schuss alone. He’d kept up with building design and science. He’d even been called as an expert witness in some related civil litigation and was frustrated by the advice on home repairs that he’d seen in the newspapers. Thus was born “About the House With Henri de Marne,” a newspaper column that began in the Burlington Free Press, became syndicated in 1980 and eventually grew to appear in more than 100 newspapers during its 42-year run.

As detailed in his column, Henri had his favorite products for keeping things in good order. He was a big fan of Nok-Out for eliminating foul odors, such as skunk spray and cat urine. Shopping at Hannaford one day, Henri was approached by a woman who asked if he was the columnist. The woman gasped when the stranger nodded yes. “Wait right here. Don’t move!” the woman admonished and quickly strode away. She proceeded to run up and down the grocery store aisles trying to locate her husband, all the while yelling, “Fred! Fred! The Nok-Out Man is here! He’s here! You’ve got to come meet him!”

Henri’s other outdoor passion was canoeing. He loved the whitewater runs near Great Falls in Potomac. After moving to Vermont, he mostly stuck with a kayak

a year had passed, “I decided the decent thing to do was to take him out to dinner, as a thank-you,” Susan recalled.

The thank-you dinner turned into a relationship, but it took the younger Susan almost a decade to agree to marry Henri due to her reservations about their 22-year age difference. (He was in his late sixties when they met.) Still, these were happy years, with Henri continuing his column and occasionally consulting on home remodeling.

In 2006, the winter after their wedding, Susan and Henri had a terrible car accident while driving home from skiing. Both suffered injuries, but Henri’s were far more serious — he’d sustained a break in the spine at his neck. “It took me six months to stop worrying about him being paralyzed,” Susan said. “This was when I first began to think about Wake Robin.”

Loretta recalled that her dad was angry after the accident.

“He was probably 80 at that time, and he never looked or acted his age,” she said. “This really changed his life. I mean, he aged 20 years overnight.”

on the Saranac Lakes in New York or Lake Iroquois closer to home. Kitty said her dad fancied himself an inventor or an innovator, and he had a big idea to clean up Lake Iroquois, which was being overrun by water milfoil, an invasive submerged aquatic weed.

“So he invented this machine that would be pulled behind a motorboat,” Kitty explained. The MacGyvered device used a comblike metal board and part of a tennis net to dredge the weed. “He was like a kid in the candy store,” she continued.

“He had a great time inventing this, but it bombed,” Kitty said with a laugh. “He never took into account all the rocks on the lake bottom.”

Henri and Muriel divorced in the 1980s, and he busied himself with skiing and consulting on building projects. Then came a second go-round at the altar, and it was clear that Henri was going to marry up — his first meeting with the wife-to-be, in 1993, was on a roof.

The roof was on a house in Essex owned by Susan Donnis, a psychologist, and it was leaking. “I was very angry,” she said. “I found out that this Henri de Marne had installed the roof two years before I bought it, so I called him and demanded a meeting.”

The pair met on the roof; Henri determined that the shingles he’d used were defective. He filed the warranty claim and oversaw the installation of the new roof.

Henri did not send a bill. After almost

Henri was able to continue writing his column, but the pain from his injury prohibited many outdoor pursuits. In 2015, the couple moved to Wake Robin.

“Henri quickly adapted to his new surroundings, offering advice to the management concerning construction issues,” his friend Levy said. A longtime opera lover, Henri ran weekly listening sessions at the retirement home, providing his own CDs and DVDs, as well as commentary. When he praised Wake Robin’s cooks for a particular dish in his customary manner, the staff referred to it as “a baby Jesus moment.”

Henri also began writing a memoir that included his traumatic life in France during wartime.

“He was gutsy,” Susan said. “I guess when one comes of age in wartime, it can feel that life is short. One can adopt a fearful approach and timidly live life — or somehow be insulated from fear and rush headlong into risk-taking. Henri was the latter.”

Henri died after a lengthy illness on October 15, two months shy of his 99th birthday. As he was wheeled out to a waiting hearse, his body covered in a Quilt of Valor honoring his military service, friends and staff lined the corridor of Wake Robin’s Linden wing to see him off.

Perhaps the most poignant tribute came from a close friend of Henri and Susan’s who knew of the trauma endured by the young French boy. “We eat cantaloupe,” she declared, “and for us it is an occasion of gratitude and thoughts of Henri.”

Henri canoeing in the 1950s

‘She Was Like the Sinews That Held Us Together’

SARAH DOPP, November 21, 1946-March 7, 2024

BY MELISSA PASANEN • pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

When Sarah Dopp unexpectedly missed choir practice on March 7, friends and fellow congregants at Burlington’s First Baptist Church were worried. She was not one to skip commitments.

Sarah stopped by the church almost daily and had done so the day before, recalled pastor Karen Mendes. On top of singing soprano in the choir, Sarah served as church moderator — essentially, the congregation’s lay leader. She would drop in to sign or proofread something, help with a community project, or attend book group, Bible study or the monthly racial justice vigil she championed. Mendes recalled that Sarah never blindly accepted the Bible’s teachings: “Her question always was, ‘But what does it mean for us today?’”

Sarah was more than the congregation’s heart, the pastor said, “she was like the sinews that kept us all together.”

Sarah’s devotion to First Baptist was one of many substantial commitments through which the 77-year-old “Energizer bunny” made a difference with her determined yet gentle approach, according to longtime friend Joe Perron.

She treasured the past, serving as First Baptist’s historian, and had been president of the board for both the Chittenden County and Vermont historical societies. But the South Burlington native looked to the future, too, founding the city land trust, which has saved 758 acres from development since 2003. That does not include Sarah’s own 40 acres off Cheese Factory Road, which she donated to be conserved last year.

“South Burlington would look a lot different were it not for Sarah Dopp,” land trust member Michael Mittag said. Her land conservation and historic preservation accomplishments earned her the 2014 Hildene Award, which she shared with Paul Bruhn, the late cofounder of Preservation Trust of Vermont. During the ceremony, Sarah called herself a “small player,” and accepted the award as one of many “across Vermont, making important contributions to our communal quality of life and the future of our state.”

Until 2020, Sarah juggled all of her volunteer activities with shifts as a medical

technologist at the University of Vermont Medical Center. Though she retired in 2003, she kept working part-time, logging 52 total years of service, according to Ellie Russell, who hired Sarah in 1968 and became a close friend.

Sarah’s calendar was so packed, Russell said, “I used to complain I had to make an appointment with her.”

On the evening of March 6, the friends had a longplanned visit. It was raining, and Sarah hadn’t yet had time to eat, Russell recalled, but she drove to Shelburne anyway. “If she said she’d do something, she did it,” her friend said.

The old pals chatted over food. Sarah appeared normal but tired, Russell said.

By the morning of March 8, Sarah’s friends had become very concerned. She lived alone and her landline was ringing busy. A church friend and a neighbor went to check on her and called 911. The certifying physician concluded she had likely died the day before of a heart attack.

Sarah’s heart, steadfastly put into so many worthy causes, had given out.

At the memorial service, Mendes said tribute after tribute made it seem like Sarah had cloned herself. “Each of us felt like we had all of her,” the pastor said.

But amid all the bustle, Donna Harley said her friend and neighbor of almost four decades savored her downtime and loved nothing more than sitting with a good book and her cat in her lap. “She was such a big part of things, but she liked the small things the best,” Harley said. “She’d call me when the first asparagus came up.”

Books and music filled the Mayfair Park home in which Sarah grew up, the only child of Leroy and Katharine Dopp. Her first cousin Katrina Van Dopp recalled “floor-to-ceiling books” spilling far beyond the library. Also: a piano.

Katharine, an accomplished musician, was the First Baptist organist for decades and, after she died in 1999, was the namesake for an annual recital on the 1864 pipe organ. Sarah, of course, had raised the money to restore the instrument. She financially supported the recital, which will continue in honor of mother and daughter.

According to her friends and cousin, Sarah had a happy childhood and was very close to her parents, who both worked for UVM Extension. In a 2023 interview with Seven Days, Sarah recalled walking with her father to Al’s French Frys. South Burlington was still dotted with farms, and she biked to school and to the grocery store without traffic worries. “It was a very

different world back then,” she said.

Sharon Bushor and Sarah met as first-year students in the UVM swimming pool after both failed the mandatory swim test. They were also in the same rigorous, science-heavy medical technology program.

Bushor said Sarah adored English literature as much as science but chose a medical career, inspired by her mother’s close friend, a woman who was a pathologist — unusual for the time. When Sarah graduated in 1968 and landed her first blood bank position at what was then the Medical Center Hospital of Vermont, Bushor recalled, “She was so proud to have been born there, been a candy striper there and [then to] work in the laboratory there.”

Sarah rose through the ranks to supervise blood compatibility testing for transfusions and organ transplants. Working quickly and meticulously was sometimes a matter of life or death: “Somebody could be bleeding out,” Russell explained. Sarah became known for efficient but scrupulous attention to detail — as anyone whose meeting minutes she ever reviewed would later note with a mix of chagrin and respect. Her volunteer work may have overshadowed her career, but Sarah prized both. South Burlington City Council chair Tim Barritt recalled their many respectful,

Sarah circa 1958

Sarah in 1987

Sarah Dopp in her South Burlington woods in 2019

thoughtful interactions regarding conservation, but he was especially touched when she wrote thanking him for an article he penned about platelet donation.

A job exchange allowed Sarah to live for a year in the early 1970s in England, a place she had long loved for its literature and history. “That was one of her happiest times,” Bushor said. “She felt like she was born in the wrong century and, actually, in the wrong country.”

Sarah returned to England regularly, bringing back gravestone rubbings and a taste for warm beer. She earned a master’s in English literature, named cats Crumpet and Peggotty (after the housekeeper in Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield), hosted tea parties and post-Christmas Boxing Day gatherings.

No one recalls Sarah seriously dating or lamenting the lack of a mate or offspring. She remained, by all accounts, contentedly single, though she cultivated close relationships with her neighbors’ children. One, Corie Pierce, said she can still picture Sarah tossing balls gamely but “awkwardly” to Pierce’s baseball-obsessed son.

Sarah had moved to the cluster of three households on a gravel drive off Cheese Factory Road in 1986, where she rented a

converted barn owned by her friend and former UVM professor Betty Bandel.

Over the years, Sarah took over property maintenance and eventually coordinated in-home care for her older, single friend until Bandel’s 2008 death, upon which she bequeathed the barn home, her brick farm house and land to Sarah.

Sarah’s neighbors and tenants, Pierce and her partner, Chris Dorman, had pledged to take care of Sarah the same way.

Pierce is the farmer and owner of Bread & Butter Farm, which she and a former business partner established in 2009 on 143 acres of conserved dairy land across Cheese Factory Road. When the farmers won the competitive bid process to buy the parcel near Sarah’s recently inherited property, they had not yet met the woman who had been working quietly for years to persuade the landowners not to sell to developers. Sarah hoped it could stay open for the benefit of all “critters,” as she called them, humans and others.

“I feel really strongly that all communities ought to have some green lungs around them,” Sarah said later in a Seven Days article about a proposed South Burlington zoning change that would have, literally, paved the way to development on some previously protected land.

As the threat of climate change loomed and Lake Champlain water quality worsened, it pained Sarah to see more asphalt poured. She did recognize the need for more affordable housing, though, and, in the case of Pierce’s family, she could do something about that.

In 2009, Pierce, Dorman and their young son moved temporarily into a mobile home on the farm with no prospects for a permanent home nearby. To their immense relief, almost as soon as she biked over to introduce herself, Sarah offered to rent them Bandel’s brick farmhouse.

The couple said Sarah kept the rent stable and encouraged them to request payment extensions if needed. She was a

stalwart supporter of the farm through the years, from her earliest visits to buy greens when Bread & Butter was raising little else. Without an affordable, stable home for her family near the farm, Pierce said she’d very likely have given up her dream, which is now a thriving, diversified, organic operation and community hub.

“Not only did she give us a house, but she gave us a sense of home,” Dorman said.

Even as they grew close, Sarah was careful never to impose. A longtime board member of the Craftsbury Chamber Players, she hosted pandemic-era concerts in her field and would ask Bread & Butter to mow the space in advance. When music director Fran Rowell called in 2021 about a last-minute date, she recalled Sarah hesitating. Rowell later discovered that, rather than bothering her neighbors, Sarah jumped on her riding mower to clear one acre herself.

Sarah’s renovated barn home lacked a washing machine, so for 14 years, she did laundry at Pierce and Dorman’s farmhouse. Never once, Dorman said, did Sarah arrive without calling first and leaving a note of thanks if no one was home.

Happy New Year

Sarah in high school

A few months after Richard returned, he and Heide married and moved to the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh. They brought Donald and his brothers with them and had two children of their own. The arrangement was informal; the boys were never officially adopted or placed in a foster care system.

Moving from a Black community in the inner city to a predominantly white, affluent suburb was a culture shock for Donald and his siblings, who were Black and Latino. Heide, who is white, said their multiracial family stood out in the 1960s and recalled how the boys were once refused entry to a public restroom.

‘The Poster Child for Resilience’

DONALD PLEASANT, September 12, 1951-February 9, 2024

BY HANNAH FEUER • hfeuer@sevendaysvt.com

In his 44 years as a custodian at the Federal Building and Post Office in Burlington, Donald Pleasant only ever took a few days off. Every morning, he would bike the two blocks from his house to work, where he took out the trash and recycling, cleaned the floors, and handled landscaping and snow removal.

Around the office, he gained a reputation for his punctuality and work ethic. Joe Perella, a retired assistant U.S. attorney, said Donald was the first person he talked to every day, and the custodian’s calm demeanor was a steadying influence in what could be a stressful work environment. When Perella came in on Monday mornings, he recalled, Donald would offer encouragement: “We can do it.” And when Perella left on Friday afternoons, the custodian would say, “We did it.”

Donald’s workday officially began at 6 a.m., but he insisted on arriving even earlier — a habit that sometimes resulted in accidentally setting off the building’s alarm, according to his boss, June Snyder. Donald biked to work no matter the weather. Twice, his bike was stolen. Each

time, the office pooled money to buy him a new one.

“Everybody in the building just loved him,” Snyder said. “Because he was so focused on his job, he might not have even realized how many people cared about him and considered him a friend.”

Coworkers described Donald as an intensely focused person who was there to do a job, though he was sociable when others initiated. He took pride in being someone others could count on. If something was even slightly off schedule — say, someone was delayed in letting him into a secure area of the building — Donald would let everyone know.

“It gives me a purpose,” Donald said of his job in a 2021 video after winning Goodwill Northern New England’s Client of the Year Award in Cleaning. “If I didn’t have a job, I’d be like everybody else: out on the street, trying to make ends meet.”

Donald continued to work until about a week before he died of natural causes at the University of Vermont Medical Center on February 9. He was 72.

Routine was a lifeline for Donald,

whose childhood was characterized by instability. Born in a rough Philadelphia neighborhood, he spent his earliest years raised by his single mother in a household with nine siblings from three different fathers. Perhaps as much for the structure it gave him as for the money, Donald always seemed to have a job, from shining shoes on the streets of Philly to shoveling snow, according to his brother Michael Hernandez.

Making ends meet was a constant struggle for the family. When Donald was in elementary school, he, Michael and their brother Harold Pleasant started spending time at the home of neighbor Richard DeNaples-Hiler, a Quaker who worked for the American Friends Service Committee. He also became a surrogate parent to the three boys. Through that religious humanitarian group, Richard organized frequent trips to the Soviet Union. One summer he asked Heide Bredfeldt, a student at Hunter College in New York City whom he had met at a conference on racial discrimination, to care for them in Philadelphia while he was traveling.

School was also difficult for Donald. Heide said she realized the boy didn’t know how to read when he was in the third grade, so she hired a private tutor.

While Donald continued to struggle with academics, he developed a knack for hands-on tasks. He once built a scooter out of a crate and a roller skate, and he buried himself in magazines about mechanical systems.

Still he had trouble adapting to his new life. Donald often ran away, attempting to return to Philadelphia, but each time, his mother sent him back.

“He did what he had to do to cope,” Michael said. “He was someone who was going to survive and just keep going.”

Only 10 years older than Donald, Heide said she felt ill-equipped to care for the boys. So she and Richard sent Donald from household to household, hoping for a better fit. He spent a summer with a family in Syracuse, N.Y., and stayed in Atlanta with a relative of the far-left activist Angela Davis, who had attended one of Richard’s trips to the Soviet Union. He briefly attended the Arthur Morgan School, a Quaker boarding school in Burnsville, N.C.

“We tried very hard to find a match for Donald,” Heide told Seven Days. “But somehow, it didn’t click.”

The details of Donald’s early adulthood are largely unknown. He began drinking too much, and after Heide and Richard moved to Putney in 1968, they lost regular

Donald at around 12 years old

members who spoke with Seven Days could say how he ended up in Burlington.

In 1977, at age 26, Donald had a daughter, Amber Pleasant, with Rose Stautzenbach, a Barre nurse. Amber, who now lives in Austin, Texas, described Donald as a loving, if imperfect, father who tried his best — though his alcoholism often prevented him from being present for his daughter.

Donald didn’t have a car, so when he did visit Amber and her mom in Barre, he would hitchhike from Burlington.

HE

“I remember asking him about that not too long ago: ‘Why did you do that?’” Amber recalled. “He was like, ‘No one was gonna stop me from seeing you if I wanted to see you.’”

In 1980, Donald began working at the Federal Building and Post Office, where he found a sense of stability. He settled down and, in 1997, married Wendy Jones Pleasant of Burlington.

In his fifties, Donald suffered a serious injury while working. Attempting to unjam a snowblower, he put his hand inside the auger housing and lost three of his fingers. But Donald wasn’t one to complain, and he returned to work shortly thereafter.

“This was a guy who was always Steady Eddie,” Michael said. “I think he would be the poster child for resilience.”

In 2020 that resilience would be tested by tragedy when Wendy died suddenly in their Burlington home. Snyder, Donald’s boss at the Federal Building, remembers getting a call from him at 4 a.m. about

Donald. With Snyder’s encouragement, he quit drinking, a decision that amazed his family.

“It just astounds me,” Amber said. “He had that dependency for so long, and then, in the middle of the pandemic, [after] losing his wife, he just quit.”

With his newfound sobriety, he reconnected with family members and built up a small nest egg with the money he no longer spent on liquor. He even took a bus to see his siblings in Philadelphia, where he proudly treated his family to Chinese food.

Despite his hardships, Donald was never one for self-pity.

“Up and down, up and down, but pretty much up,” he said in the 2021 video. “I’m happy.”

Architect Marcel Beaudin’s beloved Community Sailing Center was a small operation on the Burlington waterfront when in 2002 it acquired an expensive floating contraption to protect boats along a section of shoreline particularly vulnerable to wind.

As a big storm blew in across Lake Champlain, Kate Neubauer, then the center’s executive director, watched in amazement as 72-year-old Marcel took a boat out on the water to check how the new wave attenuator was faring.

“We were standing on the shore because it was unsafe — large swells were coming in. And there was Marcel going out in the worst conditions ever, trying to minimize the damage,” Neubauer recalled with a chuckle.

Those qualities of dogged determination and comfort with risk helped Marcel, who died on March 29 at the age of 95, leave behind a remarkable legacy. During his almost 70-year career, he completed roughly 1,000 modern and contemporary architectural projects and put his stamp on the Burlington waterfront, where he designed the city’s iconic boathouse and the Community Sailing Center.

An ardent fan of sailing, Marcel dedicated much of the last three decades of his life to the sailing center — cofounding it, creating its board, advocating for and designing its permanent home. He was determined that members of the community, no matter their resources or abilities, have an opportunity to enjoy the lake as he did.

Neubauer and her successor, Mark Naud, researched Marcel’s archive for an August 2 memorial service at the sailing center. “I pulled out a sketch that’s 20 years old. It doesn’t look a whole lot different than what’s there today,” Naud said. “He had a vision, and he quietly and calmly persevered until it was realized.”

Just weeks before his death — while in the hospital after suffering a stroke — Marcel was working on drawings for an improved boat hoist, according to his daughter, Rebecca. “He used to say he had an active mind,” she said. “He had a hard time sleeping because he’d be awake trying to solve design problems.”

A lifelong Vermonter who left only for college, Marcel was born into a family that had quarried and fabricated granite in Québec for generations until his parents came to Barre in 1927 to explore new granite-industry technology. They stayed, and Marcel was born in 1929.

He attended Spaulding High School and the Barre Evening Drawing School, where he learned drafting skills from seasoned artisans. In 1949, he and his first wife, Vera Fine, also of Barre, married at ages 20 and 19, respectively. By then, Marcel had moved to New York City to take a job as a

‘He Had a Vision’

MARCEL BEAUDIN, March 18, 1929-March 29, 2024

BY AMY LILLY • lilly@sevendaysvt.com

junior designer of tombstones and mausoleums. He was intending to become a sculptor.

TO HAVE A MARCEL HOUSE WAS A VERY BIG DEAL. PAUL BEAUDIN

Instead, at an art gallery one day he struck up a conversation with the sculptor Peter Grippe, who offered to show him the studio in Long Island City where he worked. That studio belonged to Le Corbusier, the famous Swiss-French modern architect who was then designing the United Nations complex. Marcel was captivated.

“He never looked back,” said Rebecca, the middle of Marcel and Vera’s five children and their only daughter.

Marcel enrolled at the School of Architecture at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, absorbing the lectures of visiting modernarchitect icons including Walter Gropius, Marcel Breuer, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe

founding his solo practice in 1959. He designed his family’s first house, on Morgan Drive on Shelburne Point, in the spare International Style he was trained in. It was a three-bedroom house for a seven-person family. “There was a lot of sharing,” Rebecca said. Sited on a 40-foot cliff with no fence, the elongated box had a flat roof and a glass curtain wall. A secondstory balcony spanning the length of the house had no railing, but “no one ever fell off,” Rebecca recalled wryly.

Marcel would go on to design some 200 houses, many in Vermont. Devin Colman, now head of the University of Vermont’s graduate program in historic preservation, researched a number of the homes for his 2006 master’s thesis on modernist residential structures in Chittenden County. In 2020, as state architectural historian, Colman helped Marcel find a place for his archive at UVM’s Special Collections Library.

and Philip Johnson. The faculty included Edward Larrabee Barnes, designer of Burlington’s demolition-bound Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception. Marcel worked for Barnes one college summer.

Even in New York, Marcel’s mind was on Vermont. For his senior thesis in 1955, he created a master plan for Burlington’s waterfront. Such a plan, he wrote, “would thwart misuses of the city’s lakefront and trees. It would not only anticipate the immediate needs for beaches and parks but also its future needs.” After he moved back to Vermont in 1956, the Burlington Free Press reprinted excerpts of his thesis in a four-part series.

Marcel worked with Vermont architect Julian Goodrich for two years before

“He wasn’t necessarily rooted in one style his whole career,” Colman said. “His early works in the Mad River Valley are very International Style, but there was an evolution of his design vocabulary throughout his career.” A catalog from a 2005 retrospective exhibition of Marcel’s architecture at Burlington City Arts shows houses with windowed corner turrets, gabled roofs and thick entry columns, all defined by elegantly clean lines.

The clients Colman interviewed were “without fail all just so enamored with him,” he said. “His approach was really getting to know the client and what they needed, not trying to impose what he thought they needed.”

Marcel’s son Paul recalled, “We were constantly surrounded by Dad’s friends that totally idolized him. To have a Marcel house was a very big deal to these people.” And yet, “He was very humble and understated about his work,” Paul said.

“He’s got a legacy here in Vermont for

Lake Champlain Community Sailing Center

some of the best houses in the state,” said architect Alex Halpern, president of the Burlington firm Freeman French Freeman.

Halpern worked briefly with Marcel just out of graduate school in 1995, assisting him on the Vermont Veterans Memorial Chapel in Randolph, a building Halpern said impresses for its “simple, monumental design and its flexibility.” Marcel became a career mentor for the younger architect; Halpern, a scuba diver, in turn helped Marcel set moorings and clean hulls at the sailing center.

Rebecca guessed that her father learned to sail as a child, on the lakes of his father’s native Québec, but he didn’t

Paul said his father’s idea for a public sailing center arose after Paul opened a sail-making shop on Pine Street in 1990. For the regattas it hosted, the company had to rent a crane to get boats in the water at Perkins Pier. The two men walked the then-undeveloped waterfront looking for a site and spotted the abandoned Moran power plant’s sluiceway to the lake — a perfect place for a boat hoist.

His father “whipped out a piece of paper and a pencil from his shirt pocket” and began planning, Paul recalled. After learning about Boston’s Community Boating, the country’s oldest public sailing center, “he totally got the bug,” Paul said. “Once he started that, that became a bigger deal than his work.”

acquire his own first boat, Fireball, until 1973. He became a lifelong member of the Lake Champlain Yacht Club in Shelburne, where he recruited many supporters for the Community Sailing Center. In a poetic twist, he designed the floating 1988 Burlington Boathouse to evoke the original 1888 Lake Champlain Yacht Club boathouse, which floated on the same downtown waterfront site.

Marcel was divorced in 1977 and didn’t remarry until 1998, to Ruth Binch. Also in 1977, he bought an early J-24 sailing boat, a 24-footer that he thought would be the perfect size for his children. He and sons Paul, Jeb and Adam began competing in races around the country; Paul became a professional sailor.

Marcel’s eldest son, Marc, developed paranoid schizophrenia around the age of 20, but his father always made sure he was taken care of. “So many people with Marc’s illness get lost to their families and end up on the street. Marc never did,” Rebecca said. His father secured an apartment for Marc on lower Church Street and visited him weekly until the son’s death in 2017.

With his other sons, Marcel set his sights on winning the yacht club’s annual Ladies’ Cup five times, intending to break a club record that had stood for 120 years. He won his fifth at age 88 with three generations on board, including his two grandsons.

Marcel continued to draw architectural plans and build models after other architects had moved on to computer-aided design. But in 2010, he learned SketchUp, a 3D-modeling program, from his friend and fellow architect Fritz Horton in order to turn his sailing center designs into construction documents.

Horton met Marcel at the yacht club in the mid-1980s during a race when their boats passed so closely that their mast tops touched. It was a tense moment, Horton recalled, but “the wonderful characteristic about him was that he would approach any sort of adversity, mistake [or] brokenwhatever that he was working on, and his immediate response was a chuckle. And it would absolutely reset the conversation.”

Horton, 80, a retired commercial and industrial architect, didn’t realize the extent of Marcel’s architectural work at first. “He was so quiet; he never boasted about himself. So he was not like most architects that I’ve met over the years,” he said.

But Marcel was assertive when it came to the sailing center, persisting through three mayors and attending every waterfront commission and city council meeting for years until his vision of a purpose-built home for the group became a reality in 2018.

“Marcel would constantly call [the city] every time he heard a whiff of a new plan,” Neubauer, the center’s former executive director, recalled. “The hours that man spent on the phone advocating was insane.”

Others might have become jaded, but, Rebecca said, “My dad always thought the best of people and their motivations. He wasn’t naïve, but he tended to be forgiving.”

“He disarmed,” Horton added, “and he had a wonderful smile. He just sparkled right until his last days.” ➆

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Marcel (second from left) and his sons and grandsons at the 2017 Lake Champlain Yacht Club Ladies’ Cup

food+drink

It can be tough to recall a year’s worth of meals. If you stick to three a day, which food writers rarely do, there are 1,095 to sort through — or 1,098 in a leap year like this one. Scrolling through photos on my phone — my preferred method of memory jogging — reveals hints of this year’s highlights: my garden’s ﬁrst asparagus crop, a semi-absurd number of diner meals and a sunny Super Lemonova shared with Adeline Druart, the new CEO of Lawson’s Finest Liquids. My fellow food writer Melissa Pasanen’s camera roll was full of Québécois food and drink from several trips north for work and pleasure. She also found a surprising number of pics of doughnuts, sweet and savory, including a screenshot of the summer special Lobster Doughie

Simply the Best

Seven Days food writers share their favorite bites and sips of 2024

BY JORDAN BARRY & MELISSA PASANEN jbarry@sevendaysvt.com, pasanen@sevendaysvt.com

at Morse Block Deli & Taps in Barre, which she sadly never tasted herself — though one of our stellar interns did. There’s always next year.

For both of us, 2024 brought farmers market mornings, food truck afternoons and so many restaurant openings that we could barely keep up. As we assembled our favorite bites and sips of the year, we found that most came from new places to eat and drink. We’re happy for the injection of fresh energy, and we feel its positive repercussions in the local food scene.

In Seven Days style, here are this year’s seven favorites from each of us, in no particular order. As you’ll see, it was a good year for biscuits. But also for pawpaws, fancy carrot mochi and vermouth-based cocktails.

J.B.

Happy as a Clam

Frankie’s, 169 Cherry St., Burlington, 264-7094, frankiesvt.com

If you’ve been paying attention to Vermont’s food scene this year, you won’t be surprised that Melissa and I both had Frankie’s on our favorites list. Why? Melissa summed it up simply: “So many of their dishes.”

I share the sentiment, citing the pork croquettes with a pickled rhubarb sauce that I’d like to drink, electric-green scallop crudo with cucumbers and fermented fennel, sweet corn tortelli, hearty sides of pommes purée and creamed corn, epically savory cabbage, and housemade creemees.

What I ordered most often at Frankie’s, in some form or another, were the littleneck clams. The swanky-cool

restaurant’s proclivity for seafood is a welcome addition to the scene, and the clams are probably as close as its menu gets to a staple. At my ﬁrst group dinner in the upstairs private dining room, the clams came with crème fraîche, pickled carrots and wild leek focaccia; a month later, with spring onions and green garlic; and in August, with sweet corn, charred jalapeños and pickled zucchini. Consensus, from the ﬁrst meal on, is that “they slap.”

Cindi Kozak, Jordan Ware and their team have already received national press as one of Eater’s Best New Restaurants in America. I have no insider info or sway, but here’s a prediction: We’ll be writing a story about their James Beard Award nomination in 2025.

Jordan Ware

Cindi Kozak

Agnolotti, scallop crudo and littleneck clams at Frankie’s

Doughnut Double-Down

Twisted Halo Café, 31 Cottonwood Dr., Suite 106, Williston, and 40 Bridge St., Waitsfield, twistedhalocafe.com

In 2024, we continued our food section tradition of kicking off the New Year with doughnuts rather than diets. I drew the short — or was that the long? — straw. The 4:30 a.m. alarm required by the assignment was richly rewarded with Emma Slater’s freshly fried Twisted Halo doughnuts.

In particular, her signature featherlight, crisply crenellated doughnut with a custardy interior is well worth an early wake-up call. Slater calls it a churro, though some might recognize it as an egg-rich, French-style cruller. I prefer it simply dusted with cinnamon sugar, but she dips some in dark chocolate glaze, if that’s your thing.

Extra good news is that this year has brought more days and locations for Twisted Halo. When I wrote about her, Slater was sharing the kitchen at Champion Comics and Coffee in Williston, but as of this month, she and business partner Taylan Hagen have officially assumed the lease and renamed it Twisted Halo Café. Comics are still on offer along with the fresh doughnuts, Tuesday through Sunday.

The Mad River Valley also got lucky. Since late summer, Slater has been operating a Twisted Halo Café in the former Sweet Spot in Waitsfield. In addition to doughnuts, pastries and coffee, that location launched a full breakfast menu in mid-December, with French toast, eggs, and breakfast sandwiches on house-baked brioches, croissants or English muffins.

A doughnut breakfast sandwich isn’t on the menu yet, but so many people have asked about one that “It’s a sign it has to happen,” Slater said.

M.P.

A churro and other Twisted Halo doughnuts

Dipping a churro in chocolate glaze

A Beautiful Beverage

Specs, 7 W. Canal St., Winooski, specs-cafe-bar.com

I’ve found myself drinking less booze over the past year, partly because the local nonalcoholic options are so good and partly because my toddler wakes me up by 6 a.m. most days. When I have a cocktail or two, I tend to choose lower-ABV options. My favorite is the dry vermouthand-sherry Bamboo, which I’ve had mixed success ordering o -menu around town.

Cue my excitement when Sam Nelis of Specs stirred up an Adonis, the Bamboo’s sweeter counterpart, for me to taste. I’d asked Nelis, in a sort of cheeky way, to share three drinks that sum up his Winooski café-bar-beverage mart. Based on the astonishing array of fortiﬁed wines stocked in his shop, I shouldn’t have been surprised that his mind went to the Adonis. (I also shouldn’t have been surprised that we tasted more like 10 drinks, between old-school frothy cappuccinos and his favorite Belgian beer.)

True to his business’ name, Nelis also presented his specs for the drink. A stirred cocktail that originated in late-1800s New York City, the Adonis contains 1.5 ounces of Contratto vermouth rosso, 1.5 ounces of dry ﬁno sherry, two dashes orange bitters and one dash Angostura bitters. Stir, serve in a coupe and garnish with an orange twist.

I’ve been following his recipe ever since, swapping out the Contratto for whichever fun fortiﬁed wine I spot among the 70 options on Specs’ shelves. When Nelis launches the full cocktail bar in spring 2025, I’ll be sure to order one there.

J.B.

No Passing Fancy

Fancy’s, 88 Oak St., Burlington, 448-2106, fancysbtv.com, now taking reservations

They say absence makes the heart grow fonder, and that does hold true for the dish of carrot mochi I adored on my ﬁrst visit to Fancy’s, the cozy restaurant that opened in the Old North End in April. The mochi then vanished from the menu, but there was always plenty else frickin’ delicious to eat.

I’ve loved every vegetable-forward dish (and the few with meat or ﬁsh) that has sprung from the imagination and kitchen of talented chef-owner Paul Trombly. He is a magician of ﬂavor and texture, as demonstrated by his slender charred eggplants with coconut and South India sambar, as well as his chewy, caramelized halloumi with spiced seeds, date, mint and lemon. Fancy’s smashed cucumber salad is an

edible symphony: zippy with lime and soy; crunchy with pu ed, curry-dusted rice and candied cashews; and sweetspicy with mango and house-pickled hot peppers.

Trombly’s small menu changes regularly based on what local farms supply, and it would be selﬁsh to expect faves to stick around. Still, every time I returned to Fancy’s, I hoped for another bowl of the earthy, intensely carroty “mochi” dumplings, which glutinous rice ﬂour rendered delightfully and unexpectedly bouncy.

Back in the summer, Trombly told me that the moisture-sensitive dumplings were too di cult to make in humid weather. On recent visits, I would not-so-subtly hint that summer was long over. In mid-December, I blinked twice when they finally reappeared on the menu. Each herb-and-cheese-strewn, springy bite was as delicious as my taste memory. Comfort me with carrot mochi.

M.P.

SHANEALL FERRON’S COCONUT-CRUSTED JERK CORN WAS JUST THE TROPICAL JOLT I NEEDED.

Do the Jerk

ingz From Yaad, opening by the end of December at 2026 Williston Rd., South Burlington, thingzfromyaadvt.com

I recently realized that I’m no longer allergic to coconut, and not a moment too soon. In the gray days of March, Shaneall Ferron’s coconut-crusted jerk corn was just the tropical jolt I needed.

Slathered in her signature jerk sauce and rolled in toasted coconut ﬂakes, the skewered cobs were slightly sweet, slightly spicy and, as I wrote in April, “fantastically fun.” They’re a little messy, but that’s what the sticks are for.

At the time, Ferron operated her Jamaican food biz, Thingz From Yaad, in a former dining hall in Colchester. This month, she plans to open a brick-and-mortar spot in South Burlington. I’ll happily gobble her traditional takes on oxtails or ackee and saltﬁsh, while also looking forward to her new whimsical — and maybe skewered — creations.

Sam Nelis pouring an Adonis cocktail with Contratto FILE:

JORDAN

Jerk corn (top) with oxtails and jerk chicken

Assorted dishes at Fancy’s

food+drink

My Bologna Has a First Name

Gallus Handcrafted Pasta, 92 Stowe St., Waterbury, 882-8206, gallushandcrafted.com

When our boys were little and their dad occasionally took charge of supper, sometimes he’d buy soft white sandwich bread and bologna and make fried bologna sandwiches. Much as I wrinkled my nose, I have to admit there’s something compelling about the combination of soft, buttery, fried bread and smooth, salty meat with tangy-sweet mayo. It probably won’t make the chefs at Gallus Handcrafted Pasta in Waterbury happy to know those fried bologna sandwiches came to mind when I ﬁrst tasted what I’d call a sleeper on their menu.

Gallus, a new venture of chef Eric

It’s All Gravy

Warnstedt’s Heirloom Hospitality, opened on June 26 in the historic Waterbury gristmill previously occupied by Warnstedt’s ﬁrst restaurant, Hen of the Wood. (The latter relocated half a mile away.) Pasta is king there, and I wrote at length about the care with which the pasta team, led by executive chef and co-owner Antonio Rentas, crafts it in yolk-bright, silken sheets.

You’re going to order pasta, of course, but please don’t miss the gnocco fritto, which sit quietly in the menu’s “Share” section with little explanation. The pillowy, savory, fried dough diamonds come topped with wide ribbons of excellent freshly made mortadella (bologna’s relative) from Waitsﬁeld’s 5th Quarter and a just-right drizzle of honey. They are everything that makes a fried bologna sandwich so good — and much more.

M.P.

Deep City, 112 Lake St., Burlington, 800-1454, deepcityvt.com Deep City had this spot in the BAG.

Reflecting on the multitude of meals I ate this year, I didn’t find many repeats outside my Addison County takeout staples. But since this spring, when Charles Reeves took over the kitchen at Foam Brewers’ attached restaurant near the Burlington waterfront, I’ve gone out of my way for his iconic buttermilk biscuits slathered in green-tinted, herb-flecked cream gravy. Heck, my husband and I even chose Deep City brunch instead of a fancy dinner for our anniversary this year. I didn’t share.

Part of the dish’s appeal is the 24 years of nostalgia baked into every bite: Reeves was the longtime co-owner of the universally beloved Penny Cluse Café with his wife, Holly Cluse. When I covered his early plans to team up with the Foam folks, Reeves said Deep City wouldn’t be Penny 2.0. I’m not the only one who’s glad he changed his mind. Menu items may have new names — look for the House of Spudology instead of a Bucket-o-Spuds — but the hits are there, including the deeply comforting biscuits and gravy. The starter-size version, called the BAG, is just right if, like me, you also want to get a little choked up over a chile relleno.

J.B.

Deep City’s BAG

Clockwise from left: Cappellacci, lasagna and gnocco fritto with mortadella at Gallus Handcrafted Pasta

Thirsty Like the Wolf

Wolf Tree, 40 Currier St., White River Junction, 698-8409, wolftreevt.com

Ever since Wolf Tree opened in White River Junction in 2019, Jordan and I have had it on our list of destinations for its promising menu of creatively conceived drinks and classy, intimate setting. Unfortunately, it’s a 90-minute drive from Burlington — and, well, cocktails.

I was thrilled for many reasons when a dear friend moved to White River Junction, a town I have long crushed on for its idiosyncratic arts culture and vibrant food and drink scene.

For our “Three to Six Hours” series, my friend and I ﬁnished up a full day of exploring WRJ at Wolf Tree, which met all my long-held expectations. I had a hard time choosing from the large menu of intriguing cocktails, which includes a low-alcohol section — helpful for those who lack a designated driver or a local friend on whose ﬂoor they can crash.

The Goldilocks, made with pineapple brandy, lemon, sesame orgeat and orange bitters, was just as the menu promised: “not too sweet, not too tart — juuuust right.” I’m planning another sleepover soon.

M.P.

Butter My Butt and Call Me a Biscuit

Queen City Café, 377 Pine St., Burlington, 489-6412, queencitycafebtv.com

More biscuits! I know, I know. But Queen City Café’s biscuits are the biscuits. Whether they’re holding together a bacon-laden breakfast sandwich with surprising ease or ﬂoating in a gussied-up chicken stew, these flaky, wood-fired biscuits are so good that they had me regularly braving the mess that was Pine Street for much of the year. The vegan one’s no slouch, either.

Chef-owner Sean Richards’ menu reﬂects both his early cooking career in Tennessee and food memories from his upbringing in Fair Haven — Vermont church lady food, as he put it. If the chef’s fare seems simple, that’s only because of how well he wields his fine-dining chops — and masters the former Myer’s Bagels wood oven. I usually complain about new wood-ﬁred restaurants, given how many we have, but this one I’ll allow.

Pawpaw Patrol

Sugarsnap Farm pawpaws will not be available until October 2025. To grow your own from locally propagated plants, try Perfect Circle Farm in Berlin (perfectcircle. farm) or East Hill Tree Farm in Plainﬁeld (easthilltreefarm.com).

Another year, another round of devastating ﬂoods. In the midst of this depressing new normal, an email from business owner and state legislator Abbey Duke landed in my inbox.

I USUALLY COMPLAIN ABOUT NEW WOOD-FIRED RESTAURANTS, BUT THIS ONE I’LL ALLOW.

Duke has a small Intervale farm that grows some ingredients for her South Burlington-based Sugarsnap Catering. Like all the farms in the river ﬂoodplain, it boasts rich soil but now routinely ﬂoods during peak growing season. One bright spot, Duke wrote, has been pawpaws. A few trees she planted in 2010 had thrived despite repeated inundations, and her farm was expecting a bumper crop this year.

Say what?

I had barely heard of pawpaws when Duke wrote to me, let alone tasted one, though I knew that some regions of the country have a taste for this cold-tolerant distant relation of soursop and cherimoya. Botanists believe the pawpaw was most likely carried north in the digestive tracts of fruit-loving mastodons.

In October, at peak harvest — the only time one can buy the delicate fresh fruit, which does not ship well — I headed down to the Intervale to see and taste what looked like small mangoes. The Sugarsnap farming team selected a perfectly ripe specimen for me to try. It was really good and shockingly tropical tasting for a locally grown fruit, with notes of coconut and frangipani ﬂower.

Pawpaws won’t save Vermont farms, but they remind us that adaptation has been a constant since the mastodons migrated north.

M.P.

DARIA BISHOP

MELISSA PASANEN

Sean Richards

Jamie Cohen holding a ripe pawpaw

e Victory Lap cocktail at Wolf Tree

Queen City Café chicken and biscuits

food+drink

Tonic Key

Rogue Rabbit, 9 Center St., Burlington, roguerabbitvt.com

I love a chunky pizza slice: Sicilian, Detroit-style and, thanks to Rogue Rabbit, Roman-style pizza al taglio. Abby Temeles and Jacob Shane’s thick square slices easily entered my Burlington lunch rotation this year.

Their casual café’s drink list, though, is what really got me. I loved it so much that I rewrote a Sound of Music classic around their menu: “Espresso with tonic and bitter Negronis / House wine, Vivid Co ee and lots of Peronis / NA Spaghett-i, all kinds of spritz / These are a few of my favorite things.”

Soup Season

Leo & Co., 21 Essex Way, Suite 418, Essex, 857-5386, weareleoand.co

My Jewish grandmothers and mother would have appreciated the deep-dive story I wrote on Montréal’s Jewish food in April. My mum, especially, would have plotzed over the savory chicken liver spread I gobbled down at Snowdon Deli. I similarly plotzed over the unexpectedly delicious matzo ball soup I discovered at the new Leo & Co., much closer to home in Essex.

Since I’m usually at Rogue Rabbit on a workday, the espresso tonic ended up topping that silly list for most consumed. There are quite a few good espresso tonics around Burlington, but whether it’s the pizza pairing or the spot-on proportions of espresso to tonic in the kinda bitter drink, Rogue Rabbit’s is the one I keep going back to.

Now I’ve got a new song to rewrite, with apologies to Sabrina Carpenter: “Thinkin’ ’bout that drink every day, oh / Is it that bitter? I guess so. / I’ll have one for lunch, baby, I know / That’s that tonic espresso.”

J.B.

bones for the rich broth loaded with veggies. The pair of tender, springy matzo balls in every serving are textbook-perfect and, surprisingly, gluten-free, thanks to Manischewitz gluten-free matzo ball mix.

Leo & Co. also uses a trick that I learned from my New York City grandma.

“Always,” she told me with emphasis, “always put seltzer in your matzo balls.”

M.P.

The counter-service café and market opened in July in the large space that was previously home to Sweet Clover Market. Owner Kayla Silver named her second Essex Experience business for her great-uncle Leo Keiles, who survived the Holocaust. It’s by no means a Jewish deli, but the top-notch matzo ball soup will help me manage until someone opens one of those.

The kitchen team roasts chicken

Matzo ball soup at Leo & Co.

Rogue Rabbit’s espresso tonic with an assortment of slices

Flour and Flowers

e Bake Shop at Red Wagon Plants, 2408 Shelburne Falls Rd., Hinesburg, 482-4060, redwagonplants.com

As accidental bakeries go, the Bake Shop at Red Wagon Plants takes the cake. It also takes the cake for pretty much every other kind of bakery.

Through a series of very fortunate-for-us events, bakers Amy Vogler and Carey Nershi teamed up with Julie Rubaud and her Red Wagon Plants team to open an incredible little bakeshop in the nursery’s new herb-processing building. All growing season long, they stocked their glass pastry case with rustic yet reﬁned chiveand-cheddar focaccia, chocolate sourdough, coconut buns, glutenfree brownies, jam pinwheels, banana-chocolate chip cookies, and other sweet and savory delights.

Red Wagon was already one of my favorite places. The new shop — with its window framing Camel’s Hump, sit-with-a-stranger-size table, abundant patio garden and meticulously crafted treats — made it practically perfect. It’s hard to choose a favorite item from Vogler and Nershi’s repertoire, so I’ll go with the lighter-than-air orange and golden raisin hot cross bun from the Bake Shop’s ﬁrst hurrah on March 30.

The bakers are currently taking a break along with the nursery, but they plan to open for the season on April 11 and will pop up before that, on February 15 and March 29. Like the ﬁrst blooms of spring, their return will be a bright spot to look forward to on winter’s bleakest days.

Noodling Around

Scrag & Roe, 40 Bridge St., Waitsﬁeld, 496-3911, scragandroe.com

When chef Nathan Davis and his former business partner opened Scrag & Roe by the covered bridge in Waitsﬁeld a year ago, the menu was global. The restaurant is still a perfect spot to witness the idiocy of drivers who think their truck will magically clear the bridge’s roof. But, as of September, diners can view such shenanigans while eating from an all-Asian roster. Davis, now solo owner, makes recipes he fell in love with and learned to cook during six years of living and traveling in Asia. Those include umami-rich, dry-fried shiitake mushrooms with bacon, as well as smashed cucumbers with soy, chile and a slick of sesame oil. They’re all really good, but the standout is his dan dan noodles.

The bowl of bouncy noodles comes liberally dressed with ground beef in a tongue-tingling sauce that sings with chiles, Sichuan peppercorns, garlic, sesame, black cardamom, orange peel and fermented mustard root. Toasted peanuts add a satisfying crunch. My dining companion and I both deemed the complex, electric blend of ﬂavors and textures craveable.

It’s a bit of a drive, but we’ll be back. Not in a truck.

M.P.

Spicy dan dan noodles

Above: Assorted bake shop treats

Right: Orange and golden raisin hot cross bun

JORDAN BARRY

This year we thought we’d give ourselves — and you, our dear, tired readers — a holiday break and ﬁll a few pages of the paper with photos recapping the past 12 months.

STARRY EYED culture

We soon found that playing curator was a tall task. Compiling a visual retrospective ﬁrst required diving deep into the memory hole of what the heck happened in 2024 — arguably too much. As we painstakingly reviewed 51 weeks of fabulous photography, one thing became clear: It wasn’t all good memories. There were elections and ﬂoods and sad downturns in our downtowns, not to mention so much roadwork. Then we remembered how depressed we are.

A surprisingly sentimental photographic review of 2024

But we refused to wallow. And so a theme finally emerged for our first (and maybe last) year-end photo essay. The snapshots presented here take us back to cultural occasions, big and small, that collectively moved us and filled us with wonder. From a rare total solar eclipse to the playful dance of the northern lights — the heavens were frisky this year — to Vermonters heading o to the Paris Olympics, these photos are a reminder of bright moments, even in a dark time. We actually found ourselves feeling a little nostalgic. There’s a lesson in there somewhere, right?

Many thanks to our talented photographer friends for capturing the scenes.

CAROLYN

FOX

e northern lights dancing over the Lake Champlain Bridge between Addison and Crown Point, N.Y., a little after 3:30 a.m. on October 11. 2024 saw multiple outstanding appearances of aurora borealis in Vermont; this particularly potent geomagnetic storm sent the photographer on a ﬁve-hour odyssey to ﬁnd a break in the clouds.

After Glow PHOTO BY

JEB WALLACE-BRODEUR

For the ﬁrst time, Montpelier illuminated seven of its historic bridges with thousands of bulbs. Hundreds paraded with lanterns over the Winooski River and its North Branch for a November 16 lighting ceremony, a sparkling sign of community spirit and strength after the heartbreaking ﬂoods of 2023.

Good Heavens PHOTO BY ADAM SILVERMAN

Death Reborn

BY LUKE AWTRY

Death headlining the Waking Windows music festival in Winooski on May 4. The pioneering punk band, founded in 1970s Detroit and now rooted in Vermont, last performed in 2019. Urian and Julian Hackney joined their father and uncle, Bobby Sr. and Dannis Hackney, onstage as the newest members of the group. For the first time in 47 years, the Hackney family and Death were once again one and the same.

A Progressive Party

BY DARIA BISHOP

The crowd cheering at Zero Gravity beer hall on March 5 as Progressive Emma Mulvaney-Stanak was elected mayor of Burlington. It was a historic win: As well as Burlington’s first-ever woman mayor, she became the first openly queer person to hold the seat.

PHOTO

Come What LeMay

PHOTO BY JAMES BUCK

Bob Bolyard (third from right) as Amber LeMay, surrounded by Amber alter egos, at the Winter Is a Drag Ball: Apocalypstick, held on February 17 at Higher Ground in South Burlington. It was the House of LeMay drag troupe’s ﬁnal year hosting the winter party, which it had been producing since 2003.

STARRY EYED

Rocking the Boat

PHOTO BY JOSH KUCKENS

Jacob Plihal training at Craftsbury Outdoor Center in late June, ahead of the Paris Olympics. Vermont sent seven world-class rowers to the Games — one native and six who spent years training in the state — along with track-andﬁeld star Elle Purrier St. Pierre of Montgomery and social media sensation Ilona Maher of Burlington, whose rugby team won a historic bronze medal.

All Fired Up

BY EVA SOLLBERGER

Fire spinner Kayla “Maple” Steen performing with the Burlington Burn Club at Battery Park on July 17. e collective has been lighting up the night and sparking a scene since 2019 with outdoor burns at the band shell. Members share props and fuel and aim to inspire newcomers.

PHOTO

A time-lapse composite of a once-in-a-lifetime total solar eclipse, taken from Oakledge Park in Burlington on April 8. The eclipse shrouded northern Vermont in several minutes of otherworldly midafternoon darkness as locals and visitors from around the globe looked skyward in wonder.

View

the Top

Eclipse viewers on the Moran FRAME in Burlington on April 8, a rare bluebird spring day. The city hosted viewing parties at many of its lakefront public parks, which amounted to a sprawling outdoor festival. Across the state, Vermont saw an influx of some

From

PHOTO BY LUKE AWTRY

Grand Total PHOTO BY JAMES BUCK

STARRY EYED

Dancing in the Street

PHOTO BY LUKE AWTRY

Young attendees of the South End Art Hop playing with bubbles on Burlington’s Pine Street on September 6. e art festival, which annually encompasses more than 100 venues and 30 events, celebrated its 32nd year with a theme of surrealism.

Lips Service

AWTRY

At the end of the Flaming Lips concert at the Grand Point North festival in Burlington’s Waterfront Park on July 26, the band passed a giant inﬂatable to the sold-out crowd while Louis Armstrong’s “What a Wonderful World” played. From the 20-foot-tall robots to the stage-wide rainbow, this was a major show of the year.

Feeling the Bern

PHOTO

BY LUKE

AWTRY

Austin Grant, one of eight U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders look-alikes who gathered in Burlington’s City Hall Park for a contest on December 14. Grant snagged second place with his white wig, bushy eyebrows, blue medical mask, mittens and “Tax the billionaires” sign — a nod to Sanders’ iconic, memeworthy outﬁt at the 2021 presidential inauguration.

PHOTO BY LUKE

December Bird Monitoring Walk

SAT., DEC. 28 BIRDS OF VERMONT MUSEUM, HUNTINGTON

Highlight 2024

TUE., DEC. 31 BURLINGTON CITY ARTS

Opera In Concert

TUE., DEC. 31

MCCARTHY ARTS CENTER RECITAL HALL AT SAINT MICHAEL'S COLLEGE, COLCHESTER

New Year's Eve Shindig

TUE., DEC. 31

TUNBRIDGE TOWN HALL

Green Mountain Mahler Festival

Beethoven's Ninth Symphony

WED., JAN. 1

ELLEY-LONG MUSIC CENTER, COLCHESTER

Silver Bangles Workshop

THU., JAN. 2 STUDIO SPACE, CHARLOTTE

Italian Cookie Workshop

SAT., JAN. 4 RED POPPY CAKERY, WATERBURY VILLAGE

Marty Fogel's Mixed Bag Quartet Plays 'Now and Then'

SAT., JAN. 4 THE PHOENIX, WATERBURY VILLAGE

Foam Brewers

and Drinks are

Waterfront Park

Food and Drinks are available

1:30 - 3pm: NYE Run/Walk to Highlight

2 - 10pm: The Flu y Bus

2 - 2:30pm: Two Sev

2 - 6pm: Highlight EastRise Gamezone

2:30 - 3:30pm: Ryan Montbleau (Solo)

3:30 - 4pm: Two Sev

4 - 5pm: Florry

5 - 5:30pm: Disco Phantom

5:30 - 6:30pm: THUS LOVE

6:30 - 7pm: Disco Phantom

7 - 8pm: Kalbells

8 - 8:10pm: Fireworks!

8:10 - 8:30pm: Cirque De Fuego

8:30 - 10pm: Skeleton Krewe

ECHO Center

Food and Drinks are available a er 5pm

12:30 - 3:30pm: The Many Voices of Water Exhibit*

1:30 - 2:30pm: The Many Voices of Water Performance*

5 - 8pm: Caribbean Fête*

9:30pm - 12:30am: Midnight Rodeo with Queer Country Line Dance*

3 – 7:30pm: Connectivity: An Interactive Sound and Light Exhibition* Union Station

2 - 6pm: Daytime Disco DJ Rice Pilaf, DJ Cre8, and DJ Four-D

8:30pm - 12:30am: The Spirit of New Year’s Eve*

Noah Kesey Magic Band, Robber Robber, Her New Knife, Greaseface, Carinae (DJ Cold Steel in-between sets)

VTIFF

1 – 4pm: Inkling*

Skinny Pancake

Food and Drinks are available

3:30 - 4:30pm: Will and Jeremy Write a Song*

4:30 - 5:30pm: Will and Jeremy Write a Song*

9 - 9:30pm: DJ Rice Pilaf

9:30 - 10:15pm: Willverine

10:30pm - 12am: Acqua Mossa

12 - 12:30am: DJ Rice Pilaf

College Street (Free trolley runs Lake Street

Main Street

runs every 15 minutes, 2 - 10pm)

11am - 8pm: BCA Gallery Exhibitions

5 - 7pm: Dancer in the Loop* 8:30 - 10:30pm: Rhyme and Unreason*

12 - 1pm: Circus Smirkus

2 - 3pm: Circus Smirkus

4 - 5pm: Circus Smirkus 6:30 - 9pm: Food & Arts Celebration to Beneﬁt Intervale Community Farm* 10pm - 12:30am: Highlighting the Hip-Hop Diaspora*

on screen

Deux Ex Machina

e end of an era, too many sequels and more from the year in ﬁlm

BY MARGOT HARRISON • margot@sevendaysvt.com

Well, folks, this is the year Burlington lost its downtown movie theater — and the area’s only art house cinema. Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas closed in November, ending an era that dawned when I was still young enough to sneak into R-rated movies.

That’s actually one of my ﬁrst memories of the theater at 220 College Street, then known as the Nickelodeon Cinemas 6. According to Cinema Treasures, the Nickelodeon opened in 1981 under independent ownership. (It would later belong to a couple of large chains before Merrill Jarvis II bought it in 2003.) In 1982, 14-year-old me brazenly purchased a ticket for An O cer and a Gentleman, which features full-frontal nudity. I guess it’s safe to admit that now?

Like the Roxy to come, the Nickelodeon showed a mix of mainstream and art house fare, but it also screened classic and cult movies. Every month, I carefully perused the ﬂyer detailing its program, which gave me an education in cinema history.

In 1983, my family stood in a line that stretched down the Nick’s brick façade on South Winooski Avenue to see Return of the Jedi. In 1985, I got nauseated during the early scenes of A Room With a View (from my lunch, not the movie), threw up in the tiny restroom and went right back and enjoyed the rest of the period piece.

Good Will Hunting, Boogie Nights, The Talented Mr. Ripley, Being John Malkovich, Notting Hill, The Blair Witch Project, American Psycho, The Ice Storm, Titanic, Capote, Sideways, The Royal Tenenbaums — all movies I ﬁrst saw at the Nick/Roxy. Any local movie lover who’s been around long enough has a similar list.

Where will we see our indie ﬁlms now? Perhaps at the Essex Cinemas or Majestic 10, if a movie has enough buzz to get on the program; perhaps at Vermont’s surviving art houses, such as Montpelier’s Savoy Theater and St. Johnsbury’s Catamount Arts; perhaps at a Vermont International Film Foundation screening. But not at Waitsﬁeld’s Big Picture Theater, another casualty of the nationwide post-pandemic trend of theater closings.

Or maybe we’ll wait and catch those ﬁlms

REVIEWS

streaming — because it’s hard to ignore the elephant in the living room: The audience for foreign and indie ﬁlms skews older, and older people are more likely to stay home. No wonder original material is increasingly rare in multiplexes. So far this year, all but three of the 20 top-grossing theatrical releases have been sequels to previous hits — and one of those three, Wicked, could easily be mistaken for an Oz sequel.

We can only hope someone (or someones) steps up to ﬁll greater Burlington’s art house gap. Meanwhile, a glance outside Vermont o ers some encouraging signs.

In September, Variety reported that the

nation’s eight biggest theater chains will collectively spend $2.2 billion on upgrades. The latest National Audience Survey from the independent theater coalition Art House Convergence showed an uptick in attendance, with the average new attendee being comparatively young at 38. And, according to a recent Associated Press story, young people are driving a renaissance of Los Angeles’ indie cinemas. Maybe that trend will make its way east.

In other good news, 2024 had no shortage of excellent theatrically released ﬁlms, including many that weren’t sequels. Here are some movies that stood out for me this

year. I’ve parenthetically noted which are on streaming services; look for the others in theaters or on VOD.

Breakout performance

When it comes to acting awards, smart money right now is on two relative newcomers: Mikey Madison, who plays a sex worker of many faces in Anora, and Karla Sofía Gascón of Jacques Audiard’s musical melodrama Emilia Pérez (Netﬂix), the first transgender actor to win Best Actress at the Cannes Film Festival. Both give memorable, larger-than-life performances.

But I’d like to draw your attention to Kani Kusruti, star of the Indian ﬁlm All We Imagine as Light, which snagged the Grand Prix at Cannes and two Golden Globe Award nominations. In this naturalistic story of three working women’s lives in Mumbai, she brings revelatory nuance to her portrayal of a tired nurse with an absentee husband, who isn’t sure how to react to a doctor’s timid courtship.

Best ﬁlm with a Vermont connection

Among the sequels that made bank this year was Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (Max, YouTube Primetime, rentable). For me, the fact that it was partially shot in East Corinth was the most interesting thing about it. (Second most interesting: the creative lengths to which Tim Burton went to include Je rey Jones’ character in the story without giving work to a convicted sex o ender.)

For actual homegrown ﬁlms, catch a screening of Bess O’Brien’s Just Getting By, a powerful documentary about unhoused Vermonters. Far Out: Life on and After the Commune continues to screen around the state to enthusiastic audiences. And Tommy Hyde’s Underdog, about a struggling Vermont dairy farmer who enters a dog-mushing competition in Alaska, is now streaming on Apple TV, Prime Video and Slamdance Channel.

Best ﬁrst ﬁlm

India Donaldson and Annie Baker rightly made waves this year with their debut features, Good One (rentable) and Janet

Beetlejuice Beetlejuice

Nickel Boys

Planet (Max, rentable), respectively. Both are quietly provocative stories about girls coming of age in the woods and exploring the limits of their worlds.

RaMell Ross already had an acclaimed lyrical documentary (Hale County This Morning, This Evening) under his belt, but his stunning narrative debut, Nickel Boys, should take his career to another level. Based on Colson Whitehead’s novel about a Black teen (Ethan Herisse) who takes a ride in the wrong car and lands in a brutal reform school in 1960s Florida, the movie uses first-person perspective — a rare and risky choice — to bring us into the past with extraordinary intimacy. Look for it in theaters in January.

Most heart-rending animation

What is it that gives wordless animated films the potential to be so gut-wrenchingly sad? We Live in Time was a perfectly fine live-action weepie. But if you really want to cry over the pathos of human transience, watch Flow , a postapocalyptic animal adventure sans people, or Robot Dreams (Disney+, Hulu, rentable), the gentle friendmance of a dog and a robot in 1980s New York. You’ll never again be able to hear Earth, Wind & Fire’s “September” without misting up.

Most necessary sequel

The trippy complexity of the mythos behind Dune: Part Two (Max, rentable) justifies multiple films in my mind, but I still find it tough to care about Timothée Chalamet’s Paul Atreides as much as I do about the world around him.

As for the surprise hit Terrifier 3 (rentable), well, surely we can all agree that this year called for a blood-soaked killer clown Christmas movie.

Least necessary sequel

This is a crowded field, but for me, Glen Powell’s squinty charm and Marlboro man swagger failed to justify the existence of Twisters (Peacock, rentable).

Most effective bait-and-switch

Definitely not Joker: Folie à Deux (Max, rentable). To me, Todd Phillips’ musical sequel to his superhero-adjacent hit seemed perfectly consistent with its predecessor in its dour characterization and themes. But many fans of the original expected Arthur Fleck to rise from the ashes of Joker as, well, the Joker, and they certainly didn’t expect him to sing. The movie bombed with critics and audiences.

More successful at the box office (relative to its budget) was Alex Garland’s Civil War (Max, rentable), which left many moviegoers angry when it turned out to be about the ethics of wartime photojournalism and not about whom to root for if a civil

war happened in the U.S. today. Personally, I don’t blame Garland for not sticking his hand in that hornets’ nest, and his images of a devastated heartland gave us all something to chew on.

Most old-school in a good way

If you skipped Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers (MGM+, Prime, rentable)

Most old-school in a bad way

I’m glad a movie about so-called “women’s issues” (which should be everyone’s issues) made so much money, but I can’t get behind the weirdly muted and gauzy treatment of domestic violence in It Ends With Us (Netflix, rentable). Blake Lively’s outfits shouldn’t be the focus here.

Best scenery chewing

There are good ways to chew the scenery! Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo both deliver big, big performances in Wicked while incorporating subtle touches that lend complexity to their archetypal characters. They deserve all the accolades they’re getting. Playing a faded star, Demi Moore goes big in The Substance (MUBI, rentable) and gives the best performance of her career.

Equally toothsome is Hugh Grant’s comic turn as a doddery, sweater-clad Heretic who can’t possibly have bad intentions when he invites two missionaries inside for a theological discussion … or can he?

Movies that might be honored here if I’d actually seen them I have no excuse for missing Conclave , Sing Sing and A Different Man . But a bunch of other award contenders — including The Brutalist , A Complete Unknown , Nosferatu , Queer , Babygirl and I’m Still Here — haven’t screened in Vermont as of this writing. So take with this caveat my current choice of…

Best films

Nickel Boys is one of those movies that you sink deeper into with each successive viewing. While the first-person approach is bound to have detractors, the film has the heft of an experimental literary epic — an absorbing, adventurous reflection on how we relate to our personal and collective pasts.

because you don’t like tennis, give it a chance! This is the kind of movie Hollywood used to make all the time: a “grown-up” drama about smart, attractive professionals vying with each other for dominance in their field (and, yes, sometimes in the bedroom). It’s cleverly written, well acted, zippy and entertaining.

Other movies bowl you over and leave you gasping, like The Substance . Is Coralie Fargeat’s Hollywood horror tale for everyone? No! Does it have a ground-breaking message? No! But the unsubtle, comic maximalism of this movie captures the self-scrutiny and self-hatred at the core of a culture of images better than anything else I’ve seen. And that culture is where we live now, whether we like it or not.

The Substance is just one of the movies I’ll always be grateful to have seen on a big screen, with other people laughing, cringing and gasping around me. Happy New Year, and let’s celebrate the holidays by giving our local theaters some business. ➆

The Substance

Challengers

Heretic

Little Boxes

Six Vermont art venues to keep an eye on in 2025

BY ALICE DODGE adodge@sevendaysvt.com

Good things come in little boxes. I “unwrapped” quite a few in my ﬁrst year as Seven Days’ visual art editor — and now I’d like to share them with you. I’m referring, of course, to small galleries across the state doing big things. Despite the occasional art review, venues such as these still escape notice, especially when they have odd hours or steep stairs. Each of these hidden gems is well worth a visit in the coming year — and sure to contain something sparkly. ➆

HEXUM GALLERY

16 State St., Montpelier. Open Friday, 4 to 8 p.m., and Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. hexumgallery.com

It’s surprising to come across a central Vermont artist who doesn’t yet know about Hexum. True, the gallery hours are limited, and the location — above Capital Kitchen on State Street in Montpelier — doesn’t lend itself to foot tra c. That said, it’s where you’ll see some of the best shows in the state.

John Zaso opened the gallery in spring 2023 with “Wild Things,” a selection of works from his own collection. The curator started out as an artist and clearly became a collector out of love; his aesthetic is very particular.

Zaso has a soft spot for black-andwhite artwork that is anything but simple.

“Black & Bloom,” currently on view, shows works on a grayscale botanical theme by 12 artists; the show’s concept was inspired by a still life in Zaso’s collection by Casey Gray. Last year’s “Righty Tighty, Black & Whitey” brought together monochrome graphite and charcoal drawings, and Zaso is planning a follow-up to that show for 2025.

One of Hexum’s hallmarks is work that you could indeed call “tighty” — precise, with accomplished technique and visible control of the medium, as in Elizabeth Powell’s “Bound in Abstractions,” which Hexum presented this fall. The human body, speciﬁcally through a queer lens, also, um, pops up often at Hexum; stay tuned for an LGBTQ-themed show next year.

Zaso and his husband, Richard Davis, are great hosts at Montpelier’s bimonthly Art Walk, and that’s the best time to stop by — the music is bumping, and artists are happy to chat. It’s like a little slice of Brooklyn in the Capital City.

Top: “Still Life With Flowers 53” by Casey Gray; above: John Zaso at Hexum Gallery

MONTPELIER

K. GRANT FINE ART

37 Green St., Vergennes. Open Wednesday to Saturday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. kgrantﬁneart.com

It was more than toasty at Vergennes’ newest gallery when I visited in August. The former carriage house was like a little oven full of brightly colored confections — all part of “Soft Openings,” K. Grant Fine Art’s inaugural show. The gallerist, Kristen Grant, had moved back from New Orleans a year earlier, planning to start an art consulting business; when the little house where sculptor Ross Sheehan had run his studio became available, it was too good of an opportunity to pass up.

The space is adorable, with wonky ﬂoors, a vaulted ceiling and exposed beams. Sunny and bright, it o ers just enough space for the small group shows Grant has produced so far: In addition to “Soft Openings,” which featured six women artists and a loose botanical theme, Grant showed works by Neil Berger, Clark Derbes and Lydia Jenkins in “Eternal Harvest” this fall. “Process & Presence,” her winter show up through January 31, highlights Burlington artists Jasmine Parsia and Viscaya Wagner, straddling the line between art and design. Grant has a knack for ﬁnding talented artists and an unusual eye for balancing a group presentation. Without a great deal of physical space, she has so far been able to present enough from each artist to give a sense of their overall project without any redundancy. I’m excited to see more of K. Grant’s concise, poetic exhibitions in the year to come.

SAFE AND SOUND GALLERY

2 Church St., #2M, Burlington. Open by appointment. safeandsound.gallery

I’m always thrilled to learn of a new gallery, especially when it’s right under my nose. I hadn’t been to Safe and Sound before last summer, even though it’s right at the top of Church Street in Burlington.

Marin Horikawa opened the gallery almost six years ago. A former creative director at JDK Design, he spent his time ﬁnding artists and graphics to grace Burton snowboards. When he started his own design ﬁrm, Moderate Breeze, Horikawa decided his o ce would double as an exhibition space.

Safe and Sound’s sensibility is design-adjacent. Both Chris Colbourn’s “Primarily Flowers” (2024) and Clark Derbes’ “Skateboarding Is Performance Art” (2022) focused on the ties between art and skateboarding — Colbourn, aka “Cookie,” is a pro skater — and “Crew Neck” (2019) featured artist-created T-shirts. The overall vibe is friendly, international and very cool.

“I love art that has depth to it,” Horikawa said by email; the way that depth manifests is di erent for each artist. “It could be their incredible painting/ drawing skill or just simply their personal story.”

Shows at Safe and Sound are sporadic — Horikawa is hoping to do four annually. He used to put out a sandwich board when the gallery was open, but last year, prompted by safety concerns, his landlord installed a new door that restricts access to the Richardson Building’s second ﬂoor. That means the gallery is now appointment-only. My suggestion? Subscribe to Safe and Sound’s email list; whenever there’s a show, it’s worth skating on over.

Clockwise from left: “ ird Uncomformity” by Lydia Musco; “2024-17” by Megan Bogonovich; Kristen Grant with a portfolio of works by Cameron Davis

Clockwise from top: Marin Horikawa at Safe and Sound Gallery; “3 x 4 heads” by Chris Colbourn; “Headband” by Chris Colbourn

VERGENNES

BURLINGTON

art DEC. 25-JAN. 8

OPENINGS + RECEPTIONS

THOMAS STRUTH: “Winterthur Landscapes,” large-scale color landscapes taken in Switzerland during the 1990s by the internationally acclaimed German artist. See website for winter hours. Hall Art Foundation, Reading, January 4-February 23. Info, vermont@hallartfoundation.org.

ART EVENTS

OPEN STUDIO: A guided meditation followed by an hour of art making in any medium and concluding with a share-and-witness process. Many art materials available. In-person and online. Expressive Arts Burlington, ursday, December 26, 12:30-2:30 p.m., and Tuesday, January 7, 6:30-8:30 p.m. By donation. Info, 343-8172.

SOCIAL SUNDAY: An opportunity for children and caregivers to stop in and complete a 15- to 30-minute activity during the two-hour workshop. Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, Sunday, December 29, and Sunday, January 5, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

ESSEX ART LEAGUE MONTHLY MEETING: Artist presentations, art making and camaraderie. Essex Art League, Essex Junction, ursday, January 2, 9-11 a.m. Free for two meetings, then $25 annually. Info, 318-5220, howekit0@gmail.com.

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

KISHKA GALLERY & LIBRARY

83 Gates St., White River Junction. Open ursday to Saturday, noon to 6 p.m., and by appointment. kishka.org

additional art listings are on view at sevendaysvt.com/art. Find all the calls to artists, ongoing art shows and future events online.

VISUAL ART IN SEVEN DAYS: ART LISTINGS ARE WRITTEN BY ALICE DODGE. LISTINGS ARE RESTRICTED TO ART SHOWS IN TRULY PUBLIC PLACES.

GET YOUR ART SHOW LISTED HERE AND ONLINE!

PROMOTING AN ART EXHIBIT? SUBMIT THE INFO AND IMAGES BY THURSDAY AT NOON AT SEVENDAYSVT.COM/ POSTEVENT OR ART@SEVENDAYSVT.COM.

= ONLINE EVENT OR EXHIBIT

Kishka hopes to present several longer shows in 2025, including one featuring comics artist Richard Blake and a new solo presentation from Shepard. When looking for people to exhibit, Finer said that although they do show a few self-taught artists, that’s not Kishka’s focus. He and Dunbar select artists, he said, because, “something strikes us about what they’re doing, whether it’s a dedication to craft or a dedication to an idea.” Little Boxes « P.69

The Upper Valley’s art spaces come in all varieties, from Dartmouth College’s staid Hood Museum to the wacky Main Street Museum. Among them, Kishka Gallery & Library in White River Junction stands out. A little spot on Gates Street with bright vintage linoleum ﬂoors and a wall full of art books, it’s a cozy gem. Owners Ben Finer and Bevan Dunbar put a great deal of thought and e ort into their curation, and it’s obvious they care deeply for artists. Kishka shows artists from everywhere and represents just a handful: Lakea Shepard, Megan Bogonovich, June Gutman and Denver Ferguson. Finer met Ferguson when the latter was working at the Upper Valley Food Co-op, drawing on the backs of shredded receipts when he wasn’t helping customers. A self-taught artist, Ferguson had moved to the area from the U.S. Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria devastated his home in 2017. In January, Kishka will bring his drawings to the Outsider Art Fair in New York City, along with works by Gutman and Jessy Park, one of three artists in “Winter Color,” up through February 15. Going to fairs is a serious investment of time and energy; it’s unusual for a Vermont gallery but can make a big di erence for artists.

WHITE RIVER JUNCTION

Top: Bevan Dunbar with an installation by Elodie Blanchard at Kishka Gallery & Library; above: “Shell Game #3” by Edie Fake

THE HESTERLY BLACK

7 Stowe St., Waterbury. Open during the Phoenix’s regular hours, Tuesday to Friday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday, noon to 6 p.m. thephoenixvt.com

Since opening in June 2023, the Phoenix has become a Waterbury mainstay for expansive art shows, such as this fall’s “Collage/Uncollage,” as well as music and events. But not everyone notices that there’s another gallery upstairs, nestled between the building’s art studios.

The Hesterly Black is named for longtime Stowe resident Hesterly Fearing Black, whose granddaughter Anna Black co-owns the Phoenix with curator Joseph Pensak. Hesterly, who died in 2023 at age 90, was described as “feisty, beautiful and intelligent,” and that spirit permeates the gallery.

It’s a quieter space than the one downstairs, with elegant curved walls. Shows overflow into the lounge next door, where visitors can hang out on couches and read art magazines. Each exhibition I’ve seen there has felt intimate and secret, like the work is there only for a single viewer.

In early summer, Ana Koehler presented “Revealed/ Revered,” a series of luscious and provocative collaged drawings in the space. More recently, Erika Lawlor Schmidt’s collages, prints and assemblages complemented “Collage/Uncollage” downstairs. The shows gave each artist the perfect amount of room to present a cohesive, complex body of work.

In the coming year, look for exhibitions by Mary Admasian and Anna Black. Black’s show, opening in January and titled “Be Radical?,” is sure to follow in her feisty family footsteps.

CANAL STREET ART GALLERY

23 Canal St., Bellows Falls. Open Tuesday to Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and 3rd Fridays, 5 to 7 p.m. canalstreetartgallery.com

Canal Street Art Gallery is tucked next to the river in Bellows Falls on the Exner Block, which primarily offers studios and affordable housing for artists. It’s got a scrappy, art-for-all vibe, and cofounder Mike Noyes has lots of ideas. He has run the gallery since it opened in 2017, and he’s changing things up going into 2025.

Canal Street is shifting from themed group shows to shorter, mini solo ones: six artists at a time, each with their own wall. Joshua Aaron Gray, Theresa Karpinski, Kathleen Kemp, Amy Raab and Sandy Sherman are currently on view. It’s not a lot of room, but it’s enough for a series or small body of work.

The gallery also has six slots for its Working Artist Program — cubiclestyle studios open to the public where artists can create work and display it when they’re not there. While not for everyone, it’s an intriguing model that Noyes hopes will offer more ways for artists to support themselves.

He’s most excited about another initiative: “Free Self Expression” events during Bellows Falls’ monthly 3rd Friday art strolls. The gallery will be a forum where anyone can perform, speak or leave free artwork for others to take. “Gathering together creatively” is going to be increasingly important in the coming years, Noyes said. “We’re going to have to be louder than ever.” ➆

WATERBURY

BELLOWS FALLS

From left: Works by Mindy Fisher; works by Kathleen Kemp and Joshua Aron Gray at Canal Street Art Gallery

From left: “It’s Alright, I’m Out Of My Mind (For Ida Applebroog)” by Ana Koehler; work by Ana Koehler at the Hesterly Black

YBEST OF 2024 BEST OF 2024

ou guys remember a few years ago when I tried to do away with the end-of-year lists and top-10 stu ? Yeah, you hated that. Let it be known that I am a trainable music editor!

To be fair to, um, me, when I started as your friendly neighborhood music editor, we were coming out of the pandemic and I wasn’t exactly spoiled for choices with releases. That is deﬁnitely not a problem in 2024’s local music scene. This year featured not only more releases than I’ve ever received but also — just maybe — the best crop of Vermont albums that have come along in a long while. How do I know? Compiling the lists you’re about to read was harder than ever.

Some disclaimers before we get started: No, there’s no NOAH KAHAN or PHISH on this list. Phish did put out a pretty good album this year with Evolve, but I think we can all agree that while the Phab Phour are from Vermont, they’ve long

since transcended its scene. And thank the Flying Spaghetti Monster that I don’t have to wade into the “Is Kahan part of the Vermont music scene?” debate, because he didn’t release a record in 2024. I’m actually slightly worried about the mental state of his local fans if he drops another love letter to the Green Mountains; we could reach real “BEATLES at Shea Stadium”-level mania. Free suggestion to Kahan: Title the new record Don’t Jersey Vermont and start a feud with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN. It’ll be like KENDRICK LAMAR versus DRAKE for the Subarudriving set!

I also disqualiﬁed the excellent new OF MONTREAL album, Lady on the Cusp. While KEVIN BARNES, the mastermind behind the project, moved to Marlboro in 2024, this was his ﬁnal album recorded while still living in Athens, Ga. I don’t think we get to call dibs on this one. OK! Now that we’ve gotten all that out of the way, let’s get to the best of 2024 in Vermont music.

1. Robber Robber, Wild Guess

e best Vermont albums, singles and music videos of 2024

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH farnsworth@sevendaysvt.com

Best Albums of 2024

The local indie-rock scene is as robust as it has been since the glory days of the ’90s in Burlington. With acts such as GREG FREEMAN, GREASEFACE, the DEAD SHAKERS and LILY SEABIRD, there’s been a resurgence of top-shelf bands and artists making wildly original rock. And no band delivered better than Burlington’s ROBBER ROBBER, who released the scintillating Wild Guess in July. Caught somewhere between the quirky indie stylings of SONIC YOUTH and harder-edged post-punk, the foursome created a record su used with equal parts airy detachment and captivating tension.

2. Astral Underground,

Sunsets

Are Sacred Enosburgh cosmic-jazz trio ASTRAL UNDERGROUND might have the most unorthodox origin of any Vermont act. Local mainstays BEN MADDOX (the MOUNTAIN SAYS NO) and JOHN NOTARO (MUSHROOM TEETH) joined forces with influential flutist MARGAUX SIMMONS, who formed the avant-garde African jazz band the PYRAMIDS in the 1970s. Together, their debut record, Sunsets Are Sacred, is a blast of free jazz blended with pulsing electronic music and flashes of shoegaze and post-punk. It’s a startlingly unique sound that delivers from start to finish.

From left: Lutalo, Lily Seabird, McAsh, Robber Robber, Caleb Lodish

Intelligent Agitation

Gogol Bordello’s Eugene Hütz

BY CHRIS FARNSWORTH

Before launching the revolutionary punk-rock collective Gogol Bordello, starring in films such as Everything Is Illuminated and popping up in Madonna videos, Eugene Hütz was a Burlington kid, hanging around the all-ages punk club 242 Main. A Ukrainian immigrant who says he “didn’t know a word of English, except for Dead Kennedys and Sex Pistols lyrics,” Hütz found a welcoming community in the local hardcore scene and formed one of the most influential Vermont punk bands of the late ’90s, the Fags.

how music responds to political adversity and what he sees as the dawn of a new golden age of DIY.

Welcome back! It’s been a few years since there’s been a Gogol Bordello show in town.

Yeah, but I come up all the time. I was up for the Agnostic Front show at Higher Ground [in 2023], and the old hardcore crew from 242 Main came out. It was fucking magic, man.

I THINK HOPE IS KIND OF LAZY.

EUGENE HÜTZ

Hütz left the Queen City for the bright lights of New York City around the turn of the century, though his family still lives in the area and he returns regularly. This week, he’s home for Christmas and bringing Gogol Bordello with him as part of the Casa Gogol Holiday Tour. The sprawling nine-piece band plays a sold-out show at the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington on Friday, December 27.

The tour is a celebration of Hütz’s new label, Casa Gogol, that he launched in March. One of its first signees is another band with Burlington ties, Pons, who emerged from the University of Vermont indie scene. They’ll join the show as an opening act.

Ahead of his homecoming, he phoned Seven Days to chat about the new label,

You’ve often spoken in interviews about how important 242 and that scene was to you growing up. What made it such a sanctuary for you?

Well, I had my tiny group of friends who were trying to do our own thing. The town was an oasis for creative people when I got there. You had a DIY punk scene, and you also had musicians from New York and Boston and people like [jazz musician] James Harvey, who would talk about Sonic Youth and Béla Bartók in the same sentence.

These cross-pollinating characters were around. And luckily Bernie and Jane Sanders went to Germany and the Netherlands and saw how the youth centers were run there, and they came back and made 242. Because, and I don’t

Eugene Hütz and Gogol Bordelo

3. Caleb Lodish, An Evening Into Sweet Despair

A product of the Burlington Technical Center’s Digital Media Lab program, producer CALEB LODISH put out one of the year’s best albums with his sophomore e ort, An Evening Into Sweet Despair Stu ed full of smooth R&B, glitchedout jazz and sleek, modern hip-hop, the record o ers new insights into Lodish’s songcraft and beat-making at every turn. It also spotlights some of the best up-andcoming talent in the 802 hip-hop scene, including verses from RSIEH RAXAN, RIVAN, CHARLIE MAYNE, TYLER SERRANI and FLYWLKR.

4. THUS LOVE, All Pleasure

Brattleboro post-punk and indie-rock outfit THUS LOVE continued evolving in 2024, adding two new members and taking the new wave-leaning sound of their 2022 debut, Memorial, and pushing it closer to ’90s-era grunge and collegeradio indie rock for All Pleasure. Even as the group caught fire in Europe, playing big festivals such as Reading, its members have never forsaken their Vermont roots, staying put in their small but artistically vital Brattleboro scene. The album reveals a group unafraid to tweak its sound despite the buzz around it. We all reap the benefits of that bravery.

5. e Dead Shakers, So I Guess I Keep Making Albums Until

I Die?

KEVIN BLOOM doesn’t fuck around when it comes to making LPs. The talismanic front man for Burlington psych-rock outﬁt the DEAD SHAKERS released the 20-track double album So I Guess I Keep Making Albums Until I Die? in September, an opus chock-full of fuzz; ambience; acid jazz; sometimes

BEST SINGLES

1. rivan, “Deep Blue”

2. The Mountain Says No, “Side by Side”

3. THUS LOVE, “On the Floor”

4. Night Protocol, “Mindkiller”

5. The Wormdogs, “Done Workin’”

6. Lutalo, Claud, “Running”

7. Sarah King, “When It All Goes Down”

8. Topia, “THISMYFATE”

9. McAsh, “Healthcare”

10. Cady Ternity, “Who’s D’Boss?”

BEST MUSIC VIDEOS

1. Hunter Paye, “The Piper and the Prey”

2. The Butterﬁelds, “Alberta Bound”

3. THUS LOVE, “All Pleasure”

4. Robber Robber, “Sea or War”

5. Spencer Lewis, “The Grower”

6. Robscure, “NEON SIGNS”

7. Rik Palieri, “Hands of Time”

8. The Dead Shakers, “My Garlic and Me”

inscrutable, sometimes hilarious lyrics; and, most of all, Bloom’s skewed brilliance.

6. Lily Seabird, Alas,

Burlington singer-songwriter LILY SEABIRD dropped one of the best local debuts I’ve ever heard with Beside Myself in 2021. Her full-length followup, Alas, is an emotionally raw and gripping piece of music, often vacillating between crushing sorrow and peaceful acceptance. It’s a record about loss, grief and how to live with absence — or, as freelance writer NINA SABLAN put it in her review, “Alas, shows us Seabird digging into her psyche until she grasps something vulnerable, raw and ultimately healing.”

9. VT Union feat. R.A. the Rugged Man, “Rockstar”

10. Moira Smiley feat. Merrill Garbus, “Go Dig My Grave”

7. e Pilgrims, Joking but Serious

One of the cornerstone bands of the WHAT DOTH LIFE collective out of Windsor, the PILGRIMS took a long time between their 2017 album, No Focus, and their 2024 follow-up, Joking but Serious. It’s a perfect title, as the hard-charging punk act’s dark sense of humor only slightly dulls the record’s themes of insecurity and isolation. ➆

Hunter Paye

Intelligent Agitation « P.73

know anything about running a city, man ... but without a place like that, I’m not sure what a lot of us would have got up to if we couldn’t display our energy and camaraderie there.

The whole DIY movement was so important to the hardcore scene you came up in. Does that still inform what you do? Is that why you’ve launched a record label?

Fuck yeah. DIY is so important. I think maybe more now! People are fed up with this uncertain state of affairs with music. Whether you’re a fan of Ronald Reagan or not, that era gave definition to people’s efforts and accelerated the DIY network. It crystallized it. There was a network of powerful efforts like the SST and Dischord labels, but those are all somewhat archaic now. We need a new emergence of portals to do that.

Do you think the return of Donald Trump to the White House in January might set off something similar in DIY music to what the Reagan administration inspired?

I think hope is kind of lazy. I think it’s in the Tao where they say if you have an intention and it is distilled, hope is not necessary. We don’t have to hope; it’s just the way it will go.

And I can already see it bubbling to the surface in New York. There’s never been a time in the music business where people are as confused and out of touch with fucking reality as they are now, but there are clusters of thriving and extremely chargedup new bands — kids who just discovered My Bloody Valentine and Television and Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Fugazi. They have

their own kaleidoscopic supercollider. Just the way they play their instruments — I watch it closely. It has a certain agitation that was not characteristic in 2013.

The music is getting more aggressive?

I don’t know if it’s aggression; it’s more agitated intelligence. They way they approach things is another spin on postmodernism, but there’s an attachment to emotion, which wasn’t really present with postmodernism. These younger bands seem to have overcome the necessity to be ironic, which was kind of plaguing youth for a while. Not being able to commit to a cause has run its course.

Are those the qualities you look for when you sign bands to your new label? You’re bringing two of the new signees with you to Higher Ground: Pons and Puzzled Panther. Oh, man, these are the children of no wave, my all-time inspiration — I love it. I didn’t know Pons had a Burlington connection when I signed them; they told me after I put them on the bill for the Burlington show.

It felt like it was only natural to start this label precisely now. There was a time where everything around Gogol, we were surrounded by lethargic people, you know? We were relentless and felt like a crazy

horse, surrounded by all these sedated people. But it’s not sedated anymore, and things are shifting. ➆

This interview was edited and condensed for clarity and length.

INFO

Gogol Bordello, Puzzled Panther, Pons, Friday, December 27, 8:30 p.m., at Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington. $39-150. AA. Sold out.

Learn more at gogolbordello.com. Follow Casa Gogol Records on Instagram: @casagogolrecords.

Eye on the Scene

Recent live music highlights from photographer Luke Awtry

THE HOLIDAY EXTRAVAGANZA, FOAM BREWERS, BURLINGTON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 14:

It’s that time of the year when we find ourselves knee-deep in the annual storm of ho-hoHoliday Extravaganza shows. Few deliver like Foam Brewers’, where local musicians come together for short sets of holiday tunes in their own style — or better yet, completely outside of it. DAVID KARL ROBERTS, the MIDDLE AGES, RANGUS, FRANKIE WHITE and SAVAGE HEN were among the 13 acts on the bill. Between performances, the house band — MATT DOLLIVER on saxophone/keys, MARSHALL DOMINGUEZ on guitar, JIMMY MARTUCCI on drums and KAI PASCIAK on bass — absolutely sleighed classic tunes, including a personal favorite of mine, Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmas Time Is Here” from the 1965 TV special A Charlie Brown Christmas. Even better were the surprise mashups. Did you know that “Deck the Halls” fits perfectly over Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs”? It’s totally bananas. Hope you had a rockin’ 2024!

Eugene Hütz

Seven Days is one of 12 “Bright Spots” for local news across the country, according to Medill’s State of Local News 2024 report. Help us illuminate Vermont news, food, arts and culture — make a contribution and become a Super Reader. The best way to give is through a monthly recurring donation that will power our reporting all year long. Go with the glow and donate at:

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VT 05402 Contact Gillian English at 865-1020, ext. 115 or superreaders@sevendaysvt.com.

music+nightlife

CLUB DATES

live music

THU.26

Jason Corbiere’s Blue Christmas (blues) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10/$15.

Jazz with Alex Stewart and Friends (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

McMaple (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 6 p.m. Free.

Milton Busker & the Grim Work (Americana) at Black Flannel Brewing & Distilling, Essex, 6 p.m. Free.

Shanty Rats (sea shanties) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

The Soda Plant Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

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

FRI.27

A2VT (dance, hip-hop) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10/$15.

Blues Without Borders (blues) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9:30 p.m. Free.

The Bressetts (acoustic) at Gusto’s, Barre, 6 p.m. Free.

Cady Ternity, Andriana & the Bananas, Luminous Crush (indie) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. $5.

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

The Devon McGarry Band (folk rock) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Duncan MacLeod Trio (blues, rock) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

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

Gogol Bordello, Puzzled Panther Pons - SOLD OUT (punk) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8 p.m. $39/$45.

The Grift (rock) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $12/$15. Ira Friedman (jazz) at Bleu Northeast Kitchen, Burlington, 7:30 p.m. Free.

The Jeff Salisbury Band (blues, swing) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7 p.m. Free.

Jess O’Brien & Paul Miller (folk) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7 p.m. Free.

Morse, Bjella & Shper (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free. North Beach Dub All-stars (Sublime tribute) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $10/$15.

Rainbow Full of Sound Presents: Dylan and the Dead (Bob Dylan, Grateful Dead tribute) at the Double E Lounge at Essex Experience, 8:30 p.m. $15/$20.

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.

All in the Family

It’s been almost six years since Burlington’s TYLER DANIEL BEAN brought their brand of emo-influenced indie rock to a Vermont stage. What began as a solo project turned into a full band bearing Bean’s name that played hundreds of shows in its heyday. The group released 11 records before going on hiatus in 2018, after Bean (the man, not the band) opened Willow’s Bagels in Burlington. He’s getting the band back together for one night only this Saturday, December 28, at the Higher Ground Showcase Lounge in South Burlington in what Bean describes as a “family reunion.” The show features groups that either count his former bandmates as members or bands he himself was in, including BELLY UP, THE PATH, GEEKED OUT and DOOMFUCK

Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5. Ray’s Used Cars (roots, Americana, country) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 6 p.m. Free.

The Returnables (rock) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Seth Yacovone Band (rock, blues) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $12.

SAT.28

Consider the Source (prog rock) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $15.

D Davis & Marc Gwinn (jazz) at Hugo’s, Montpelier, 7:30 p.m. Free.

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

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

Jason Corbiere’s Blue Christmas (blues) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

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

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

Long Gone John (folk) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. $5.

Mike Wheeler (acoustic) at Two Heroes Brewery Public House, South Hero, 7 p.m. Free.

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

Organized Dead (Grateful Dead organ tribute) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, 7 p.m. Free.

Sabouyouma (Afro-funk) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 8 p.m. $10/$15.

Sarah Bell (singer-songwriter) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7:30 p.m. Free.

Switchel (folk) at Jericho Café & Tavern, 7 p.m. Free.

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

Troy Millette & the Fire Below, the Owl Stars (Americana) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

Tyler Daniel Bean, Belly Up, the Path, Geeked Out, Doomfuck (indie) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 7 p.m. $12/$15.

Zach Nugent’s Dead Set (Grateful Dead tribute) at ArtsRiot, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $20.

SUN.29

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m.

Waiting on Mongo (funk) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $12/$15.

Wine & Jazz Sundays (jazz) at Shelburne Vineyard, 5 p.m. Free.

MON.30

Beatson, Pitman, Starkweather & Hill (covers) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 5 p.m. Free.

TUE.31

Acqua Mossa, DJ Rice Pilaf (soul, DJ) at the Skinny Pancake, Burlington, 10:30 p.m. $18.

All Night Boogie Band (blues) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 8 p.m. $12. Barbacoa (surf rock) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. $10.

Big Easy Tuesdays with Jon McBride (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Bird Mountain String Band, the Poultney Bluegrass Society (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

Blues Without Borders (blues) at Red Square, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Dave Keller Band NYE Early Show (blues) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 7 p.m. $25.

Dave Mitchell & the Great Friends Group (blues) at Red Square, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free.

Mykal Rose, Sed One, I Rhymes (reggae) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 8 p.m. $25.

The Nailers (rock) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

NYE Bash with Jerborn (acoustic) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, 1 p.m. Free.

NYE Highlight: Robber Robber, Carinae, Greaseface (indie) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $18.

NYE Honky Tonk with Wild Leek River & Friends (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. $10.

NYE with DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10/$15.

NYE with Gay4Disco (disco tribute) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. $10.

Quadra (covers) at the Old Post, South Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Ryan Sweezey (singersongwriter) at 14th Star Brewing, St. Albans, 6 p.m. Free.

Start Making Sense, Evn Jennison (Talking Heads tribute) at Higher Ground Ballroom, South Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $29.50/$35.

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

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

Willverine (electronic) at the Skinny Pancake, Burlington, 9:30 p.m. $18.

WED.1

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

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

Wednesday Night Dead (Grateful Dead tribute) at Zenbarn, Waterbury Center, 7 p.m. $10.

THU.2

12/OC (country) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 7 p.m. $15/$20.

Jazz with Alex Stewart and Friends (jazz) at the 126, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

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

Joe Agnello’s Birthday Jam (jam) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

Lost in Paris (covers) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 8 p.m. $10.

Mean Waltons (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free. Paul Webb (jazz piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5. Rap Night Burlington (hip-hop) at Drink, Burlington, 9 p.m. $5.

SAT.4

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

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

Lost in Paris (covers) at Pickle Barrel Nightclub, Killington, 9 p.m. $10.

Paul Webb (jazz piano) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 6 p.m. $5.

Wild Leek River, Van Vreeland, Prewn (bluegrass, folk) at Monkey House, Winooski, 8 p.m. $10.

SUN.5

Sunday Brunch Tunes (singersongwriter) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 10 a.m.

Wine & Jazz Sundays (jazz) at Shelburne Vineyard, 5 p.m. Free.

TUE.7

Bluegrass Jam (bluegrass) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free. Honky Tonk Tuesday with John Abair and His Good Pals (country) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. $10.

Jay Southgate (vibraphone) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 5 p.m. Free.

WED.8

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

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

Jazz Night with Ray Vega (jazz) at Hotel Vermont, Burlington, 8:30 p.m. Free.

djs

THU.26

DJ JP Black (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ Two Sev (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 11 p.m. Free. Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.27

DJ LaFountaine (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15. Latin Night with DJ JP Black (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

SAT.28

Crypt Goth Night (DJ) at Bent Nails Bistro, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

SAT.28 // TYLER DANIEL BEAN [INDIE]

music+nightlife

DJ A-Ra$ (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, midnight. Free.

DJ Chaston (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

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

SUN.29

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae, dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

TUE.31

Blanchface (DJ) at Einstein’s Tap House, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Ara$ and DJ Chaston (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 8 p.m. Free.

DJ CRE8 (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

DJ Malcom Miller (DJ) at the Lounge at Nectar’s, Burlington, 10 p.m. $10.

Mr. Cheng (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 11:59 p.m. Free.

NYE Dance Party with DJ LaFountain (DJ) at Gusto’s, Barre, 8 p.m. Free.

NYE Daytime Disco (DJ) at Foam Brewers, Burlington, 2 p.m. Free.

WED.1

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

THU.2

Vinyl Night with Ken (DJ) at Poultney Pub, 6 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

DJ four-d (DJ) at Monkey House, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

DJ Taka (DJ) at Light Club Lamp Shop, Burlington, 11 p.m. $10/$15.

SAT.4

DJ A-Ra$ (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, midnight. Free.

DJ Raul (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 6 p.m. Free.

HAVEN (DJ) at MothershipVT, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Matt Payne (DJ) at Red Square Blue Room, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

Molly Mood (DJ) at Red Square, Burlington, 10 p.m. Free.

SUN.5

Mi Yard Reggae Night with DJ Big Dog (reggae, dancehall) at Nectar’s, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

open mics & jams

WED.25

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

THU.26

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

Open Mic with Artie (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.29

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

MON.30

Bluegrass Etc. Jam (bluegrass jam) at Ottauquechee Yacht Club, Woodstock, 6:30 p.m. Free.

Open Mic (open mic) at Despacito, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.1

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

The Ribbit Review Open Mic & Jam (open mic) at Lily’s Pad, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.2

Open Mic with Artie (open mic) at Whammy Bar, Calais, 7 p.m. Free.

FRI.3

Red Brick Coffee House (open mic) at Red Brick Meeting House, Westford, 7 p.m. Free.

SUN.5

Olde Time Jam Session (open jam) at the Den at Harry’s Hardware, Cabot, noon. Free.

MON.6

Open Mic (open mic) at Despacito, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.7

Venetian Soda Open Mic (open mic) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.8

Open Mic (open mic) at Monopole, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 10 p.m. Free.

Open Mic with Danny Lang (open mic) at Poultney Pub, 7 p.m. Free.

comedy

FRI.27

Improv: Home for the Holidays (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5/$10.

SAT.28

Standup: Home for the Holidays (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $5/$10.

TUE.31

NYE: Joyelle Nicole Johnson: (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 8 & 10:30 p.m. $40/$60.

Open Mic Comedy with Levi Silverstein (comedy open mic) at the 126, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.2

Brian Posehn (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. $30. Live, Laugh, Lava: A Comedy Showcase (comedy) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

FRI.27 // A2VT [DANCE, HIP-HOP]

Wave Your Flag

When A2VT unleashed “Winooski, My Town” in 2012, the hip-hop and dance pop crew not only gave the Onion City a much-needed anthem, but introduced a cultural synthesis to the music scene unlike anything it had witnessed before. With roots in Somalia, Congo and Tanzania, the group sings and raps in eight different languages, blending traditional African rhythms with Western club bangers. Now into their second decade, A2VT feature a rotating cast of singers, dancers, rappers and DJs performing alongside founder Jilib, aka Said Bulle, and show no signs of slowing. They dropped the speaker-shaking single “Dance With Me” in October. Catch them live at Burlington’s Light Club Lamp Shop on Friday, December 27.

FRI.3

Brian Posehn (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $30.

SAT.4

Brian Posehn (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 & 9 p.m. $30.

WED.8

New Year, New Jokes (comedy) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

trivia, karaoke, etc.

THU.26

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

FRI.27

Karaoke Friday Night (karaoke) at Park Place Tavern & Grill, Essex Junction, 8 p.m. Free.

Karaoke with DJ Big T (karaoke) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 9 p.m. Free.

SUN.29

Karaoke with DJ Coco Entertainment (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.30

Trivia Monday with Top Hat Entertainment (trivia) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Brain (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.31

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

New Queers Eve (drag) at Higher Ground Showcase Lounge, South Burlington, 8:30 p.m. $30/$35.

NYE Karaoke (karaoke) at CharlieO’s World Famous, Montpelier, 9 p.m. Free.

Trivia Tuesday (trivia) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.1

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub and Grill Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

THU.2

Radio Bean Karaoke (karaoke) at Radio Bean, Burlington, 9 p.m. Free.

Trivia (trivia) at Four Quarters Brewing, Winooski, 6 p.m. Free.

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

SUN.5

Karaoke with DJ Coco Entertainment (karaoke) at Old Soul Design Shop, Plattsburgh, N.Y., 5 p.m. Free.

Sunday Funday (games) at 1st Republic Brewing, Essex, noon. Free.

Venetian Karaoke (karaoke) at Venetian Cocktail & Soda Lounge, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

MON.6

Trivia Monday with Top Hat Entertainment (trivia) at McKee’s Original, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. Trivia with Brain (trivia) at Charlie-O’s World Famous, Montpelier, 8 p.m. Free.

Trivia with Craig Mitchell (trivia) at Monkey House, Winooski, 7 p.m. Free.

TUE.7

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

Trivia Tuesday (trivia) at On Tap Bar & Grill, Essex Junction, 7 p.m. Free.

Tuesday Trivia (trivia) at Vermont Comedy Club, Burlington, 7 p.m. Free.

WED.8

Trivia Night (trivia) at Dumb Luck Pub and Grill Winooski, 7 p.m. Free. ➆

calendar

DECEMBER 25, 2024-JANUARY 8, 2025

THU.26

business

GROW YOUR BUSINESS:

Shelburne BNI hosts a weekly meeting for local professionals to exchange referrals and build meaningful connections. Connect Church, Shelburne, 8:30-10 a.m. Free. Info, 377-3422.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR:

All ages and abilities knit or crochet hats and scarves for the South Burlington Food Shelf. Materials provided. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 2-5 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

KNITTING GROUP: Knitters of all experience levels get together to spin yarns. Latham Library, Thetford, 7 p.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

WOODWORKING LAB:

Visionaries create a project or learn a new skill with the help of mentors and access to tools and equipment in the makerspace. Hannaford Career Center, Middlebury, 5-8 p.m. $7.50. Info, 382-1012.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: Neverbefore-seen footage brings audience members to the farthest reaches of the coldest, driest, windiest continent on Earth.

Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10:30 a.m., 12:30, 2:30 & 4:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: Andy Serkis narrates the journey of a lifetime into the realm of the world’s largest mammals and the scientists who study them.

Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11:30 a.m., 1:30 & 3:30 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: Sparkling graphics take viewers on a journey into the weird, wide world of mushrooms, which we are only just beginning to understand.

Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members

These community event listings are sponsored by the WaterWheel Foundation, a project of the Vermont band Phish.

LIST YOUR UPCOMING EVENT HERE FOR FREE!

All submissions must be received by Thursday at noon for consideration in the following Wednesday’s newspaper. Find our convenient form and guidelines at sevendaysvt.com/postevent

Listings and spotlights are written by Rebecca Driscoll Seven Days edits for space and style. Depending on cost and other factors, classes and workshops may be listed in either the calendar or the classes section. Class organizers may be asked to purchase a class listing.

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 14 on page 10.

Vermont artists. Brandon Artists Guild, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, 247-4956.

and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: Incredible CGI and revelations in tyrannosaur paleontology help to chronicle a remarkable discovery in the badlands of Hell Creek. Northfield Savings Bank 3D Theater: A National Geographic Experience, ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. $3-5 plus regular admission, $16.50-20; admission free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: Snacks and coffee fuel bouts of a classic card game. Burlington Bridge Club, Williston, 12:30-4 p.m. $6. Info, 872-5722.

WEEKLY CHESS FOR FUN:

Players of all ability levels face off and learn new strategies. United Community Church, St. Johnsbury, 5:30-9 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, lafferty1949@gmail.com.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: Festive folks step back in time for a Victorian holiday experience featuring traditional 19th-century decorations, candle dipping, pie crust making and snow sports. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 10 a.m.4 p.m. $12-19. Info, 457-2355.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: Folks stroll through a magical landscape filled with enchanting displays, including a snow shower tower and a whimsical woodland. Vermont Institute of Natural Science, Quechee, 4:30-7 p.m. $8-13; free for kids 3 and under. Info, 359-5000.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART

MARKET: Holiday gift hunters discover unique handmade items crafted by more than 35

WINTER LIGHTS: Buildings and gardens glow with multicolored bulbs in a spectacular display for the holiday season. Shelburne Museum, 4:30-8 p.m. $10-30; free for kids 3 and under. Info, 985-3346.

language

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP: Semi-fluent speakers practice their skills during a conversazione with others. Best for those who can speak at least basic sentences. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

theater

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’: Northern Stage mounts the classic Disney tale as old as time about learning to look beyond appearances. Byrne Theater, Barrette Center for the Arts, White River Junction, 2 & 7:30 p.m. $24-94. Info, 296-7000.

FRI.27

etc.

ALPHA FILM SERIES: Community members enjoy a meal, watch a brief video and share their perspectives on faith in an informal, friendly environment. St. John Vianney Parish Hall, South Burlington, 6:15-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 864-4166.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BEYOND THE FANTASY’: Teton Gravity Research presents a riveting snow sports film celebrating the transformation of improbable ideas into breathtaking feats of athleticism and creativity. See calendar spotlight. Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center, Stowe Mountain Resort, 7 p.m. $20. Info, 760-4634.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

food & drink

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 in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

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

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS ON SEVENDAYSTICKETS.COM

preregister. Info, programs@ damlvt.org.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.26.

language

FRENCH SOCIAL HOUR: The Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region hosts a rendez-vous over cocktails. Hilton Garden Inn Burlington Downtown, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; cash bar. Info, bbrodie@aflcr.org.

lgbtq

RPG NIGHT: Members of the LGBTQ community get together weekly for role-playing games such as Dungeons & Dragons and Everway. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:308:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

outdoors

HUNGER MOUNTAIN WINTER

BIRD COUNT: Locals join bird-watchers around the world in logging all the feathered friends they can find around town. Various Waterbury locations, 5 a.m.-5 p.m. Free. Info, zcotaweaver@gmail.com.

tech

PHONE & TECH SUPPORT:

Perplexed patrons receive aid from library staff on a first come, first served basis. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 863-3403. theater

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’: See THU.26, 7:30 p.m.

SAT.28 crafts

WINTER LUMINARIES: People of all ages and abilities add a warm glow to their winter evenings with a recycled materials lantern-making workshop. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-3:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956. dance

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BEYOND THE FANTASY’: See FRI.27.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26. food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.27, noon-8 p.m.

games

CHESS CLUB: All ages and abilities face off and learn new strategies. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140. D&D & TTRPG GROUP: Fans of Dungeons & Dragons and other tabletop role-playing games embark on a new adventure with a rotating cast of game masters. Virtual option available. Waterbury Public Library, 1-5 p.m. Free. Info, judi@ waterburypubliclibrary.com.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.26. tech

PHONE & TECH SUPPORT: See FRI.27. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington. theater

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’: See THU.26.

words

THE POETRY EXPERIENCE: Local wordsmith Rajnii Eddins hosts a supportive writing and sharing circle for poets of all ages. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403. WRITE NOW!: Lit lovers of all experience levels hone their craft in a supportive and critique-free environment. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 223-3338.

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: Libation lovers revel in a special cocktail menu filled with holiday cheer, including gingerbread old-fashioneds and Euro-style hot chocolate. Barr Hill, Montpelier, 2-8 p.m. Free. Info, 472-8000.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

health & fitness

GUIDED MEDITATION

ONLINE: Dorothy Alling Memorial Library invites attendees to relax on their lunch breaks and reconnect with their bodies. Noon-12:30 p.m. Free;

LIVE BAND SWING DANCE: EMILY DAY & FRIENDS: Local Lindy hoppers and jitterbuggers boogie down to lively music from the jazz, big-band and contemporary eras. Bring clean shoes. North Star Community Hall, Burlington, 8-10:30 p.m. $10-20 sliding scale. Info, 864-8382.

etc.

SISTERHOOD CAMPFIRE: Women and genderqueer folks gather in a safe and inclusive space to build community through journaling, storytelling, gentle music and stargazing. Leddy Park, Burlington, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, sisterhoodcampfire@gmail.com.

SUN.29

bazaars

WINOOSKI WINTER FARMERS MARKET: Locavores peruse a variety of vendors’ delicious produce, fine art and other homemade goods. Winooski Senior Center, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Free. Info, farmers market@downtownwinooski.org. community

HUMAN CONNECTION CIRCLE: Neighbors share stories from their lives and forge deep bonds.

FAMI LY FU N

Check out these family-friendly events for parents, caregivers and kids of all ages.

• Plan ahead at sevendaysvt.com/family-fun

Post your event at sevendaysvt.com/postevent.

THU.26

burlington

BABY & ME CLASS: Parents and their infants ages birth to 1 explore massage, lullabies and gentle movements while discussing the struggles and joys of parenthood. Greater Burlington YMCA, 9:45-10:45 a.m. $10; free for members. Info, 862-9622.

chittenden county

LEGO FUN: Crafty kiddos build creations with colored blocks for display at the library. Children 9 and under must be accompanied by a caregiver. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4-6 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

SCHOOL VACATION CRAFTYTOWN: Creative kids make festive designs with Perler Beads. Ages 8 and up, or ages 6 and up with an adult helper. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

barre/montpelier

POKÉMON CLUB: I choose you, Pikachu! Elementary and teenage fans of the franchise — and beginners, too — trade cards and play games. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME: Kids and their caregivers meet for stories, songs and bubbles. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: Youngsters 5 and under play, sing, hear stories and color. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:1510:45 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

FRI.27

chittenden county

‘ALICE IN WONDERLAND’: Robbie Coltrane and Whoopi Goldberg star in this 1999 film adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s beloved books. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 1-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

LEGO BUILDERS: Mini makers explore and create new worlds with stackable blocks. Recommended for ages 6 and up. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

SWITCH: Newcomers and pros alike take turns playing multiplayer games on the library’s Nintendo system. Recommended for students in grades 3 to 8. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 4-5 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

LEGO CLUB: Budding builders create geometric structures with snap-together blocks. Kellogg-Hubbard

DEC. 31 | HOLIDAYS

Hindsight Is 2024

Highlight, formerly known as First Night, is a citywide kiss goodbye to 2024, orchestrated by Burlington City Arts. The all-day, all-night New Year’s Eve bash brings magic, laughter, fireworks and family fun to Queen City venues — including eagerly awaited performances by Circus Smirkus, Cirque de Fuego and Vermont Comedy Club’s in-house troupe. The vibrant programming also loops in local institutions of note, such as ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain. If live music is more your jam, Waterfront Park mounts top Vermont artists Florry, THUS LOVE and Skeleton Krewe. While you’re there, catch the fiery Champ Burn. In so many ways, it’s gonna be lit.

HIGHLIGHT

Tuesday, December 31, noon-midnight, at various Burlington locations. $18-40; free for kids 5 and under; preregister. Info, 865-7166, highlight.community.

Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: Participants ages 5 and under enjoy themed science, art and nature activities. Jaquith Public Library, Marshfield, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 426-3581.

upper valley

STORY TIME: Preschoolers take part in tales, tunes and playtime. Latham Library, Thetford, 11 a.m. Free. Info, 785-4361.

SAT.28

burlington

REINDEER LIVE: Vermont Reindeer Farm brings its antlered charges along for an up-close visit. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 11 a.m.-2:30 p.m. $16.50-20; free for members and kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

SUN.29

chittenden county

SOCIAL SUNDAYS: Families participate in fun and educational art activities with diverse mediums and themes. All supplies and instruction provided.

Milton Artists’ Guild Art Center & Gallery, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 891-2014.

MON.30

burlington

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: Bookworms ages 2 to 5 enjoy a fun-filled reading time. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

SLED DOGS LIVE: Kiddos get up close and personal with the amazing huskies of Vermont’s own October Siberians. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. $16.50-20; free for kids 2 and under. Info, 864-1848.

barre/montpelier

TEEN CRAFT NIGHT: Teens hang out and make easy DIY scented bookmarks from tea bags. Snacks provided. KelloggHubbard Library, Montpelier, 6-7 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: Little tykes ages 5 and under have a blast with songs, stories, rhymes and dancing. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

STORY TIME: Youngsters ages birth to 5 enjoy a session of reading, rhyming and singing. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

barre/montpelier

STORY TIME: See THU.26.

upper valley

NEW YEAR’S AT NOON: Families usher in the New Year without staying up late at a holiday fête featuring hands-on activities and celebratory countdowns every hour, on the hour. Montshire Museum of Science, Norwich, 9:30 a.m.-noon. $11-20; free for kids 2 and under. Info, 649-2200.

THU.2

burlington

BABY & ME CLASS: See THU.26.

BABY TIME: Pre-walking little ones experience a story time catered to their infant interests. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

GROW PRESCHOOL YOGA: Colleen from Grow Prenatal and Family Yoga leads little ones ages 2 to 5 in songs, movement and other fun activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

PRESCHOOL MUSIC WITH LINDA BASSICK: The singer and storyteller extraordinaire guides little ones ages birth to 5 in indoor music and movement. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30-11 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

PRESCHOOL PLAY TIME: Pre-K patrons play and socialize after music time. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 11-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

upper valley

STORY TIME WITH BETH: A bookseller and librarian extraordinaire reads two picture books on a different theme each week. Norwich Bookstore, 10 a.m. Free. Info, 649-1114.

TUE.31

burlington

CIRCUS SMIRKUS: Families fly high with magical big top performances including acrobatics, juggling and clowning. Burlington City Hall Auditorium, noon, 2 & 4 p.m. $18-40. Info, 533-2423.

chittenden county

COLOR & CHILL: Kiddos pick their favorite medium and create a winter scene or cityscape in a calming atmosphere. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 2-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

SCHOOL VACATION CRAFTYTOWN: Creative kids decorate crowns, stars and sunglasses with sparkles. Ages 8 and up, or ages 6 and up with an adult helper. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 846-4140.

STORY TIME: Wee ones ages 5 and under start their day off right with familiar stories, songs, rhymes and finger plays.

STORY TIME: Little ones ages birth to 5 learn from songs, crafts and picture books. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 10-10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

barre/montpelier

POKÉMON CLUB: See THU.26.

STORY TIME: See THU.26.

northeast kingdom

ACORN CLUB STORY TIME: See THU.26.

FRI.3

chittenden county

LEGO BUILDERS: See FRI.27. barre/montpelier

LEGO CLUB: See FRI.27. STORY TIME & PLAYGROUP: See FRI.27.

upper valley

STORY TIME: See FRI.27.

Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 3-4:30 p.m. Free; preregister; limited space. Info, humanconnectioncircle@ gmail.com.

crafts

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: A dropin meetup welcomes knitters, crocheters, spinners, weavers and other fiber artists. BYO snacks and drinks. Must Love Yarn, Shelburne, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 448-3780.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26. food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.27, noon-7 p.m.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26, 1-4:30 p.m.

health & fitness

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: A YEAR TO LIVE

(FULLY): Participants practice keeping joy, generosity and gratitude at the forefront of their minds. Jenna’s House, Johnson, 10-11:15 a.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, mollyzapp@live.com.

NEW LEAF SANGHA

MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: Newcomers and experienced meditators alike stretch their skills in the Plum Village tradition of Thich Nhat Hanh. Hot Yoga Burlington, 6:30-8:15 p.m. Free. Info, newleafsangha@gmail.com.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.26.

lgbtq

QUEER READS BOOK CLUB: Folks gather to chat about Becky Chambers’ 2021 solarpunk novella, A Psalm for the Wild-Built Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1:30-2:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, mborsykowsky@burlingtonvt.gov.

music

BLUEGRASS BRUNCH: Longtime local legends Brett Hughes, Pat Melvin, Caleb Elder and Beau Stapleton perform upbeat toe-tappers on the deck. Madbush Falls, Waitsfield, noon-2:30 p.m. Free. Info, 496-7575.

Defying Gravity

What would winter look like without a little high-risk snow sports fandom? Pretty bleak, if you ask Teton Gravity Research. The Wyoming multimedia and apparel company presents its 29th annual ski and snowboard flick, Beyond the Fantasy, at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. The mesmerizing film focuses on the transformation of seemingly impossible athletic feats — such as jumping from a helicopter into the white abyss with skis on — into stunning realities. Jaw-dropping aerial cinematography and close-up action shots highlight these incredible undertakings of athleticism, leaving viewers breathless and inspired to get outside and ride. (Perhaps without the harrowing chopper plunge.)

‘BEYOND THE FANTASY’ Friday, December 27, and Saturday, December 28, 7 p.m., at Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center in Stowe. $20. Info, 7604634, sprucepeakarts.org.

theater

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’: See THU.26, 2 p.m.

MON.30 crafts

FUSE BEADS CLUB: Aspiring artisans bring ideas or borrow patterns to make beaded creations. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26. ‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.26.

language

GERMAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: Willkommen! Speakers of all experience levels brush up on conversational skills over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

words

SCRIPTWRITERS’ GROUP: Got a story to tell? Talented local writers swap techniques and constructive critiques. Junction Arts & Media, White River Junction, 5:30-7 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 295-6688.

TUE.31

community

CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION GROUP: Brownell Library holds a virtual roundtable for neighbors to pause and reflect on the news cycle. 10-11:30 a.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

dance

NEW YEAR’S EVE SHINDIG:

Merrymakers keep the energy up at a dynamic dance party to close out the year. BYOB. Tunbridge Town Hall, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. $25. Info, 324-9842.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

games

BOARD GAMES FOR ADULTS: Locals ages 18 and up enjoy the library’s collection or bring their own to share with the group.

Light refreshments provided. Essex Free Library, 3-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 879-0313.

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MEDITATION: All levels and ages engage in the ancient Buddhist practice of clearing the mind to achieve a state of calm. First Unitarian Universalist Society of Burlington, 5:15-6 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, 862-5630.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

FIRST NIGHT NORTH: The whole community celebrates at a New Year’s Eve party packed with music, comedy, fireworks and more. See website for full schedule.

Various St. Johnsbury locations, 4 p.m.-midnight. $15-50; free for preschoolers. Info, 748-2600.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

HIGHLIGHT: The Queen City’s allday and all-night New Year’s Eve festival features music, magic, fireworks and family fun. See website for full schedule. See calendar spotlight. Burlington City Arts, noon-midnight. $18-40; free for kids 5 and under; preregister. Info, 865-7166.

MENORAH LIGHTING: Neighbors unite in the spirit of joyful tradition to observe the beautiful 9-foot candelabra’s illumination. Church Street Marketplace, Burlington, 4 p.m. Free. Info, 863-1648.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DINNER: Foodies delight in a celebratory prix fixe menu of five delicious courses paired with cocktails of their choosing. Barr Hill, Montpelier, 5 & 7 p.m. $75; additional price for cocktails; preregister. Info, 472-8000.

NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH JOE’S BIG BAND: Merrymakers ring in 2025 with lively swing, jazz and funk classics performed by a 17-piece ensemble. Town Hall Theater, Middlebury, 8:30 p.m.-midnight. $40; champagne toast and optional dance lesson included. Info, 382-9222.

NEW YEAR’S EVE DRAG SHOW: Merrymakers usher in the New Year with a joyful and inclusive night of award-winning music performed by shame-slaying drag queen Flamy Grant. First Congregational Church, Burlington, 7 p.m. $5-50 sliding scale. Info, 862-5010.

NEW YEAR’S EVE OPERA CONCERT: Local and national artists sing in the New Year with a festive opus. McCarthy Arts Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 3-5pm. $15-30. Info, 654-2000.

NOON YEAR’S EVE: Families ring in 2025 a little early with singalongs, live music and a joyful kiddo countdown. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 11:30 a.m.12:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.26. language

FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: Francophones and language learners meet pour parler la belle langue. Fletcher Free Library,

Burlington, 5-7:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: Speakers hone their skills in the Romance language over bagged lunches. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

theater

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’: See THU.26, noon & 5 p.m.

WED.1

activism

DISABLED ACCESS & ADVOCACY OF THE RUTLAND AREA MONTHLY ZOOM MEETING: Community members gather online to advocate for accessibility and other disability-rights measures. 11:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 779-9021. etc.

CHAMP MASTERS

TOASTMASTERS CLUB: Those looking to strengthen their speaking and leadership skills gain new tools. Virtual option available. Dealer.com, Burlington, 6-7:30 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, champmasterstm@gmail.com.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

WINTER LIGHTS: See THU.26.

music

GREEN MOUNTAIN MAHLER

FESTIVAL ORCHESTRA &

CHORUS: Daniel Bruce conducts the ensemble in an annual performance of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony featuring vocal soloists Annalise Shelmandine, Nessa Rabin, Adam Hall and Erik Kroncke. Proceeds benefit the Champlain Valley Office of Economic Opportunity. Elley-Long Music Center, Saint Michael’s College, Colchester, 3 p.m. $20-30. Info, 800-762-8000.

outdoors

ANNUAL POLAR BEAR SWIM:

Brave locals take the plunge to raise funds for deaf and blind Vermonters. Oakledge Park, Burlington, 10:45 a.m.-noon. $10. Info, 858-4069.

FIRST DAY HIKES: Vermont State Parks open their gates to adventurers who kick off the New Year with family-friendly treks. See website for details. Various locations statewide, 9 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 888-409-7579.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: Ping-Pong players swing their paddles in singles and doubles matches. Rutland Area Christian School, 7-9 p.m. Free for first two sessions; $30 annual membership. Info, 247-5913.

theater

‘BEAUTY AND THE BEAST’: See THU.26.

THU.2

business

GROW YOUR BUSINESS: See THU.26.

crafts

KNIT FOR YOUR NEIGHBOR: See THU.26.

KNITTING GROUP: See THU.26.

WOODWORKING LAB: See THU.26.

etc.

NIGHT OWL CLUB: Astronomers and space exploration experts discuss the latest in extraterrestrial news with curious attendees. Presented by Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium. 7 p.m. Free. Info, 748-2372.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26.

WEEKLY CHESS FOR FUN: See THU.26.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

language

ITALIAN CONVERSATION GROUP: See THU.26.

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.

words

ART & WRITING SHARE GROUP FOR JEWS OF ALL STRIPES: Secular, spiritual or religious, all adult Jewish artists, writers and creators are invited to a monthly virtual meetup, presented by Jewish Communities of Vermont. 7-8:30 p.m. Free; preregister for Zoom link. Info, alison@jcvt.org.

FRI.3

crafts

FIRST FRIDAY FIBER GROUP: Fiber-arts fans make progress on projects while chatting over snacks. GRACE, Hardwick, 10:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m. Free; donations accepted. Info, info@ ruralartsvt.org.

etc.

ALPHA FILM SERIES: See FRI.27.

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

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

film

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

music + nightlife

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

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 14 on page 10.

= ONLINE EVENT

= GET TICKETS

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.27.

games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m.

MAH-JONGG: Tile traders of all experience levels gather for a game. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 1-3 p.m. Free. Info, 878-4918.

health & fitness

GUIDED MEDITATION ONLINE: See FRI.27.

holidays

CABOT VILLAGE 12TH NIGHT

CELEBRATION: Cabot Arts presents an annual festival of performing arts activities for all ages, including dance, storytelling, theater, crafts and a sunset parade. Willey Memorial Hall, Cabot, 7-9 p.m. Free. Info, 793-3016.

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

lgbtq

RPG NIGHT: See FRI.27.

tech

MORNING TECH HELP: Experts answer questions about phones, laptops, e-readers and other devices in one-on-one sessions. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free; preregister. Info, 846-4140.

PHONE & TECH SUPPORT: See FRI.27.

SAT.4 dance

CONTRA DANCE: Dancers of all ages and abilities learn at a gathering that encourages joy, laughter and friendship. Bring clean, soft-soled shoes. See website for callers and bands. Capital City Grange, Berlin, 8-11 p.m. $5-20 sliding scale. Info, 225-8921. INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: ANIMAL Dance presents an immersive week of movement workshops and showcases focused on the creative process. See calendar spotlight. Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center, Burlington, 7 p.m. $25-150; preregister for

workshops. Info, instinctdancefest@gmail.com.

etc.

SISTERHOOD CAMPFIRE: See SAT.28.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BILLS LUMBER’: Neighbors gather for the premiere of a documentary outlining the last days of a beloved antique sawmill in Wardsboro. Williamsville Hall, Newfane, 7-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@theresamaggio.com.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

WOODSTOCK VERMONT FILM

SERIES: ‘SWAN SONG’: Chelsea McMullan’s 2023 documentary offers an immersive, behindthe-scenes look at the National Ballet of Canada’s new production of Swan Lake. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 3 p.m. $1215. Info, 457-2355.

food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.27, noon-8 p.m.

CAPITAL CITY WINTER FARMERS

MARKET: Locavores sip cocktails while perusing root veggies, honey, crafts and maple syrup at an off-season showcase of locally grown food. Barr Hill, Montpelier, 10 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, 472-8000.

games

CEMETERY COMMITTEE BINGO: Players vie for cash prizes at this weekly event to support cemetery

FOMO?

Find even more local events in this newspaper and online: art

Find visual art exhibits and events in the Art section and at sevendaysvt.com/art. film See what’s playing at theaters in the On Screen section.

music + nightlife

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

Learn more about highlighted listings in the Magnificent 14 on page 10.

= ONLINE EVENT

STARTS JAN. 4 | DANCE

improvements. St. Peter’s Catholic Church, Vergennes, 5-9 p.m. $5 per 10 games. Info, 877-2367.

CHESS CLUB: See SAT.28.

D&D & TTRPG GROUP: See SAT.28.

holidays

CABOT VILLAGE 12TH NIGHT CELEBRATION: See FRI.3, noon-9 p.m.

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

A FOREST OF LIGHTS: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

music

MARTY FOGEL’S MIXED BAG

QUARTET: A jazz ensemble plays lively original compositions from Fogel’s Now and Then album. The Phoenix, Waterbury, 7:30 p.m. $0-40 sliding scale. Info, 3555440.

outdoors

COLCHESTER POND LOOP: Adventurers join up with the Green Mountain Club for an easy 3.2-mile hike around the pond. Microspikes required. Call for start time. Colchester Pond. Free; preregister by Jan. 1. Info, 413-884-5932.

MONTHLY BIRDING OUTING: Bird lovers of all interest and experience levels flock to this casual monthly gathering to enjoy Vermont’s resident wild avians. North Branch Nature Center, Montpelier, 8-9:30 a.m. Free. Info, 229-6206.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: Audience

members delight in a tribute to the Canadian artist’s extraordinary life, music and poetry. Sylvan Adams Theatre, Segal Centre for Performing Arts, Montréal, 7:30 p.m. $33-80. Info, 514-739-7944.

tech

PHONE & TECH SUPPORT: See SAT.28.

words

CAPTURING MEMOIR MOMENTS:

Author Patty Oliver-Smith leads budding writers in a workshop focused on penning short personal stories based on memories. MAC Center for the Arts, Newport, 1-3:30 p.m. $5. Info, 755-6772.

WRITE NOW!: See SAT.28.

SUN.5

community

HUMAN CONNECTION CIRCLE: See SUN.29.

crafts

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See SUN.29.

dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE

FESTIVAL: See SAT.4, 2 p.m. film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

PALESTINE ISRAEL FILM

FESTIVAL: Jewish Voice for Peace presents two riveting

Rise to Your Feet

The INSTINCT Experimental Dance Festival returns to Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington to unite interdisciplinary makers and dancers of all backgrounds. The weeklong honing and honoring of movement kicks off with premieres by ANIMAL Dance on Saturday and Sunday, then continues with workshops, showcases, and opportunities for artists to collaborate and exchange — all while maintaining the spirit of expression. Using dance as a vehicle for investigating the human experience, participants tap into their wild and weird core with offerings such as Countertechnique and Butoh Awakening. The Creation Track workshop culminates in a public performance at week’s end.

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE

FESTIVAL

Saturday, January 4, 7 p.m.; Sunday, January 5, 2 p.m.; Monday, January 6, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.; and Tuesday, January 7, and Wednesday, January 8, 10 a.m.-8 p.m., at Main Street Landing Performing Arts Center in Burlington. See website for future dates. $25-150; preregister for workshops. Info, instinctdancefest@gmail.com, instinctdancefest.com.

documentaries from recent years, The Nakba and Tantura. Savoy Theater, Montpelier, 4-6 p.m.

$8.50-10.50. Info, 229-0598.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26. WOODSTOCK VERMONT FILM SERIES: ‘SWAN SONG’: See SAT.4. food & drink

GIN-TER WONDERLAND: See FRI.27, noon-7 p.m. games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26, 1-4:30 p.m. health & fitness

KARUNA COMMUNITY

MEDITATION: A YEAR TO LIVE (FULLY): See SUN.29.

NEW LEAF SANGHA MINDFULNESS PRACTICE: See SUN.29.

holidays

CHRISTMAS AT THE FARM: See THU.26.

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See SAT.4, 2 & 7:30 p.m.

MON.6

crafts

FUSE BEADS CLUB: See MON.30. dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: See SAT.4, 10 a.m.-7:30 p.m.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

language

GERMAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: See MON.30.

lgbtq

BOARD GAME NIGHT: LGBTQ tabletop fans bring their own favorite games to the party.

Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:30-8:30 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See SAT.4.

TUE.7 community

CURRENT EVENTS DISCUSSION GROUP: See TUE.31.

dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: See SAT.4, 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

SWING DANCE PRACTICE SESSION: See TUE.31.

film

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

‘ANTARCTICA 3D’: See THU.26.

‘BLUE WHALES: RETURN OF THE GIANTS 3D’: See THU.26.

‘FUNGI: THE WEB OF LIFE 3D’: See THU.26.

‘T. REX: GREATEST OF ALL TYRANTS 3D’: See THU.26. games

DUPLICATE BRIDGE GAMES: See THU.26.

GAMES GALORE: Library patrons of all ages gather for bouts of board and card games. Brownell Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6955.

health & fitness

COMMUNITY MEDITATION: See TUE.31.

holidays

MERRY & BRIGHT ART MARKET: See THU.26.

language

FRENCH CONVERSATION GROUP: See TUE.31.

ITALIAN LANGUAGE LUNCH: See TUE.31.

MANDARIN CONVERSATION

CIRCLE: Volunteers from Vermont Chinese School help students learn or improve their fluency. South Burlington Public Library & City Hall, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 846-4140.

music

ALAN CHIANG: An accomplished pianist from South Burlington plays rousing works. Cathedral Church of St. Paul, Burlington,

noon. Free; donations accepted. Info, 864-0471.

FLOW SINGING: Singers both new and seasoned intertwine music and mindfulness while learning a sequence of five to six songs by ear. Heineberg Senior Center, Burlington, 11:15 a.m.12:45 p.m. Free. Info, patricia@ juneberrymusic.com.

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See SAT.4.

words

BURLINGTON LITERATURE GROUP:

Bookworms analyze Colum McCann’s 2009 National Book Award winner, Let the Great World Spin, over the course of five

weeks. 6:30-8 p.m. Free. Info, info@nereadersandwriters.com.

WED.8

business

QUEEN CITY BUSINESS NETWORKING INTERNATIONAL GROUP: Savvy businesspeople make crucial contacts at a weekly chapter meeting. BCA Center, Burlington, 11:15 a.m.1 p.m. Free. Info, 829-5066. VERMONT WOMENPRENEURS BIZ BUZZ ZOOM: A monthly virtual networking meetup provides a space for female business owners to connect. 10-11 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 870-0903.

FAMI LY FU N

SAT.4 burlington

FAMILY PLAYSHOP: See SAT.28.

LEGO TIME: Mini makers ages 4 to 11 design and build original, colorful creations. Fletcher Free Library New North End Branch, Burlington, 11 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 863-3403.

mad river valley/ waterbury

SATURDAY STORY TIME: Stories and songs help young children develop social and literacy skills. Waterbury Public Library, 10:30 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

SUN.5 burlington

community

CURRENT EVENTS: Neighbors have an informal discussion about what’s in the news. Dorothy Alling Memorial Library, Williston, 10:30 a.m.-noon. Free. Info, 878-4918.

crafts

GREEN MOUNTAIN CHAPTER OF THE EMBROIDERERS’ GUILD OF AMERICA: Anyone with an interest in the needle arts can bring a project to this monthly meeting. Holy Family Parish Hall, Essex Junction, 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. Free. Info, gmc.vt.ega@gmail.com.

YARN CRAFTERS GROUP: See SUN.29, 5-7 p.m.

MASKS ON! SUNDAYS: Elderly, disabled and immunocompromised folks get the museum to themselves at a masks-mandatory morning. ECHO Leahy Center for Lake Champlain, Burlington, 9-10 a.m. Free; preregister. Info, 864-1848.

chittenden county

SOCIAL SUNDAYS: See SUN.29.

MON.6 burlington

PRESCHOOL STORY TIME: See MON.30.

chittenden county

READ WITH SAMMY: The Therapy Dogs of Vermont emissary listens to kiddos of all ages practice their reading. Brownell

dance

INSTINCT EXPERIMENTAL DANCE FESTIVAL: See SAT.4, 10 a.m.8 p.m.

film

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

NXT ROCKUMENTARY FILM SERIES: ‘AMY’: This 2015 documentary uses archival footage and never-before-heard tracks to bring the life and death of Amy Winehouse into focus. Next Stage Arts, Putney, 7-9:15 p.m. $10. Info, 387-0102.

games

CHESS CLUB: Players of all ages and abilities test their skills with instructor Robert and

Library, Essex Junction, 3:30-4:30 p.m. Free. Info, 878-6956.

mad river valley/ waterbury

TODDLER TIME: See MON.30.

upper valley

STORY TIME WITH BETH: See MON.30.

TUE.7

burlington

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

chittenden county

STORY TIME: See TUE.31.

barre/montpelier

STORY TIME: See THU.26.

We’re here to help. Our obituary and in memoriam services are affordable, accessible and handled with personal care.

Share your loved one’s story with the local community in Life Lines.

peers. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 3:30-5 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

health & fitness

CHAIR YOGA: Waterbury Public Library instructor Diana Whitney leads at-home participants in gentle stretches supported by seats. 10 a.m. Free. Info, 244-7036.

lgbtq

QUEER WRITERS’ GROUP: LGBTQ authors meet monthly to discuss their work, write from prompts, and give each other advice and feedback. Rainbow Bridge Community Center, Barre, 5:30-7 p.m. Free. Info, 622-0692.

northeast kingdom

LAPSIT STORY TIME: Babies 2 and under learn to love reading, singing and playing with their caregivers. Siblings welcome. St. Johnsbury Athenaeum, 10:15-10:45 a.m. Free. Info, 745-1391.

WED.8

burlington

STEAM SPACE: Kiddos in grades K to 5 explore science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics with fun and engaging activities. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

TODDLER TIME: Librarians bring out books, rhymes and songs specially selected for young ones 12 to 24 months. Fletcher Free Library, Burlington, 1111:30 a.m. Free. Info, 863-3403.

chittenden county

PLAYGROUP & STORY TIME: Little ones and their caregivers listen to stories,

québec

‘THE SECRET CHORD: A LEONARD

COHEN EXPERIENCE’: See SAT.4, 1 & 7:30 p.m.

sports

GREEN MOUNTAIN TABLE

TENNIS CLUB: See WED.1. words

NOONTIME POETRY READING

SOCIETY: Verse lovers link up to share their work, reflect and write creatively. Pierson Library, Shelburne, noon-1 p.m. Free. Info, 985-5124. ➆

sing songs and share toys with new friends. Richmond Free Library, 10 a.m.noon. Free. Info, 434-3036.

barre/montpelier

HOMESCHOOL BOOK GROUP: Kids ages 10 to 15 who learn at home bond over books. Kellogg-Hubbard Library, Montpelier, 1-2 p.m. Free. Info, 223-3338.

upper valley

PRE-K STORY TIME: Little ones ages 3 to 5 hear a different farm-themed tale every week. Snacks included. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 9:30-11 a.m. $10-12; preregister. Info, 457-2355. SENSORY STORY TIME: STRANGER IN THE WOODS: Little tykes ages 3 to 5 and their caregivers explore animal tracks through tactile play, create their own Play-doh tracks and enjoy a snack. Bring outdoor clothing. Billings Farm & Museum, Woodstock, 9:30-11 a.m. $1012; preregister. Info, 457-2355. K

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

classes

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

Pronunciation, comprehension, cultural tips shared. Options for kids and adults. Allons-y! Learning has never been this fun or great for the brain! Classes start Jan. 6. Cost: $180. Location: Wingspan Studio, 4A Howard St., Burlington. Info: Wingspan Studio School, Maggie Standley, 2337676, maggiestandley@gmail. com, wingspanstudioeduc.com.

martial arts

FIBER IS SUPERIOR!

aromatherapy

kids

PERFUME-MAKING EVENT WITH BLOOM LAB: Discover the art of botanical perfumery while creating your own unique scent that is blended with intention to reﬂect your individual personality and style. For anyone interested in perfumery or simply enjoying good company while trying something new! You’ll leave with one 1.7-ounce bottle of custom eau de parfum. Sun., Jan. 12, noon-2 p.m. Cost: $95. Location: Stowe Cider, 17 Town Farm Ln., Stowe. Info: 355-3336, sevendaystickets.com.

art

SWIM LESSONS: e Vermont Swim School offers both youth and adult swimmers the opportunity to learn and develop aquatic skills in a nurturing and friendly environment. Lessons take place in the UVM athletic/ rec complex, in the Forbush Natatorium. Group, private and semiprivate lessons offered. Sundays. Cost varies. Location: Forbush Natatorium, 97 Spear St., Burlington. Info: University of Vermont, Campus Recreation, 656-4483, campus.recreation@ uvm.edu, uvmcampusrec.com/ sports/2017/7/5/lesson-types. aspx.

AIKIDO: THE WAY OF RESILIENCY: Cultivate core power, aerobic ﬁtness and resiliency. e dynamic, circular movements emphasize throws, joint locks and the development of internal energy. Join our community and ﬁnd resiliency, power and grace. Inclusive training, gender-neutral dressing room/ bathrooms and a safe space for all. Visitors are always welcome to watch a class! Vermont’s only intensive aikido programs. Basic classes 5 days/week; introductory classes begin Jan. 7. Membership rates incl. unlimited classes 6 days/week. Contact us for info about membership rates for adults, youths & families. Location: Aikido of Champlain Valley, 257 Pine St., Burlington. Info: Benjamin Pincus, 951-8900, bpincus@burlingtonaikido.org, burlingtonaikido.org.

ART CLASSES-WINGSPAN STUDIO: Join Wingspan for creative art classes in drawing and painting. Learn with others in an inspiring working art studio in the South End. A drawing class that goes deep into the art of seeing and a painting class with an emphasis on color mixing are sure to warm you this winter! Classes start Jan. 6. Cost: $265. Location: Wingspan Studio, 4A Howard St., Burlington. Info: Wingspan Studio School, Maggie Standley, 233-7676, maggiestandley@gmail.com, wingspanstudioeduc.com.

craft

language

ADULT LIVE SPANISH

E-CLASSES: Join us for adult Spanish classes this winter, using Zoom online video conferencing. is is our 19th year! Learn from a native speaker via small group classes or individual instruction. You’ll always be participating and speaking. Beginning to advanced levels. Classes ﬁll up fast. See our website or contact us for details. Group classes begin week of Jan. 13; private instruction avail. anytime. Cost: $325/10 classes, 90+ mins. each, 1/week. Location: online. Info: 585-1025, spanishparavos@gmail.com, spanishwaterburycenter.com.

music

ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE WINTER

SESSION: e Alliance Française of the Lake Champlain Region offers French classes for adults from beginner through advanced levels. Visit website for class listings. Classes begin Jan. 13, online or in person. Location: Alliance Francaise, 43 King St., Burlington. Info: Marc Juneau, education@ aﬂcr.org, aﬂcr.org.

2025 CRAFT WORKSHOPS: In addition to the regular chairmaking and jewelry workshops, this year we are hosting guest instructors who teach dry stone walling, natural dyes, broom making, Shaker boxes, plant pressing, basket weaving, bowl carving and more. Gift certiﬁcates available. e 2025 schedule is now live at ericcannizzaro.com/classes. Location: Handmade Charlotte. Info: Eric Cannizzaro, 360-528-1952, ericcannizzaro.com.

culinary

FOCACCIA ART WORKSHOP: We will tackle making focaccia bread dough and decorate it your own way with various herbs and veggies. You’ll go home with your own eight-inch square pan of focaccia art and the recipe to make it again on your own. u., Jan. 9, 6-7:30 p.m. Cost: $65. Location: Red Poppy Cakery, 1 Elm St., Waterbury Village Historic District. Info: 203-400-0700, sevendaystickets.com.

FRENCH CLASSES: Join us in small, dynamic group classes held in a cozy art studio/small school in Burlington and jump-start your French journey this winter. Learn with experienced and licensed educator Mme. Maggie.

TAIKO TUESDAYS, DJEMBE WEDNESDAYS!: Learn to drum with Stuart Paton! Drop-ins welcome. Taiko on Tue.: Kids & Parents Taiko, Tue., 4-5:30 p.m.; Adult Intro Taiko, 5:30-7 p.m.; Accelerated Taiko, 7-8:30 p.m. Djembe on Wed.: Intermediate Djembe, 5:30-7 p.m.; Beginner Djembe, 7-8:30 p.m. Drums provided. Cost: $92/4 weeks; 90min. classes; $72 per person for Kids & Parents class. Classes begin Jan 7. Location: Taiko Studio, 208 Flynn Ave., Burlington. Info: Stuart, 999-4255, classes@ burlingtontaiko.org.

Humane

Society of Chittenden County

HAPPY TAIL

Sailor is living out his puppy dreams! He is my soul dog — we have so many personality similarities. I do not know what I have done without him!

We recently celebrated his first birthday with all of his doggie best friends — he was the happiest guy in the world. He is the happiest version of himself when he is with other dogs. He loves to play, swim, play fetch, cuddle, and especially loves to eat. He puts himself to bed at 9 p.m. almost every night; my roommates and I joke that he gets sick of us and needs his solitude.

He loves to learn and has made huge strides in his training. There’s still so much training to work through. He can get wrapped up in his triggers, but we are working on staying in his threshold. In December he will be going to “dog camp” (as I’ve been calling it and telling him) for four weeks of training, and I am very excited for him.

He is the reason I get up in the morning and for the smile that never leaves my face. I’m so lucky to have him. And I owe that all to HSCC!

— Sailor’s Person

Visit the Humane Society of Chittenden County at 142 Kindness Court, South Burlington, Tuesday through Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. or Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call 862-0135 or visit hsccvt.org for more info.

CLASSIFIEDS

on the road

CARS/TRUCKS

2012 TOYOTA RAV4

Selling my mom’s 2012 Toyota RAV4. New tires, ready for winter. 95K miles, minor dings on the body, 4WD. $10,000/ OBO. Call 917-494-6263.

NICE 2-BR Very nice 2-BR town house avail. Feb. 1. $1,600 incl. all utils. On bus route & bike path near Burlington High School. No-charge W/D in building. Pets considered. Priced below market!

Landlords living on premises. NS. Off-street parking. Call Morton Bostock at 802-8627602 or email morton. bostock@gmail.com.

HOUSEMATES

LIVE CLOSE TO MONTPELIER

Share spacious, country-style home in Middlesex, 9.4 miles from Montpelier, near Mount Hunger. Share large kitchen, laundry room, BA. 1 older resident cat, other pets considered. Looking for assistance w/ light cleaning & outdoor chores. $650/mo. + $100 for plowing, heat, electricity, internet. Visit homesharevermont.org for details.

WELL-APPOINTED HOMESHARE

Share attractive townhouse in S. Burlington w/ active professional in her 50s. Enjoys podcasts, cooking shows, meditation. Spacious BR, 2 shared BA. NS/no pets. W/D. $650 + utils. share. Call 802-863-5625 or visit homesharevermont.org for application. Interview, refs., background checks req. EHO.

KEY

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

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

ser vices

CREATIVE

PIERCED & PURIFIED SALE

Offering body-piercing services w/ 24 years of experience. Body jewelry, gems & minerals, hand-crafted items, metaphysical healing, & more. 59 Clinton St., Plattburgh, N.Y. Call 518-565-9341.

FINANCIAL/LEGAL

DISABILITY BENEFITS

You may qualify for disability beneﬁ ts if you are between 52-63 y/o & under a doctor’s care for a health condition that prevents you from working for a year or more. Call now! 1-877247-6750. (AAN CAN)

HEALTH/WELLNESS

PERFECT MASSAGE FOR MEN!

Men, I’m Mr. G. It’s all about you relaxing. Very private, 1-on-1 moment. If you feel good, I’m happy. e massage is ﬂawless; the sessions are tailored to your needs! Located in central Vermont just off exit 7. Text only now to 802-522-3932 or email motman@ymail.com.

HOME/GARDEN

24-7 LOCKSMITH

We are there when you need us for home & car lockouts. We’ll get you back up & running quickly! Also, key reproductions, lock installs & repairs, & vehicle fobs. Call us for your home, commercial & auto locksmith needs! 1-833-237-1233 (AAN CAN)

readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. Any home seeker who feels he or she has encountered discrimination should contact:

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

services: $12 (25 words) fsbos: $45 (2 weeks, 30 words, photo) jobs: michelle@sevendaysvt.com, 865-1020 x121

AGING ROOF? NEW HOMEOWNER? STORM DAMAGE?

You need a local expert provider that proudly stands behind its work. Fast, free estimate. Financing avail. Call 1-888-292-8225. Have the zip code of the property ready when calling! (AAN CAN)

BATH & SHOWER UPDATES

In as little as 1 day! Affordable prices. No payments for 18 mos. Lifetime warranty & professional installs. Senior & military discounts avail. Call 1-866-370-2939. (AAN CAN)

NEED NEW WINDOWS? Drafty rooms? Chipped or damaged frames? Need outside noise reduction? New, energyefﬁcient windows may be the answer! Call for a consultation & free quote today. 1-877-248-9944. You will be asked for the zip code of the property when connecting. (AAN CAN)

PEST CONTROL

Protect your home from pests safely & affordably. Roaches, bedbugs, rodents, termites, spiders & other pests. Locally owned & affordable. Call for service or an inspection today! 1-833237-1199. (AAN CAN)

WATER DAMAGE CLEANUP & RESTORATION

A small amount of water can lead to major damage & mold growth in your home. Our trusted professionals do complete repairs to protect your family & your home’s value! Call 24-7: 1-888-290-2264. Have zip code of service location ready when you call! (AAN CAN)

MOVING/HAULING

MARKOSKI’S MOVE & HAUL

Markoski’s has established a local reputation for being a team of friendly professionals who treat their customers like family. Based out of Chittenden County, we go across Vermont & out of state. Contact Rick at rickmarkoski@gmail. com, & please browse our reviews & jobs on Facebook & Front Porch Forum.

PENSKE TRUCK RENTALS

Clark’s Rentals is your locally owned Penske truck rental agent, located in central VT at 3122 Airport Rd. in Berlin. Offering local & 1-way rentals. Personal & commercial. We provide

print deadline: Mondays at 3:30 p.m. post ads online 24/7 at: sevendaysvt.com/classiﬁeds questions? classiﬁeds@sevendaysvt.com 865-1020 x115

Penske-maintained trucks, best in pricing & service. Call Kasey at 802-223-5434 or 24-7 at central: 802-479-7257.

buy this stuff

ANTIQUES/ COLLECTIBLES

TOP CASH PAID FOR OLD GUITARS

1920-1980 Gibson, Martin, Fender, Gretsch, Epiphone, Guild, Mosrite, Rickenbacker, Prairie State, D’Angelico, Stromber, & Gibson mandolins/banjos. 877-589-0747. (AAN CAN)

MISCELLANEOUS

ACORN STAIRLIFT

Acorn Stairlift. Latest model. New condition, used only once. Asking $1200. Call 802-229-0205

PETS

TOY YORKIE PUPPY

Female toy Yorkie. Registered, loyal, smart, social, easily trained. Asking $500. Text 315-824-4058.

WANT TO BUY

PAYING TOP CASH FOR MEN’S SPORT WATCHES

Breitling, Omega, Patek Philippe, Heuer, Daytona, GMT, Submariner & Speedmaster. Call 888-320-1052. (AAN CAN)

MUSICIANS

QUARTET FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS e Hildegard String Quartet adds ambience to weddings, receptions,

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

Complete the following puzzle by using the numbers 1-9 only once in each row, column and 3 x 3 box.

» Show and tell. View and post up to 6 photos per ad online. Open 24/7/365. Post & browse ads at your convenience.

WANT MORE PUZZLES?

Try these online news games from Seven Days at sevendaysvt.com/games.

Put your knowledge of Vermont news to the test.

CALCOKU

BY JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HHH

SUDOKU BY

JOSH REYNOLDS

DIFFICULTY THIS WEEK: HH

Fill the grid using the numbers 1-6, only once in each row and column. The numbers in each heavily outlined “cage” must combine to produce the target number in the top corner, using the mathematical operation indicated. A one-box cage should be filled in with the target number in the top corner. A number can be repeated within a cage as long as it is not the same row or column. ANSWERS ON P.90

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

ANSWERS ON P. 90 » JANUARY 1 FUN

See how fast you can solve this weekly 10-word puzzle.

NORTHSTAR SELF STORAGE WILL BE HAVING A PUBLIC AND ONLINE SALE/AUCTION FOR THE FOLLOWING STORAGE UNITS ON JANUARY 2, 2025 AT 9:00 AM

Northstar Self Storage will be having a public and online sale/auction on January 2, 2025 at 9am EST at 205 Route 4A West, Castleton, VT 05735 (C140) and online at www.storagetreasures.com at 9:00 am in accordance with VT Title 9 Commerce and Trade Chapter 098: Storage Units 3905. Enforcement of Lien

TOWN OF ESSEX

MUNICIPAL BUILDING CLEANING CONTRACT

The Town of Essex invites qualified contractors to prepare a bid for the cleaning of 5 municipal

buildings. Bid packets will be made available electronically by contacting Shawn McNamara, Buildings Manager via email at smcnamara@essex. org. Sealed Bids will be received at the Essex Town Public Works Office at 5 Jericho Road or mailed to the Town of Essex Public Works Department, 81 Main Street, Essex Junction, VT 05452, until 10:00 AM on Friday, January 10, 2025. Questions can be directed to Shawn McNamara at (802) 585-5883.

PROPOSED STATE RULES

By law, public notice of proposed rules must be given by publication in newspapers of record. The purpose of these notices is to give the public a chance to respond to the proposals. The public notices for administrative rules are now also available online at https://secure.vermont.gov/ SOS/rules/ . The law requires an agency to hold a public hearing on a proposed rule, if requested to

Support Groups

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR MOTHERS OF COLOR

Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Wed., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org. family-support-programs.

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS FOR SINGLE MOTHERS

info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

A CIRCLE OF PARENTS W/ LGBTQ+ CHILDREN

Please join our parent-led online support group designed to share our questions, concerns & struggles, as well as our resources & successes! Contribute to our discussion of the unique but shared experience of parenting. We will be meeting weekly on Mon., 10-11 a.m. For more info or to register, please contact Heather at hniquette@pcavt.org, 802-498-0607, pcavt.org/ family-support-programs.

AL-ANON

For families & friends of alcoholics. Phone meetings, electronic meetings (Zoom) & an Al-Anon

do so in writing by 25 persons or an association having at least 25 members.

To make special arrangements for individuals with disabilities or special needs please call or write the contact person listed below as soon as possible.

To obtain further information concerning any scheduled hearing(s), obtain copies of proposed rule(s) or submit comments regarding proposed rule(s), please call or write the contact person listed below. You may also submit comments in writing to the Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules, State House, Montpelier, Vermont 05602 (802-828-2231).

Guidelines for Distinguishing Between Primary and Specialty Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services.

Vermont Proposed Rule: 24P050

CONTACT CLASSIFIEDS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM OR 802-865-1020 EXT. 115 TO UPDATE YOUR SUPPORT GROUP

blog are avail. online at the Al-Anon website. For meeting info, go to vermontalanonalateen.org or call 866-972-5266.

ALCOHOLICS ANONYMOUS

Do you have a drinking problem? AA meeting sites are now open, & online meetings are also avail. Call our hotline at 802-864-1212 or check for in-person or online meetings at burlingtonaa. org.

AMPUTEE SUPPORT GROUP

VT Active Amputees is a new support group open to all amputees for connection, community & support. The group meets on the 1st Wed. of the mo. in S. Burlington, 5:30-6:30 p.m. Let’s get together & be active: running, pickleball & ultimate Frisbee. Email vtactiveamputees@

AGENCY: Department of Financial Regulation

CONCISE SUMMARY: The rule prescribes guidelines for distinguishing between “primary” and “specialty” mental health and substance abuse services. This revision designates interprofessional consulting and peer support services as “primary” mental health and substance abuse services and makes technical and stylistic changes to the rule.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, CONTACT: E. Sebastian Arduengo, Department of Financial Regulation, 89 Main St, Montpelier, VT 05620 Tel: 802-828-4846 Fax: 802-828-5593 E-Mail: Sebastian.Arduengo@vermont.gov URL: https:// dfr.vermont.gov/about-us/legal-general-counsel/ proposed-rules-and-public-comment. FOR COPIES: Anna Van Fleet, Department of Financial Regulation, 89 Main St, Montpelier, VT 05620 Tel: 802-828-4843 Email: anna.vanfleet@ vermont.gov

gmail.com or call Sue at 802-582-6750 for more info & location.

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 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 led 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.

ANXIETY RELIEF GROUP

Wednesdays 4pm-5:30pm. Anxiety Relief Group is a safe setting for relaxing and exploring your feelings with others through gentle socialization and self expression. Building up what makes you centered and strong. Wednesdays 4pm-5:30pm. Both in-person and Zoom options available. In-person meetings are held at the Pathways Vermont Community Center at 279 N. Winooski Ave in Burlington. Email us for the Zoom link and more information: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org

BETTER BREATHERS CLUB

American Lung Association support group for people w/ breathing issues, their loved ones or caregivers. Meets on the 1st Mon. of every 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 Linda Meleady at lindam@vcil.org & ask to be put on the TBI mailing list. Info: 800-639-1522.

BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR DRAGON BOAT TEAM

Looking for a fun way to do something active & health-giving? Want to connect w/ other breast cancer survivors? Come join Dragonheart Vermont. We are a breast cancer survivor & supporter dragon boat team who paddle together in Burlington. Please contact us at info@dragonheartvermont.org for info.

BURLINGTON MEN’S PEER GROUP

Tue. nights, 7-9 p.m. in Burlington. Free of charge, 30 years running. Call Neils 802-877-3742 or email neils@myfairpoint.net.

PROSTATE CANCER SUPPORT GROUP

The Champlain Valley Prostate Cancer Support Group meets online on the 2nd Tue. of the mo., 6-7:30 p.m., via Zoom. Whether you are newly diagnosed, dealing w/ a reoccurrence or trying to manage the side effects of treatment, you are welcome here! More info: Andy Hatch, group leader, ahatch63@gmail.com.

CENTRAL VERMONT CELIAC SUPPORT GROUP

Last Thu. of every mo., 7:30 p.m. in Montpelier. Please contact Lisa Masé 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. Its mission is to provide the best possible info to parents of children living w/ the complex condition of cerebral palsy. Visit cerebralpalsyguidance.com/cerebral-palsy.

THE COMPASSIONATE FRIENDS SUPPORT GROUP

The Compassionate Friends international support group for parents, siblings & families grieving the loss of a child meets every 4th Tue. of the mo., 7-9 p.m., at St. John Vianney Catholic Church, 160 Hinesburg Rd, S. Burlington. Call/ email Alan at 802-233-0544 alanday88@gmail. com or Claire at 802-448-3569.

CONVERSATIONS ABOUT SUICIDE

Conversations About Suicide is a judgment-free and open space to talk about personal experiences of suicidal ideation. The group is facilitated by peer support staff with lived experience of suicidality. Thursdays 4 pm-5 pm at Pathways Vermont Community Center, located at 279 N. Winooski Ave in Burlington. Email us for more information: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org

DISABILITY SUPPORT GROUP

Our group is a space for mutual support, open to anybody who identifies as disabled, differently abled, or having a disability. Whether your disability is visible, invisible, physical, or cognitive, this group is for you! The group meets every 1st and 3rd Monday of the month from 1:15-2:15pm at 279 N. Winooski Ave, Burlington, VT and online on Zoom. Email us for the Zoom link and more information: pvcc@pathwaysvermont.org.

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.

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 Tue., 6-7 p.m., the Turning Point Center, 179 S. Winooski Ave., Burlington. For further info, please visit thefamilyrestored.org or contact 207-387-0015.

FCA FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP

Families Coping w/ 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 forum for those living the family experience, in which to develop personal coping skills & to draw strength from one another. Our group meets every Wed., 5:30-6:30 p.m., live in person in the conference room at the Turning Point Center of Chittenden County (179 S. Winooski Ave., Burlington), &/or via our parallel Zoom session to accommodate those who cannot attend in person. The Zoom link can be found on the Turning Point Center website (turningpointcentervt.org) using the “Family Support” tab (click on “What We Offer”). Any questions, please send by email to thdaub1@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, under-eating or bulimia. Local meetings are held twice a week: Mon., 4-5:30 p.m., at the Unitarian Universalist Church, Norwich, Vt.; & 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. & the world, call 603-6301495 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 mo. on Mon. in Burlington. Please call for date & location. RSVP to mkeasler3@gmail.com or call 310-3301 (message says Optimum Health, but this is a private number).

GRIEF & LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

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. 1st & last Wed. of every mo. at 4 p.m. via Zoom. To register, please contact bereavement program coordinator Max Crystal, mcrystal@ bayada.com or 802-448-1610.

GRIEF SUPPORT GROUPS

Meet every 2nd Mon., 6-7:30 p.m., & 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.

GRIEVING A LOSS SUPPORT GROUP

A retired psychotherapist & an experienced life coach host a free meeting for those grieving the loss of a loved one. The group meets upstairs at All Souls Interfaith Gathering in Shelburne. There is no fee for attending, but donations are gladly accepted. Meetings are held twice a mo., the 1st & 3rd Sat. of every mo. from 10-11:30 a.m. If you are interested in attending, please register at allsoulsinterfaith.org. More information about the group leader at pamblairbooks.com.

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 Vermontbased support group, email bladderpainvt@gmail. com or call 899-4151 for more info.

INTUITIVE EATING SUPPORT GROUP

Free weekly peer-led support group for anyone struggling w/ eating &/or body image. The only requirement is a desire to make peace w/ food & your body. Meeting format is: a short reading from Intuitive Eating by Evelyn Tribole & Elyse Resch, 4th edition, followed by open sharing &

discussion. Come find community through sharing struggles, experience, strength & hope. Located at the Pickering Room, Fletcher Free Library, Sun. 1-2:30 p.m. Contact 202-553-8953 w/ any questions.

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.

LAUGHTER YOGA

Spontaneous, genuine laughter & gentle breathing for physical & emotional benefit. No yoga mat needed! This group is held every Mon., 2-3 p.m., at Pathways Vermont Community Center, 279 North Winooski Ave., Burlington. Contact Chris Nial for any questions: chrisn@pathwaysvermont.org.

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 info, & offer & receive support. Support groups also provide survivors an opportunity to gain info 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

Share the struggles & celebrate the joys of being a service member & LGBTQIA+ in this peer-led discussion group. Meetings are at the Rainbow Bridge Community Center in Barre on the 2nd & 4th Tue. of each mo. Visit rbccvt.org for more info.

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 & will meet weekly on Fri., 11 a.m.-12:30 p.m., in Gifford’s Chun Chapel. 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 & strength we need to continue along the way.

MARIJUANA ANONYMOUS

Do you have a problem w/ marijuana? MA is a free 12-step program where addicts help other addicts get & stay clean. Ongoing Mon., 7 p.m. at First United Methodist Church of Burlington (Red Door Church) 21 Buell St., Burlington. Contact: jointsession@newenglandma.org.

MYELOMA SUPPORT GROUP

Area myeloma survivors, families & 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 who have been through similar situations. 3rd Tue. of every mo., 5-6 p.m., at the New Hope Lodge on East Ave. 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 800-639-6480. Connection groups are peer recovery support

group programs for adults living w/ mental health challenges.

NAMI FAMILY SUPPORT GROUP

Weekly virtual & in-person meetings. ASL interpreters avail. upon request. Family Support Group meetings are for family & friends of individuals living w/ mental illness. 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.

NARCONON SUNCOAST DRUG & ALCOHOL REHABILITATION & EDUCATION

Narconon reminds families that overdoses due to an elephant tranquilizer known as Carfentanil have been on the rise in nearly every community nationwide. Carfentanil is a synthetic opioid painkiller 100 times more powerful than fentanyl & 1,000 times stronger than heroin. A tiny grain of it is enough to be fatal. To learn more about carfentanil abuse & how to help your loved one, visit narconon-suncoast.org/drug-abuse/ parents-get-help.html. 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 without the use of drugs. It costs nothing to join. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop using. Held in Burlington, Barre & St. Johnsbury. Info, 862-4516 or cvana.org.

NARCANON BURLINGTON GROUP

Group meets every Mon. at 7 p.m., at the Turning Point Center, 179 S. 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 in Thatcher Brook Primary School, 47 Stowe St., childrensroomonline.org. Contact childrensroom@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.

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 802-863-2655 anytime!

PONDERING GENDER & SEXUALITY

Pondering Gender & Sexuality is a twice-monthly facilitated mutual support group for folks of any identity (whether fully formed or a work in progress) who want to engage in meaningful conversations about gender, sexuality & sexual orientation, &/or the coming-out process. Discussions can range from the personal to the philosophical & beyond as we work together to create a compassionate, safe & courageous space to explore our experiences. The group will be held on the 2nd Sun. & 4th Tue. of every mo., 1-2:30 p.m., either virtually or at Pride Center of Vermont. Email pgs@pridecentervt.org for more info or w/ questions!

•MANDARIN•

We’re seeking to hire servers and bartenders to join our hardworking and energetic team. If you’re interested in the opportunity, drop off a resume in person, or email to: lawrence@mandarinvt.com

1t-Mandarin082323.indd 1 6/14/24 2:45 PM Caregiver for Senior Male Veteran

Part-Time

Part-time caregiver needed for a senior male in South Burlington, VT. Flexible hours (10-15/week), $25/ hour. Responsibilities include assisting with ADLs, transportation, housekeeping, laundry, meal prep, medication reminders & companionship. Previous caregiving experience preferred. Contact: kpodkpod2024@ gmail.com

We offer competitive wages & a full benefits package for

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

NOW HIRING: EMERGENCY MEDICINE

• Physician Medical Director • Physician • Registered Nurse • Unit Coordinator (LNA/EMT)

Work at one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the U.S. located in Morrisville - just outside Stowe. There are full-time, part-time, and per diem options available. Emergency Medicine experience preferred.

For more information visit copleyvt.org/careers or contact Kaitlyn Shannon, Recruiter, at 802-888-8144 or kshannon@chsi.org.

SECURITY MANAGER

Full-time, Exempt, Benefits Eligible IT MANAGER - FULL-TIME Exempt, Benefits Eligible

PRODUCTION MANAGER Full-time, Exempt, Benefits Eligible

CUSTOMER SERVICE BOX OFFICE Part-time, Union, Benefits

Director of Residential Facilities

Job Summary:

The Director of Residential Facilities is responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the residential property portfolio. The role supports critical property management operations, overseeing all planned, preventive, corrective, routine, and emergency maintenance performed at residential properties managed by Redstone, including:

• Develops and oversees annual preventive maintenance programs and determines long- and short-range capital improvement and maintenance repair needs.

• Oversees work control processes, including work order management and control systems, ensuring efficiency in estimating, planning, scheduling, and organizing work.

• Acts as project manager for various items including renovations, tenant improvements, and all other planned and unplanned capital and operation projects.

• Supervises Residential Asset Manager and Residential Maintenance Manager, providing guidance and technical and managerial assistance.

• Serves as a role model, advocate, and mentor to staff, creating and sustaining an environment that reflects Redstone’s customer service standards.

• Oversee the move-out inspection and turnover process, leading vendors and maintenance team.

Redstone seeks a candidate who consistently exhibits a professional communication style and positive attitude. Exemplary customer service skills are critical. Our preferred candidate will be able to adapt to the changing needs of projects, be a team player, and exhibit self-direction.

Redstone offers a competitive benefits package that includes: medical, vision, and dental insurance plan; 401K match; 3 weeks paid vacation to start (can earn up to 5 weeks); paid sick leave; paternity and maternity leave; twelve paid holidays and a paid day off on your birthday. The position is eligible for discretionary bonuses.

Visit www.redstonevt.com for a full job description and to apply.

outdoors. Rate is $17-$20/Hour Email: info@thcauction.com

Thomas Hirchak Company is an at will employer. See more jobs at: THCAuction.com

No phone calls, please. E.O.E.

See who’s hiring at jobs.sevendaysvt.com

Trusted, local employers are hiring in Seven Days newspaper and online. Browse 100+ new job postings each week.

Follow @SevenDaysJobs on Twitter for the latest job opportunities

Executive Director

Are you a strong and visionary leader with a track record of success, who happens to love animals? We are seeking a leader to provide administrative, operational, and fiscal oversight at Addison County's only humane society. The successful candidate will have budget and staff management experience, excellent communication skills, and a talent for developing strategies that support nonprofit success. An interest and understanding of animal welfare and non-profit administration is preferred. See full job description at: bit.ly/ HomewardBoundED

To apply, please send your resume and cover letter to: director@homeward boundanimals.org

Director of Major Gifts

Age Well is seeking a Director of Major Gifts to strengthen and expand its fundraising efforts in support of new strategic priorities and in preparation for a multimilliondollar comprehensive campaign. Reporting to the Chief Advancement Officer, the Director will develop a strategic plan for major and planned giving programs to maximize philanthropic potential to engage and inspire donors to invest in Age Well and deepen their commitment to our aging community. Key to success in this role will be building relationships with new prospects and strengthening relationships with existing donors to maximize philanthropic support.

Send resumes to: hr@agewellvt.org

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Our collaborative team is growing!

HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGER

We are seeking a Director of Leadership Giving who is passionate about strengthening Vermont communities

Key

Responsibilities:

Responsibilities: eadership

Leadership and Strategy Fundraising Development

Management Stewardship and

Donor Management and Stewardship Partnership and Outreach

oin vermontcf

Join us in creating positive change across Vermont Visit vermontcf org/careers to learn more ur passionate strengthening

Hunger Mountain Co-op in Montpelier, Vermont, is seeking an experienced HR Manager for our customer-focused team providing natural, organic, and local products in a member-owned cooperative food store. Our co-op offers the opportunity to join an outstanding, mission-driven management team and enjoy competitive pay and benefits.

Hunger Mountain Co-op is for everyone. Diversity, inclusion, and a culture where everybody can contribute matters to us. We aim to create a welcoming environment for all. The Co-op does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, ancestry, place of birth, age, crime victim status, physical or mental condition.

TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS OPPORTUNITY AND APPLY, PLEASE SCAN THE QR CODE

Case Administrator/

Courtroom Deputy Clerk

4t-HungerMtCoOp1218and1225.indd 1

organizational and interpersonal

Program Manager: Energy and Forest Business Accelerators

excellent analytical, clerical, operational computer skills capable of functioning in a dynamic, teamoriewnted environment. The duty station is Burlington, Vermont. Full federal beneﬁts apply. Complete job description and formal application requirements are found in the oﬃcial Position Announcement available from court locations in Burlington and Rutland and the court’s web site: WWW.VTD.USCOURTS.GOV

WWW.VTD.USCOURTS.GOV

environment. The duty station is Burlington, Vermont. Full federal benefits apply. Complete job description and formal application requirements are found in the official Position Announcement available from any U.S. District Court office (Burlington and Rutland) or the court’s website.

EOE 4t-USDistCourtofVT1218and2524.indd

CORA

Join our team to help support UVM Center on Rural Addiction’s (CORA) mission to expand substance use disorder treatment capacity in rural communities by providing consultation, resources, training, and evidence-based technical assistance.

As a CORA Outreach Specialist, you will facilitate outreach eﬀorts to engage clinicians and partners in rural communities. Support planning and implementation of CORA's Clinical & Translational Core community services, educational projects, and community enrichment initiatives. Develop and adapt evidence-based informational resources and curriculum components. Administer evaluations of clinical educational oﬀerings. Promote UVM CORA Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits.

Familiarity and/or experience with evidence-based treatments for substance use disorders or other chronic health conditions desirable. Experience in research and/or working with multiple and diverse providers and partners (e.g., substance use disorder treatment, mental health services) and experience planning and/or supporting academic or educational events is highly desirable.

Join our team to support sustainable economic development by managing DeltaClimeVT, our energy business accelerator and a new forest business accelerator. Both programs provide startup support, business planning, mentorship, and access to capital for climate economy and forest economy entrepreneurs.

FT salary between $70-75k, great beneﬁts, casual but professional hybrid work environment, and an organizational culture where people feel valued, are energized, and can support forward-thinking solutions to our food system and climate challenges.

VSJF is an E.O.E. committed to diversity, equity, inclusion and a strong sense of belonging in the workplace.

PLEASE READ full job description here: vsjf.org/about-vsjfvermont/job-openings.

Send cover letter & resume to jobs@vsjf.org by 5pm 1/13/25

Central Clinical Educator (CCE)

Northeastern Vermont Regional Hospital (NVRH) in St. Johnsbury is looking for a Central Clinical Educator (CCE) to help us elevate our nursing education. We want to hear from you if you’re passionate about mentoring and supporting healthcare professionals.

What You’ll Do: Manage our mandatory education programs and nursing orientation. Ensure compliance with training requirements. What We’re Looking For: An RN graduate (BSN required/MSN preferred) with at least 3 years of nursing experience. We offer competitive pay and excellent benefits, such as student loan repayment, and generous paid time off. If you’re ready to make a meaningful impact in your community, apply today! We can’t wait to welcome you to our team! Apply now at www.nvrh.org/careers.

Outreach Specialist

Director of Nursing

Are you a nurse looking for a position that brings joy and fulfillment both personally and professionally? The Converse Home, a nonprofit Assisted Living Community located in downtown Burlington, is seeking a Director of Nursing (DON). As the longest-running assisted living community in Vermont, The Converse Home is renowned for its warm, welcoming, and home-like atmosphere. This is a rare opportunity to join a compassionate and supportive team in an exceptional community.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) required; Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) preferred.

• Valid Vermont Registered Nurse (RN) license and a valid driver’s license.

• Strong background in Med-Surg and chronic long term care nursing, healthcare operations management, with a solid understanding of skilled nursing standards of care and Vermont state assisted living regulations.

• Exceptional communication, organizational, and leadership skills, with a compassionate approach to the nursing team, department staff, residents, and families.

• Flexibility to travel occasionally and adapt to occasional weekend or after-hours needs.

Salary and Benefits:

• Salary range: $95,000–$115,000.

• Competitive benefits package, including medical, dental, eye, life insurance, retirement, and paid vacation.

To learn more and apply, visit www.conversehome.com or send your resume and letter of interest to kristen@ conversehome.com.

The Converse Home is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

GO HIRE.

Job Recruiters:

• Post jobs using a form that includes key info about your company and open positions (location, application deadlines, video, images, etc.).

• Accept applications and manage the hiring process via our applicant tracking tool.

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Job Seekers:

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Get a quote when you post online or contact Michelle Brown: 865-1020, ext. 121, michelle@sevendaysvt.com.

Development Director

Burlington City Arts (BCA) is seeking an experienced development director to join our dynamic arts leadership team. This position is responsible for managing and coordinating development activities for BCA programs that serve the greater Burlington cultural community. In addition to designing and implementing the annual development plan, the Development Director works closely with the Executive Director to advance BCA’s major gift, capital and planned giving programs. The position is directly supported by an Assistant Development Director and Development and Administrative Coordinator.

The ideal candidate will be passionate about the arts and BCA’s mission, a fast learner, have a track record of success in multiple fundraising categories, have experience managing staff to meet development goals, enjoy creating new community relationships, have excellent written and oral skills, and be experienced using donor database systems. Knowledge and background in the arts is a plus, but the most important characteristic of a successful candidate is desire to build a healthy, vibrant community through BCA’s mission.

The position offers excellent benefits and the opportunity to join a committed and collaborative team in a supportive work environment.

Go to burlingtoncityarts.org/join-bca to apply

GEAR UP Outreach Counselor

Are you dedicated to supporting young people in achieving their dreams? Do you want to work for an organization that values your work-life balance and wellbeing? How about summers off? Consider joining the VSAC team! You’ll join a team of highly committed, collaborative, and supportive colleagues who are dedicated to student success.

We are currently recruiting for a GEAR UP Outreach Counselor in Richford Middle and High Schools: This position works with middle through first year after high school students and their families to provide education, career, and financial aid information and counseling in support of postsecondary education goals. This position will also support students through the transition process from high school into and through their first year of postsecondary education.

Visit VSAC.org/Careers for full job description and to apply today.

INVEST IN YOURSELF

Our apprenticeship program is a paid opportunity to become a phlebotomist with no experience required. APPLY NOW www.iaahitec.org/phlebotomy

REGISTRATION DEADLINE Wednesday, January 8th, 2025

$2,000 SIGN ON BONUS

External candidates are eligible for a one-time sign on bonus paid over 3 installments. Amounts reflect gross pay, prior to applicable tax withholdings and deductions required by law. Current University of Vermont Health Network employees are excluded and additional terms and conditions apply.

or Email 802-872-0660 lida.hope@vthitec.org

Director of Communications

The Vermont Center for Ecostudies seeks a Director of Communications to lead a purposeful and creative communications program. The successful applicant will collaborate with conservation biologists and development professionals to foster science-based stewardship of biodiversity in the Northeast. Key qualifications include outstanding writing and editing skills, ability to co-create and execute strategy, and knowledge of best practices in science communications and fundraising.

Annual Fund Manager

VCE also seeks an Annual Fund Manager to strengthen a growing and effective annual giving program. The successful applicant will help develop fundraising strategy and stewardship programs for annual fund donors. Key qualifications include strong communication skills, ability to collaborate and work independently, and recent experience in nonprofit development.

96

25, 2024-JANUARY 8, 2025

Climate Action Coordinator

VNRC is seeking a Climate Action Coordinator to help inspire and advance individual, community, program and policy solutions to climate change – including efforts around efficiency, conservation, renewable energy, transportation, and smart land use practices – as informed by Vermont’s Climate Action Plan. The position also helps manage the Vermont Energy and Climate Action Network (VECAN) – an informal network of all-volunteer community energy committees and partners – and assists our partner organization – Vermont Conservation Voters – to elect climate leaders during election years.

Preferred qualifications include:

• Commitment to protecting Vermont’s environment and making clean energy solutions available to all.

• Interest or experience in building coalitions, including supporting grassroots engagement and working with diverse stakeholders to identify and accomplish shared goals.

• Attention to detail and proven communication, coordination and collaboration skills.

• Self-motivation and an ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.

• Social media, event planning, graphic design, and media relations experience is a plus

• Applicants should share our commitment to centering equity, environmental justice, diversity, and inclusion in our work

The Climate Action Coordinator is a full-time, hybrid (remote & in-person) position based at our Montpelier office. Starting salary is commensurate with experience, with a salary range of $45,000-$52,000 plus a $20,000 benefits stipend.

To apply, email a letter of interest, resume and three references to aconnizzo@vnrc.org. We will begin reviewing applications on January 6, 2025, and will accept new applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Find out more and apply at vnrc.org/join-our-team

Burlington Housing Authority (BHA)

Are you interested in a job that helps your community and makes a difference in people’s lives every day? Consider joining Burlington Housing Authority (BHA) in Burlington, VT to continue BHA’s success in promoting innovative solutions that address housing instability challenges facing our diverse population of low-income families and individuals.

We are currently hiring for the following positions:

Building Operations Technician:

Performs general maintenance work in BHA owned and managed properties. This includes building exteriors, common areas, apartments, building systems, fixtures, and grounds. Our Building Operations Techs are required to participate in the on-call rotation, which covers night and weekend emergencies.

Offender Re-entry Housing Specialist: Provides support to men and women under the VT Department of Corrections supervision from prison back to Chittenden County. The ORHS focuses on high-risk men and women who are being released from jail and graduating transitional housing programs and in need of permanent housing. The ORHS provides intensive retention and eviction prevention services and works collaboratively with the Burlington Probation and Parole Office. Additionally, the ORHS works with various case workers, Re-Entry staff and the Administrative Staff from the VT Department of Corrections and the broad network of COSA staff as necessary throughout Chittenden County.

and affordable housing to all, we are committed to cultivating a staff that reflects varied lived experiences, viewpoints, and educational histories. Therefore, we strongly encourage candidates from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ individuals, and women to apply. Multilingualism is a plus!

Find more about these career opportunities: burlingtonhousing.org

Our robust benefit package includes premium medical insurance with a health reimbursement account, dental, vision, short & long term disability, 10% employer funded retirement plan, 457 retirement plan, accident insurance, life insurance, cancer & critical illness insurance.

We provide a generous time off policy including 12 days of paid time off and 12 days of sick time in the first year. In addition to the paid time off, BHA recognizes 13 (paid) holidays and 2 (paid) floating cultural holidays.

Resident Manager at South Square: Attends to various resident requests, assisting with emergency service, and light cleaning duties. The Resident Manager is required to live on property. The Resident Manager is provided with an apartment and along with free utilities in exchange for being on call after BHA business hours and on weekends.

*BHA serves a diverse population of tenants and partners with a variety of community agencies. To most effectively carry out our vision of delivering safe

Interested in this opportunity? Send cover letter/resume to: humanresources@ burlingtonhousing.org

Human Resources

Burlington Housing Authority 65 Main Street, Suite 101 Burlington, VT 05401

BHA is an Equal Opportunity Employer

fun stuff

JEN SORENSEN

HARRY BLISS

TIM SNIFFEN

JULIANNA BRAZILL

KYLE BRAVO

CAPRICORN

(DEC. 22-JAN. 19)

Since 1985, musician David Gilmour has led Pink Floyd. The band has sold over 250 million records. He’s in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in both the UK and the U.S. But my favorite thing about Gilmour is that he’s a passionate activist who has crusaded for animal rights, environmentalism, poverty and human rights. A few years ago, he auctioned off 120 of his guitars, raising more than $21 million for an environmentalist charity. In accordance with astrological omens, I propose we make him one of your inspirational role models in 2025, Capricorn. May he mobilize you to use your stature and clout to perform an array of good works that are of service to your world.

ARIES (Mar. 21-Apr. 19): In 2025, I would love for you to specialize in making new connections and deepening your existing connections. I hope you will summon extra creativity and panache as you regularly blend your beautiful energies with others’ beautiful energies. I predict you will thrive on linking elements that should be linked but have never been before. What do you think, Aries? Does it sound fun to become a playful master of mixing and combining? Would you enjoy generating splashy unifications that serve your dreams?

TAURUS (Apr. 20-May 20): “Confidence is 10 percent hard work and 90 percent delusion,” declared Taurus comedian Tina Fey. But I believe you will disprove that assessment in the coming months. The work you do will be unusually replete with grace and dynamism. It will be focused and diligent work, yes, but more importantly, it will be smart work that’s largely free of delusion. That’s why I’m inclined to revise Fey’s formula for your sake. In 2025, your brimming levels of confidence will be primarily due to your fine, conscientious, effective work.

GEMINI (May 21-Jun. 20): In the 1960s, a Swedish journalist tried an experiment. He wanted to see if art critics could distinguish between abstract paintings made by skilled artists and those created by a four-year-old chimpanzee whose pseudonym was Pierre Brassau. Surprise! Many of the critics treated all the paintings with equal respect. One even gave special praise to Pierre Brassau, describing his strokes of color as having “the delicacy of a ballet dancer.” I’m authorizing you to unleash your inner Pierre Brassau in the coming months, Gemini. Be an innocent rookie, a newcomer with great instincts, an exuberant amateur who specializes in fun experiments. Do you know what beginner’s mind is? You approach every experience with zero assumptions or expectations, as if you were seeing everything for the first time. For more, read this: wikipedia.org/wiki/shoshin.

CANCER (Jun. 21-Jul. 22): Ohio’s Cuyahoga River used to catch on fire regularly. The cause was pollution. For 100 years, industries had poured their wastes into the waterway. The surface was often dotted with oil slicks. But after a notorious river fire in 1969, the locals decided to remedy the situation, aided by the newly established Environmental Protection Agency. Today, the Cuyahoga still isn’t 100 percent clean, but it’s far better. It hosts kayaking, fishing and paddleboarding. I propose we use its rehabilitation as a symbol for you in 2025. You will have welcome opportunities to clean up messes that have lingered for far too long. Please take full advantage of these cosmic invitations to sweep karmic debris out of your life.

LEO (Jul. 23-Aug. 22): Steve Jobs, founder of Apple computers, said, “The people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do.” I propose that you make this one of your mottoes in 2025. More than ever before, you will have exceptional power to transform the environments you share with others. You will have an enhanced ability to revise and reinvigorate the systems and rules you use. Don’t underestimate your influence during the coming months, Leo. Assume that people will be listening especially closely to your ideas and extra receptive to being affected by you.

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sep. 22): I will give you four related terms to describe your key motif in 2025: 1) Your Soul’s Code. 2) Your Master Plan. 3) Your Destiny’s Blueprint. 4) Your Mission Statement. All four are rooted in this epic question: What is your overarching purpose here on earth, and how are you fulfilling it? The coming months will be a time when you can make dramatic progress in formulating vivid, detailed visions of the life you want to live. You can also undertake robust action steps to make those visions more of a practical reality. I encourage you to write your big-picture, longrange dreams in a special notebook or a file on your tech device. Keep adding to the text throughout the coming months.

LIBRA (Sep. 23-Oct. 22): People in India were the first to discover diamonds buried in the earth. Most historians believe it happened in the 4th century BC. For the next two millennia, India remained the only source of diamonds. Finally, new stashes were found in Brazil in 1725 and in South Africa in the 1870s. Let’s use this 2,000-year gap as a metaphor for your life. I suspect that far too many months have passed since you have located a fresh source of a certain treasure or bounty you crave. That will change in 2025. Here come long-delayed blessings!

SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21): In my vision of your life in 2025, you will dramatically enhance how togetherness works for you. Below are four questions to help guide your explorations and breakthroughs. 1) Is it feasible to change yourself in ways that enable you to have a more satisfying relationship with romantic love? 2)

Will you include your intimate relationships as an essential part of your spiritual path — and vice versa? 3) What work on yourself can you do to heal your old wounds and thereby make yourself a better partner and collaborator? 4) Can you help your best allies to heal their wounds and thereby become better partners and collaborators?

SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21): In Japanese, the word for “frog” sounds similar to the word meaning “to return.” That’s one reason frogs have been lucky in some circles of Japanese culture. They symbolize the blessing that occurs when travelers return home safely, or when health is restored, or when spent money is replenished. I bring this to your attention, Sagittarius, because I suspect 2025 will be a time when satisfying and enjoyable returns will be a key theme. Consider keeping the likeness of a lovable frog in your living space.

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18): Aquarian author Virginia Woolf extolled the virtues of cultivating a supple soul that thrives on change. She pledged to be relentless in her commitment to be authentically herself and not succumb to groupthink. I recommend you make these two of your featured themes in 2025. To inspire your efforts, I will quote her radical perspective at length: “Movement and change are the essence of our being; rigidity is death; conformity is death: let us say what comes into our heads, repeat ourselves, contradict ourselves, fling out the wildest nonsense, and follow the most fantastic fancies without caring what the world does or thinks or says.”

PISCES (Feb. 19-Mar. 20): In 1992, two friends promised each other that if either of them ever won the lottery, they would share it with the other. Twenty-eight years later, that’s exactly what happened. In 2020, Thomas Cook bought a ticket that turned out to be the winner of the Powerball jackpot in Wisconsin. He called Joseph Feeney with the good news. After paying taxes, both men were $5.7 million richer. I am not predicting the exact same sequence for your future, Pisces. But like Cook and Feeney, I expect you will glean pleasing rewards generated from seeds planted in the past.

Seven Days senior multimedia producer Eva Sollberger looks back on the highlights of the past year and is joined by her 90-year-old mom, Sophie Quest. Sollberger also remembers friends who have been featured in videos and died in 2024. Happy holidays to everyone. Wishing you a wonderful New Year!

IT’S AN INTERESTING BUCKET LIST

Respond to these people online: dating.sevendaysvt.com

WOMEN seeking...

INTERESTING, LIVELY, THOUGHTFUL

I’m smart, considerate, generous and with-it, in good shape and not oldfashioned. I’m looking for a man who is smart, kind, attentive, affectionate and well-groomed, for companionship and closeness. Ellie 73, seeking: M, l

ACTIVE HANDY LEFTY DREAMER

Active person who enjoys travel, hiking, skiing, mountain biking, pickleball. Most often found outdoors being active or caring for animals. The past couple years have been spent renovating a historic home. I have most enjoyed building on the home’s character and transitioning it into a functional, warm, cozy space. Interested in meeting people with similar interests and values.

Built_For_Adventure, 52 seeking: W, l

HEART, SOUL, WATER AND EARTH

Settled, strong, self-sufficient woman seeks life partner. I enjoy my job and also love being outside playing in the dirt. I’m looking for someone who enjoys rambling conversations and long walks, is emotionally intelligent with a good sense of humor and willing to build a solid relationship. Active interests in regenerative agriculture, critters, playing music and chess a plus. Greener, 62, seeking: W, TM, TW, NBP, l

WANT TO RESPOND?

You read Seven Days, these people read Seven Days — you already have at least one thing in common!

All the action is online. Create an account or login to browse hundreds of singles with profiles including photos, habits, desires, views and more. It’s free to place your own profile online.

l See photos of this person online.

W = Women

M = Men

TW = Trans women

TM = Trans men

Q = Genderqueer people

NBP = Nonbinary people

NC = Gender nonconformists

Cp = Couples

Gp = Groups

KINDHEARTED AND TRULY HAPPY

I am new to the area and looking for male companionship. Someone to laugh with, go to the movies with, hang out with. I am funny, happy and for the most part quite content with my life. But I am lonely and want to find someone with whom I can connect. Chemistry is more important than looks. Sharilynn 66 seeking: M, l

INDEPENDENT BUT LOYAL

Friendly, sociable. Love solitude and nature but equally enjoy people. Needing balance in a relationship: independence, but seeking companionship. Is finding both a friend and a lover too much to ask? I’m a romantic but don’t require traditional gestures: A note with an offer of late-night cuddles is as good as a bejeweled offering. Seeking the unexpected. Naturewoman, 61, seeking: M

SOFT-SPOKEN, ENJOYS WIT & PUNS

Caring, observant and thoughtful, I enjoy reading, live theater, community events, walking and dining out. Sunshine brightens my day. Seeking a gentlemanly companion to share activities and travel. As a Leo, I bring warmth and loyalty to relationships. Let’s savor life’s simple pleasures together. Pretty_In_Pink, 71, seeking: M, l

KIND, CREATIVE, CURIOUS

Active, humorous, intelligent, respectful woman seeking companionship, emotional connection and intimacy. I enjoy nature, deep conversation, community events. I’m a music lover and social justice is important to me. I like to balance spontaneity and routine, create and explore old and new hobbies and places. Calendula 36, seeking: M, l

RESOURCEFUL, ATHLETIC FEMINIST

I’m a girl who likes tools. Sarcastic take on life. I enjoy repairing and repurposing used goods. I keep busy with mountain biking, rowing, cycling, hiking. I keep sane by meditating and gardening. I’m always modifying recipes for baked goods. I’m a fan of baroque music and historical fiction. Looking for other sporty women to share conversation and adventures. Must be grounded, bright, artistic, kind.

SharpSunshine, 52, seeking: W, l

POSITIVE, DOWN-TO-EARTH, STABLE, COMPASSIONATE

Hey! Just a girl looking for an honest, fellow compassionate person who loves nature and life in Vermont. I’m looking for a connection that evolves into a long-term relationship. Let’s go hiking together, go on spontaneous day adventures, explore new towns, cook delicious dinners together, and go paddleboarding or Nordic skiing. Let’s sit by a fire under starlight. Silenceandstarlight 54 seeking: M, l

ADVENTUROUS OPTIMIST WHO LOVES LIFE

I am looking for a man who can make me laugh, enjoys life’s adventures, and values kindness and stability. Someone whose life complements mine, and I theirs. If you’re interested in good conversations, spontaneous adventure and sharing simple moments, let’s connect!

GirlFromtheNorthCountry 59 seeking: M

CASTING CALL: WHIMSICAL PLAYMATE

Ex-professor-cum-higher-ed administrator by day, community theater nerd by night. Petite woman looking for a costar who is kind, open to new experiences, adventurous, curious, thoughtful, funny and witty. I’ll cook you some amazing Indian food and destroy you in board game competition before we jet off to snorkel the shores of the Big Island. daybor, 44, seeking: M, W, TM, l

HONEST, CARING AND FUN

I enjoy experiencing different things and exploring new places, whether in my backyard or across the country. I am honest, caring, like to laugh, and like to spend time with family and friends. I am socially active and enjoy volunteering and helping others. Would like to laugh and share the joys of life with someone. LaughandEnjoy 62, seeking: M, l

HAPPY AND LAID-BACK

I am hardworking, loving, caring, sensitive and observant. A Christian seeking truth within the spiritual side of life. I am impressed by nature; being outdoors in natural environments restores me. I love meeting people. And I enjoy live music. I am blessed with good health and would like to share my life with the right person. Quietromantic 67 seeking: M, l

READY TO PLAY FOR KEEPS?

Are you ready for adventure? Broadway show, hiking in Sedona, wine in Portugal? And then home to stack wood for winter and stir minestrone soup? Generous, spirited, joyfully feisty, this (previously) redheaded woman will make your life worth living to the fullest. You will never be bored. Seeking kind, intelligent man-friend 55 to 70 with belly laugh who is ready to play for keeps. springpeeper 64, seeking: M, l

MEN seeking...

HEAVY METAL DAD

Security officer at two locations. Busy single full-time dad. Looking for someone with whom to spend what little free time I have. bthibodeau, 45, seeking: W, l

CREATIVE ANALOG OUTDOORSY ANIMAL LOVER

“Passionate and creative” describes me. I love my friends. I love animals. Happy being by myself, but a perfect day would be with friends for a day on the water — stopping for coffee, stopping to pet dogs. Paddling, lunch on shore, campfire, guitars and singing. Appreciate women who are kind and confident in their beautiful curviness. Makeup, weight over-consciousness and shaving not required. Be yourself. LeftTheMatrix 64, seeking: W, l

NERDY SOUTHERNER KEEPIN’ WARM

A recent transplant from the South and now that things have settled down, I’m looking to meet people and explore this beautiful state. I enjoy finding new places to eat and seeing live music. Even though I don’t drink, I don’t care if you do. wtfitscoldhere 42, seeking: W, l

FIT AND SINGLE

Lawyer, cook, oenophile, climber, skier, kayaker, gourmand. Passionate about representing battered/trafficked women for free. I have what I need in life, all I lack is someone — the one other — to share it with. Carnegie Hall followed by the Russian Tea Room or Tyree. Eating ramen in our extreme four-season tent, snorkeling or just sharing that first cup of coffee in the morning. 70yearsYoung 70, seeking: W, l

LIFELONG LEARNER

These are a few of my favorite things: learning, reading, humor, bicycling, deep conversation, humor, building things, fixing things, and last — but not least — humor. Any day I learn something new is a good day. In conversation, my default mode is listening. Listening to someone and truly hearing them is such a simple gift we can give. Kendallrnh 61, seeking: W, l

SEEKING AUTHENTICITY AND CONNECTION

I thrive on collaboration, creativity and making things work. I’m a beginner viola player exploring music’s emotional power and love sailing for balance. When not practicing or on the water, I’m coding and solving problems. Recently out of a long relationship. I’m looking for someone who values deep connections and authenticity, and understands that my kids come first. learningviola, 46, seeking: W, l

BUILDING BLOCKS

Searching for chemistry and attraction, true friendship and companionship, laughter, and love (not necessarily in that order). Tiberius, 61, seeking: W

YOGI, PLANT LOVER, SEEKING

Seeking a connection. I never realized that I have been working my whole life on being the weird uncle with good stories. I am very Instagrammable. Into all the current trends. Chef, baker, former roadie and expert houseplanter. Daily yogi. Looking for something real. Old enough to know better, not old enough to have it all figured out. Seanfoleyr 42, seeking: W, l

CURIOUS, SOCIAL, LAID-BACK

Divorced seven years and ready to move on. I am a 50+ male who passes for early 40s (or so I’m told). I am at a point in my life where I want someone to share experiences of all kinds together. I am curious about life in general but history and nature in particular. Looking for a woman who wants to go out and adventure or stay in and cuddle, depending on the mood. Man_ Seeking_Contact 59, seeking: W, l

CARING, COMPASSIONATE, ENERGETIC, PEACEFUL, STABLE

Hey there. I hope to find a person who is mindful, present in the moment, happy being herself, radiates wholesomeness, has her own personal future plans, is affectionate, expressive, caring, gentle, kind, realizes the joy of living with someone who truly cares, is lifenourishing and priceless. Just ask a child: They know! CEF 77, seeking: W, l

NOTHING TO SEE HERE

Hi, and thanks for checking me out. I’m a happy, balanced, self-reflecting man. Recently relocated to Vermont from New York. I’m seeking a physically active, kind and positive young-atheart woman to do fun things with! rickfreeze, 59 seeking: W, l

OPEN-MINDED, COULD BE FUN

I am polite, considerate, caring and am an easy communicator. I am fun to be with, either at dinner or on the ski slopes. I like to please, and am interested in friends with benefits. SilverKnightFun 72, seeking: W, Cp

Hello. Open-minded guy looking for FWB. Emphasize friends. Not necessarily long-term, but you’ve got to be sure there is a spark if you expect to light a fire. An open-minded couple where everyone gets to play? My pegging queen? A sexy T-girl who wants a daddy? Hit me up! RavensDream58 27 seeking: W, TW, Cp

TRANS WOMEN seeking...

COMMUNITY-MINDED AND INDEFENSIBLY JOYFUL

I love writing, dancing, making music and meaningful action. My favorite conversations are about people’s passions. I like hiking, biking and paddling, but I spend a lot of time happily indoors being social or creative or productive. I’m interested in people of all genders and am seeking a connection that generates joy every day for us both. Sylph 56 seeking: M, W, TM, TW, Q, NC, NBP, l

TRANS MEN seeking...

INDUSTRIOUS, NERDY, PURSUING KNOWLEDGE

Student and professional artist constantly pursuing new hobbies and studies. Looking for friends to tinker and hang with or a partner for more or less the same. Friendly and open-minded but shy to start. Still wears a mask in crowds. grimblegromble 23, seeking: W, TW, l

GENDERQUEER PEOPLE seeking...

GENDERQUEER, SINGER-SONGWRITER, INTERFAITH MINISTER

It’s me, from the “Cherie & Yolanda” show in the ‘90s. Moved to NYC in 2001; met my husband, Glen; together 20 years; now in Vermont after his death. I am a transfemme genderqueer singersongwriter and interfaith minister. Youthful looks and attitude, long gray hair, stocky build, funny, compassionate. Looking for a cisgender man who appreciates the femininity and spirituality in me. RevYolanda 28 seeking: M, l

NONBINARY PEOPLE seeking...

LOOKING FOR OUTDOORSY

I’m very creative and open-minded. Spend my days foraging in the forest and gardening, working at a greenhouse days in the summer. I’m intersex, born with both male and female genitalia. Looking for a man interested in connecting with my female side to date and form a long-term relationship with. Dajag181, 29, seeking: M, l

COUPLES seeking...

KINKY COUPLE SEEKS ADVENTUROUS PLAYMATE

We have explored each other’s boundaries and fulfilled many fantasies along the way. We are looking for new friends to bring into our sexual circle with new possibilities. Help us fulfill our desires for exploration, and we will all learn together through mutual satisfaction. kinkyvermonters 48, seeking: M, W, Cp

FUN COUPLE LOOKING FOR EXPLORATION

We are a secure couple who enjoy the outdoors, good wine, great food, playing with each other, exploring our boundaries and trying new things. We are 47 and 50, looking for a fun couple or bi man to play and explore with us. We are easygoing, and we’d love to meet you and see where our mutual adventures take us. vthappycouple, 51, seeking: M, Cp, Gp

ELIZA THE COLD PLUNGE HOTTIE

We chatted brieﬂy after both emerging from the frigid lake at sunset. You had a big smile that warmed me right up. Want to meet for another dip? When: ursday, October 31, 2024. Where: Texaco Beach. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916211

STANDING IN THE SNACK AISLE

I was standing in the snack aisle holding a coffee. You approached me and said I have a great vibe. I thought you had a great vibe too, but my mind was too slow to say it! Very kind of you to say, and I’d love to chat more. I promise I’ll be more talkative. When: Saturday, December 14, 2024. Where: City Market. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916210

SLAP AND TICKLE

Trying to teach someone a lesson when you have yet to learn yours is entertaining. Domination and manipulation were always the wrong way to go about things. e only way, it seems, to ﬁnd peace is to ﬁrst cause chaos. Only after the dust settles will we see who truly led with love and who led with lust and lost. When: Friday, December 6, 2024. Where: everywhere I go. You: Group. Me: Woman. #916209

EXITING THE INDIGO GIRLS CONCERT

Green cargo jumpsuit, leather jacket, white Docs. Hair’s dark, curly, Mohawked. While exiting you overheard me talking. We laughed and carried on. en you bumped into another stranger. I exclaimed “Hey, you’re supposed to bump into me!” and you playfully did. en it ended — lost in the crowd.

I’m tall, queer, short brown hair, large glasses, in black jeans and gray coat. When: Monday, December 9, 2024. Where: Flynn eater. You: Nonbinary person. Me: Woman. #916207

DESMOND DAN

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

I saw you in the Desmond Cheese aisle at the Steely Dan store. Hot! When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Where: Gnarnia. You: Group. Me: Man. #916208

OLD FRIENDS, ENOSBURG TO SALISBURY

inking of some friends from some years back, whose company I enjoyed very much (about 15 years ago!). I believe the feeling was mutual. I’ve reconnected with one of you and I’d love to get back in touch with the female half of the couple. Ja*na, how are you? Last we talked, I told you I’m up in Montgomery these days. When: Tuesday, December 10, 2024. Where: Enosburg. You: Couple. Me: Man. #916206

KING AT LADY LAMB

You melt me like a bashful puddle. I was working. You, tall with feathery hair, unbuttoned ﬂannel by the right column with your friend(?). Still with that sweetie who was wearing the suit this summer? Your quick, smiley hello made me a swooning schoolboy. Eight years, I’m still wanting to kiss your rosy cheeks and listen to you read me the book about blue. When: ursday, December 5, 2024. Where: Lady Lamb show, Higher Ground. You: Nonbinary person. Me: Genderqueer. #916204

MY HEART BEATS FOR KAZAKHSTAN

Me: a new patient. You: took my blood pressure. It was high for the ﬁrst time in my life, but I think I know why: I was completely smitten by you! Your face was covered by a mask, but Moses only saw part of God’s face on the mountain, and that didn’t stop him from recognizing something divine, either. When: Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Where: Burlington. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916203

I’m going to a New Year’s Eve party with a bunch of friends. I’ve had a secret crush on one of them for a while, but I’ve been too shy to do anything about it. Would it be ridiculous if I tried to give them a kiss at midnight?

JERICHO COUNTRY STORE

We were buying sandwiches and noticed how kind you were with the gentleman who was with you. We talked about the Jericho museum and Norwich. Might you have any interest in a walk and/or lunch? When: Wednesday, November 13, 2024. Where: Jericho Country Store. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916205

BE HONEST

Seeing you hanging off another man’s arm made me realize how manipulative you are. I showed you the ﬂaws in my armor, just for you to leave me the second I had a bad day. You never respected or cared about me, if you moved on that fast. You are a liar. Be honest and apologize so we can try again. When: Saturday, November 30, 2024. Where: South Hero. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916202

MYTHICAL BIRD?

You’re a vegan, I’m pretty sure. You’re a big fan of the barter system. You drive an orange Subaru, and I think you’re from New York. Maybe you play bass? We’ve never had the chance to really meet. ough we’ve hung out a couple times, I never caught your name. When: ursday, August 15, 2024. Where: Rumney. You: Man. Me: Man. #916200

BOHEMIAN WEDNESDAY

Just a note of appreciation for the two people I met brieﬂy at Bohemian on Wednesday. I was wearing an obnoxious orange hunting jacket and a sweatshirt reading “I love hot moms.” I just wanted to let you know that chatting with the two of you made my day — thanks for your humanity! When: Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Where: Bohemian Bakery, Montpelier. You: Couple. Me: Woman. #916199

GRATITUDE BEGETS

GRATITUDE

I let you into trafﬁc, and you did a rare thing, these days: You gave a wave of thanks. Now will you let me treat you to a luscious libation or decadent dessert of your choosing, within reason (living on a budget)? Gratitude is a wonderful attitude. When: Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Where: Turning left onto E. Allen St. toward Winooski (leaving gas station) around 5 p.m. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916198

De Auddie Lansine,

TEAL COAT, WHITE PURSE

You: woman in a dark teal coat with a white purse walking up Church Street. Me: guy driving up College Street. You probably didn’t see me because I was in my car, but I thought you were stunning. Coffee sometime? When: Monday, December 2, 2024. Where: Corner of Church and College. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916197

MYER’S BAGELS

We (couple) saw you (woman) coming out the door. We greeted you by holding the door. Your smile was contagious, and you looked like a Hallmark actress (lol). Happy anksgiving, and hope you have a joyful Christmas. In today’s world, it’s always a joy to see people smiling. Meet for coffee someday? When: Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Where: Myer’s Bagels. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916196

THE LADY AND THE SAUSAGE

ﬁrst spied you many years ago — whether it was on a playground or at a turkey luncheon is still up for debate. Either way, I have been head over heels in love with you pretty much ever since. I am the luckiest lady in the world to be with you. Happy birthday, Sausage! Yours forever, AG When: Tuesday, December 3, 2024. Where: Mad River Valley. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916195

BAD NIGHT; KIND PERSON

You: checking IDs at JP’s after 10:30ish on Saturday. Asked me if I was OK. Me: entered and exited several times, paced all around downtown, went and sat in City Hall Park, left the bar for good having clearly been crying. I said I probably would be OK, and thanks. Your kindness meant a lot. I’m mostly OK now. When: Saturday, November 9, 2024. Where: JP’s. You: Trans woman. Me: Trans man. #916194

WHAT’S A SOLARA?

ese are the only words I could think to shout at you from across the gas pumps. ank you for educating me on classic Toyota coupes — did you know you’re a handsome devil with an outrageously good-looking smile, and charming banter to boot? How do you sleep at night? I’d sleep better with you next to me! Coffee sometime? When: ursday, November 28, 2024. Where: Orleans Mapleﬁelds. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916193

THE PRETTY LOBSTER MAN

He was a seafood clerk. I spotted him across the aisle, standing there, getting a lobster from the tank. He said, “Do you like my happy lobsters in their shiny tank?” I did! When: Wednesday, December 4, 2024. Where: Shaw’s. You: Man. Me: Man. #916201

BPS

I wish I had talked to you more. I’ll marry you in my dreams. Good luck in your new adventure. Maybe I’ll see you again. If I do, I’ll ask you out. I’ll miss seeing you every day. Hopefully our paths will cross again. When: Friday, November 22, 2024. Where: Breakroom. You: Man. Me: Woman. #916192

MISSED TWO CHANCES

Saw you this summer at the Norwich Bookstore; you bought a book about the NYC music scene in the ‘70s. We ran into each other again a couple hours later, on your way back home. I was driving, you were walking, and I realized later I should have offered to drop you off. How was that book? When: Monday, July 15, 2024. Where: Norwich. You: Woman. Me: Woman. #916190

TOSCA AT THE PARAMOUNT

A rainy Tuesday afternoon. Tosca at the Paramount had just ended. I rushed out to get the car for my mom; you were there to pick up yours. “Is it over?” you asked. “All but the curtain calls,” I replied, putting on my raincoat. By the time I got back, you were gone. When: Tuesday, November 26, 2024. Where: e Paramount eater, Rutland. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916189

TURKEY TROT IN WESTFORD

We chatted a bit after ﬁnishing the 10K. I liked talking with you. Afterward I regretted I did not suggest we exchange phone numbers so we could enter a race together. When: Saturday, November 23, 2024. Where: Turkey Trot in Westford. You: Woman. Me: Man. #916187

HEALTHY BOUNDARIES

To the home-wrecker from Gardenside

ere are all sorts of New Year’s Eve superstitions and traditions, but the midnight kiss is one of my favorites. I’ve always believed it brings good luck in the New Year, but I never really considered where that idea originated.

Apparently, the custom can be traced back to the ancient Roman festivals of Saturnalia and Lupercalia. During these celebrations — which were held around the time that we now consider the end of one year and the beginning of another — people exchanged kisses to cleanse the spirit and ensure good fortune.

Interesting? Sure. Helpful in your situation? Not really.

Since you’re already friends with this person, it doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch to think that you might share a little smooch at a party. To ensure that you don’t drop the ball when the ball drops, keep an eye on the time. Be near your crush when

the countdown starts and give them a saucy smile. If they seem into it, when the clock strikes 12, go for it.

Here’s the sticky wicket: I don’t think a peck on the cheek will be enough to tip your pal off to the fact that you like-like them. But unless the stars align and the moment is right, you probably shouldn’t go straight in for a juicy lip lock without warning, either.

Being at a party, where there’s a good chance of intoxication of some kind or another, maybe isn’t the best time to come clean about having a crush on someone.

— you can have the narcissistic liar, but stay out of my house and off of my turf. When: Saturday, November 16, 2024. Where: my house. You: Man. Me: Man. #916186 your

So here’s a wild idea: How about you make it your New Year’s resolution to ﬁnally let your crush know how you feel? You could even give yourself a deadline by the end of January.

Just be sure to eat some black-eyed peas and collard greens on New Year’s Day so you’ll have good luck in your endeavors.

Good luck and God bless,

I’m a 60-y/o SWF seeking a 55-70-y/o SM. Retired, healthy, ﬁt and outdoorsy. ISO a kindred spirit with whom to share Vermont’s trails. I enjoy mountain and gravel biking, cross-country skiing and yearround hiking as well as a good Vermont brew, current events, reading and eating as locally as possible. Self-deprecating sense of humor a plus! #L1816

I’m a SWF, 71 y/o, seeking a white or Black man 50-70 y/o. I want companionship/sex, movies, warmth; I love music. Phone calls only. #L1815

CD into fetish? Tight and shiny clothing? #L1814

Single woman, 59. Wise, mindful. Seeking tight unit with man, friend, love. Country living, gardens, land to play on. Emotionally, intellectually engaged. Lasting chats. Appreciation for past experience. Please be kind, stable and well established. Phone number, please. #L1813

I’m an 80-y/o man in good health. I own a ranch house on Route 110 in Tunbridge, south of fairgrounds. Never married. No children, retired. Like going out to eat and riding around. Looking for a nice lady for a long-term relationship. #L1810

HOW TO REPLY TO THESE LOVE LE ERS:

Seal your reply — including your preferred contact info — inside an envelope. Write your pen pal’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 PO 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. 161 for a membership (credit accepted).

PUBLISH YOUR MESSAGE ON THIS PAGE!

1 Submit your FREE message at sevendaysvt.com/loveletters or use the handy form at right.

We’ll publish as many messages as we can in the Love Letters section above. 2

Interested readers will send you letters in the mail. No internet required!

GM looking for a man or men for mutual pleasure. Maybe develop into LTR or FWB. Would like regular or semiregular visits. Fun and adventurous. #L1812

I miss the touch, the ﬂirting, the taste, the smell of a woman. I’m 69, retired and disabled. I also have many facets that make me up. NEK please, thanks. #L1811

I’m an 80-y/o woman seeking a man for companionship and friendship. I am a widow living in Burlington. Love to go out to dinner and movies and have good conversation. #L1809

SWM, bi, seeking guys for fun. Any race. I’m 6’1, 175 pounds. Clean, safe and discreet. Love being a bottom. Respond with a phone number. #L1804

58-y/o enjoys the simple things: walks with my dogs, candlelit evenings, window shopping. I don’t have to have someone to complete me but would love to share the beauty of life with a man who also is ready to dance like nobody’s watching. #L1808

76-y/o male seeking a female. Widower, Burlington resident, gardener, ﬁsherman and writer wants to meet you for dinner, movies, events and conversation. You: old, kind, no issues. Possible friendship, LTR. I don’t watch football. #L1807

Int net-Free Dating!

Reply to these messages with real, honest-to-goodness le ers. DETAILS BELOW.

T-girl? Transgender? CD? Gay? I’m a dom, so looking for subs. anks. #L1799

I’m a sweet, ﬁt, busy 48y/o DILF type seeking a 28- to 68-y/o-ish woman who wants some more affection in her life. Let’s have a great evening together every month and share good memories and joyful anticipation in between. #L1806

I’m a SWM seeking a Black couple, both bi. I’m clean, a nonsmoker and don’t drink. Would like a weekly meet, on weekends. My place is private. I only date Black men and women. Age no problem. Phone. Serious. #L1802

Handsome SWM, young-looking 60, yearning for a woman’s connection and intimacy. Seeking friendly relations with slim-average 45- to 60-y/o, kind, smart, respectful, humorous, playful. Activities indoors and outdoors — dinners, talks, walks, nature, TV, entertainment, day trips, overnights, spontaneity, hobbies, more. #L1803

Describe yourself and who you’re looking for in 40 words below: (OR, ATTACH A SEPARATE PIECE OF PAPER.)

I’m a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL) seeking a

AGE + GENDER (OPTIONAL)

Mid-60s, SWM, 6’, 175 pounds. Looking for a forever romance but just meeting with new friends can work, too! Extremely romantic and passionate! I stay active as I run, hike, bike; play golf, tennis and pickleball; and work out at the Edge. Full of spontaneity and love dancing, travel. I will love you snuggling in my arms always as I shower you with love and romance! #L1801

I’m a 54-y/o male seeking a 50- to 60-y/o female. Looking for an honest person. Sex is less important. I enjoy taking walks, soft rock and movies, in or out. Love to go out to eat. No drugs, no smoking. #L1800

SWM, 69, seeking a SF. I am warm, friendly, clean and respectful, seeking a LTR. Just an ordinary guy looking for same. Phone number, please. #L1798

SWM, 55, seeking Barbie with brains. FWB/NSA relationship and open to a LTR. Younger or older, for fun play. Please send a picture and contact info. I’m looking for one woman for a special time together. #L1797

Required conﬁdential info:

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ADDRESS

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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. 161, LOVELETTERS@SEVENDAYSVT.COM

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