Staytripper, December 2020 by Seven Days

DECEMBER 2020

From the Art

Stay in Norman Rockwellâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s studio

Bright Lights, Big City Holiday shopping in Burlington

Across the Universe Finding hope in the starry night

WITH SUPPORT FROM

Erin Dupuis VERMONT REAL ESTATE COMPANY

Dependable, valued experience and integrity. A Realtor you can trust. ®

Contact me today to learn about our competitive rates. THE

PERFECT

HOLIDAY SAVE

20% 800

727

THIS

SEASON

OFF

GIFT

CARDS

NOW

4295

ESSEXRESORT.COM/GIFT_CARDS

ST4t-theessex112520 1

11/16/20 6:03 PM

802.310.3669 erin@vermontrealestatecompany.com vermontrealestatecompany.com 431 Pine St. Suite 118 Burlington, VT 05401 4T-EDupuis032520.indd 11 AH4T-EDupuis0920.indd

3/24/20 9/1/20 12:57 4:49 PM PM

SWITCH your loan to NEFCU* and get 1% cash back

For the period of November 1 through November 30, 2020 we are giving 1% cash back (up to $200)** when you refinance your auto, boat, RV, ATV, or motorcycle loan with NEFCU. Call us at 866.80.LOANS or visit nefcu.com

FEDERALLY INSURED BY NCUA

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER

2h-NEFCU(Switch) 110420 1

DECEMBER 2020

* Current loans need to be from another financial institution and in place for at least 60 days. ** 1% cash back based on a loan amount refinanced and subject to loan approval. Funds will be deposited into a NEFCU Share or Share Draft account.

10/28/20 1:04 PM

Glimmers of Hope

D ECEM B ER 2020

Welcome to a winter like no other. Admittedly, as we planned this issue of Staytripper, Seven Days’ road map to safely rediscovering Vermont during the pandemic, we struggled to predict what the month ahead would hold. With the unknown course of the coronavirus in our state, the practical limitations of Vermont’s famously cold weather and the likely disruption of holiday traditions, how would we fill our December days? This issue offers some ideas for making the best of a bad situation. We encourage you to bundle up and explore our snow-globe bubble. Whether you hit the Nordic trails or the mountain slopes, you can still enjoy après sips and snacks nearby — for takeout or around a fire pit. And if snow’s a no-go, how about embracing the dark, starry night? The December skies promise some exciting cosmic events. What’s that? You still have holiday shopping to do? Buy from the Main Street merchants in your town, or follow our guide to navigating the big city — Burlington, that is. Decked out in twinkling lights, may it bring you some cheer this season.

ARTFUL RETREAT........................ 4 New owners honor and refresh Norman Rockwell’s southern Vermont home

— CARO LY N FOX , E DITOR

BY MELISSA PASANEN

SNOW DAYS................................. 8 14

Ripton’s Rikert Nordic Center welcomes wintertime athletes

•

BY KRISTEN RAVIN

Montgomery

IN THE SPIRIT.............................. 10 Gift shopping in Burlington with an eye for vintage 14

BY MARGARET GRAYSON

SKI-TOWN SNACKS.................... 14

•

21 10

Head down the mountain for après-ski dining destinations

Burlington

BY JORDAN BARRY

•

Craftsbury Winooski

St. Johnsbury

STARS IN OUR EYES................... 16

Montpelier

Winter stargazing tips from a meteorologist and an astrologer

Waitsfield

BY MOLLY ZAPP

•

Middlebury

•

ON THE COVER: The Church Street Marketplace in Burlington

Ripton

Exploring the state?

PHOTO BY CHADWICK ESTEY

Follow the pins to find the fun in this issue.

Rutland 14

DESTINATIONS ‘Ice Visions’...................................... 19 Vermont International Festival........... 21 KIDS’ ACTIVITY PAGE............... 22 Coloring, word search, maze and more!

•

14 4

•

Ludlow

Manchester

Arlington 19

Bennington

Brattleboro

WITH SUPPORT FROM

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

Artful Retreat

New owners honor and refresh Norman Rockwell’s southern Vermont home BY M E L I S S A PA S A NE N

ome historic buildings, including Vermont inns, come with ghosts. But the new owners of a colonialera inn in Arlington inherited a different set of visitors from the past: corporeal and always friendly. In late fall 2019, Kevin and Sue Harter moved from northern Connecticut to buy what was then called the Norman Rockwell Studio and Inn, since renamed Rockwell’s Retreat. As the names indicate, the property has a strong connection to one of America’s most beloved painters and illustrators, whose depictions of everyday life graced the covers of the Saturday Evening Post for almost half a century. Rockwell resided in Arlington from 1939 to 1953. For a decade, he lived in the main house that is now the inn’s central building and painted in the larger of two studios in which guests can now book a stay. The Harters knew that along with the original structure dating back to 1792, they were also becoming stewards of a slice of treasured Americana. Kevin noted that Rockwell’s Vermont tenure was especially prolific and included his famous wartime series, “Four Freedoms.” What the couple did not realize was how many Vermonters retained a deep fondness for the artist’s former home through their experience of modeling for his work. Last November, the Harters had barely closed on the business when the first of Rockwell’s former models dropped by. “I was in the little studio in the crawl space draining the pipes,” Kevin recalled. “It was muddy and cold and wet, and I’m feeling sorry for myself thinking, What the heck did we just do? And then this car pulled up and an older guy gets out of the car, and he introduces himself as Buddy Edgerton.” ARTFUL RETREAT

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

» P.6

INFO Rockwell’s Retreat, 3587 River Rd., Arlington, 430-7327, rockwellsretreat.com.

The restored artist studio

A common space in the Norman Rockwell Studio

Kevin and Sue Harter

The Norman Rockwell Room

Rockwell’s Vermont tenure was especially prolific and included his famous wartime series, “Four Freedoms.” A communal Christmas tree

Breakfast frittata

Rockwell’s Retreat in winter

The Half Pint Studio

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROCKWELL’S RETREAT

The inn and surrounding area

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

Quincy Hotel OF ENOSBURG FALLS

PHOTOS COURTESY OF ROCKWELL’S RETREAT

The Mountain View Room

Take a snow break with us! We are on VAST Corridor 7, between Jay Peak and Smuggler’s Notch.

OPEN DAILY 10 AM TO 4 PM

MAKE YOUR RESERVATION TODAY! quincyhotelvermont.com 802-933-8300

ST12v-quincyhotel112520.indd 1

NATURE CENTER

11/19/20 2:20 PM

Included with admission:

Forest Canopy Walk Exhibits & Trails Details at vinsweb.org

Artful Retreat « P.4

Edgerton, it turned out, grew up in Arlington, and he and members of his family modeled for Rockwell for SPONSORED BY years, even after the artist moved to Massachusetts. Edgerton also wrote a memoir, The Unknown Rockwell, about the friendship between the families; the Harters now give the book to guests. Since that warm welcome from Edgerton, several other former models We strongly encourage visitors to and associates of Rockwell’s have generpurchase admission tickets online. ously shared memories and photographs to help the Harters restore the artist’s vinsweb.org/visit studio, which is a big draw for guests. VINS asks all visitors to follow our The most recent surprise visitor was Jarvis Rockwell, the artist’s COVID Safety Policy. oldest son. This time it was a beautiful November day. 149 NATURES WAY / QUECHEE, VT “There was a knock on the door,” Kevin recounted, “and this guy said, 802.359.5000 / INFO@VINSWEB.ORG ‘Hi, I’m Jarvis.’” The 89-year-old was especially gratified to see the work done to accurately replicate his father’s studio, ST8V-VINS112520 1 11/20/20 4:06 PM Kevin said. This steady stream of unexpected visitors from the past has been both a wonderful surprise and a gentle reminder of the responsibility of stewardship. “They’re just so full of positive energy,” Kevin said. “That makes it all worthwhile.” Innkeeping was a career and lifestyle sevendaysvt.com shift for the Harters, who are in their

Say you saw it in...

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

French toast platter

mid-fifties. For years, they dreamed of owning a Vermont inn or bed-andbreakfast, casually looking during many Green Mountain State vacations. When their son was well into his college career, they decided to take the leap. The couple was not familiar with the Battenkill River area, but Kevin described their encounter with the inn as love at first sight: “You drive over to the covered bridge. To your right, there’s an old white church. To the left is an old white singleroom schoolhouse. And then straight ahead is the inn. All of it just seems kind of ridiculously quintessential Vermont. We were pretty awestruck.” Between the beautiful location and the manageable size of the seven-room inn, it was already a strong contender. “To have the Rockwell piece was kind of a bonus,” Kevin said. The couple embarked on a significant upgrade and renovation project, totaling about $400,000. “The place itself had

Workout space

Dining area in the tavern

really strong bones,” Kevin said. “It just needed a lot of love.” Nearly all the cozy bedrooms have a fireplace, and the Harters invested in a new heating and cooling system with control by room. The inn rooms all offer picture-perfect views, while the two studio suites provide the most privacy. The completely redone post-and-beam Half Pint Studio is even dog friendly. Local designer Mary Sargent guided redecoration of the main inn building to recall the colonial era in an elegant,

The place itself had really strong bones. It just needed a lot of love. KEVIN HARTER

updated style. Creative touches include a table made from blacksmith bellows and a mirror framed by a horse driving harness collar. While Rockwell’s studio has been restored, the rest of the property is not overly crammed with memorabilia. The Harters have also updated the facilities with a workout space equipped with Peloton bikes and a stretching area. A new media/game room is complete with a freezer full of ice cream from the Chocolate Barn in nearby Shaftsbury; guests can help themselves. (Kevin favors the maple-pecan.) Due to the coronavirus pandemic, their inaugural year as innkeepers has not been exactly as envisioned. But, Kevin allowed, it gave them more time to ramp up gradually. Sue has continued to work remotely in benefits technology while her husband takes the lead innkeeping role. Kevin is always happy to chat about Rockwell’s life and work. He can also guide guests to the best spots to enjoy abundant local outdoor activities, from fly-fishing and tubing on the Battenkill to biking, hiking, snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. For downhill snow sports, it’s a 30-minute drive to Bromley Mountain. Whatever they choose to do, guests will be amply fueled by Kevin’s hot breakfasts. His signature frittatas might be filled with sweet potatoes, leeks, sausage, peppers and Vermont feta; inspiration comes from a communitysupported agriculture share from Shaftsbury’s Clear Brook Farm. The eggs in those frittatas are local, too. In fact, they are raised by a neighbor whose family modeled for Rockwell. m ST34V-helloburlington112520 1

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

11/19/20 2:05 PM

Snow Days

Ripton’s Rikert Nordic Center welcomes wintertime athletes BY K RIST E N R AVI N

t’s no secret that Vermont is a hot spot for cold-weather sports. According to a National Ski Areas Association report, 23 of the 470 ski areas operating in the United States during the 2019-20 season were in the Green Mountain State. This winter, open-air activities are likely to be even more popular as Americans practice physical distancing. For Vermonters looking to get in on the action, Rikert Nordic Center in Ripton is a remote and picturesque destination for dashing through the snow by ski, snowshoe or fat bike. 8

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

Cross-country skiing at Rikert Nordic Center

Located on the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English campus, the Middlebury Collegeowned terrain has attracted cross-country skiers and racers since the 1930s, Rikert general manager Michael Hussey said by phone. By the early 1980s, the center was known as the Carroll & Jane Rikert Nordic Center. When Hussey came on board in 2011, the name was shortened to Rikert Nordic Center. More than 55 kilometers of groomed trails await visitors for the upcoming season, which runs December through March. Though all

athletes are welcome on any route, narrow trails are generally used for snowshoeing and fat biking, while wider pathways are groomed for crosscountry skiing. No matter their mode of travel, guests are rewarded with stunning vistas of the Green Mountain National Forest. Reviewers on Tripadvisor note the center’s well-groomed rural pathways and fresh mountain air. Wrote one visitor in 2019: “The terrain is varied. There are woody hills and open flat fields. The conditions were amazing on all trails we skied.”

COURTESY OF MATT TRUEHEART

Fat biking

COURTESY OF CARRIE HERZOG

A ski tour

COURTESY OF BRETT SIMONSEN

There’s really no more beautiful place to be in the wintertime than out in the woods. MICHAEL HUSSEY

Cross-country skiing on a groomed trail

COURTESY OF ANNE MAJUSIAK

Another bonus, particularly for poetry fans: Late American writer Robert Frost’s summer cabin is on the trail system. Though folks can’t enter the building, “they can ski up and look in the windows and have lunch outside,” Hussey said. Guests do have access to the Ian Burgin Memorial Lodge, a four-sided backcountry shelter built in honor of a Middlebury College alum who died in a car accident several years ago. This lodge is open to the public during the day for guests to warm their hands by the woodstove and admire the scenery from the porch. To ensure that no athlete is left out in the cold, Rikert offers adaptive rental equipment for individuals with disabilities. Those seeking adaptive gear should contact the center with their needs; Rikert will work with Vermont Adaptive Ski & Sports to provide the right apparatus. All visitors should do a little homework at rikertnordic.com before showing up. In keeping with state guidelines for ski areas, Rikert is taking measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some adjustments include required online booking, contactless rental reservations,

COURTESY OF CARRIE HERZOG

Fat biking

and grab-and-go food options in place of usual fare such as hot soup. “This is state- and collegemandated contact-tracing stuff,” Hussey said, “so we aren’t going to let anybody in the driveway that doesn’t have their reservation.” Additionally, the main lodge will be open for bathroom use only, so come prepared with snacks and weather-appropriate clothing. Fortunately, “the culture of Nordic skiing is very much [based] out of the car, using your car as your base lodge,” Hussey pointed out. “The Nordic culture will absorb that, I think, very well.” Hussey estimates that Rikert receives approximately 15,000 skiers per season, and he expects that number to grow this year as folks embrace outdoor recreation as a safer alternative to indoor activities. In 2013, Rikert installed snowmaking equipment on five kilometers of trail. In addition to the typical daytrippers from Vermont and the surrounding region, the human-made powder has attracted seasoned skiers looking to train or race, Hussey said. “So there’s a split between the competitive component, the recreational local

skier and the recreational destination skier,” he added. There is no overnight lodging on-site, but Rikert’s website includes a list of area rooming options for those visiting with a quarantine plan or Vermonters looking to staycation. Book a room at Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen, and you can ski there from the center. The Chipman and Waybury inns are also nearby. New to winter sports? Rikert’s Nordic Ski School offers group and individual lessons for beginner, intermediate and experienced skiers. Be sure to preregister online. The outdoor activities offered at Rikert are fairly easy to pick up, Hussey said, so beginners should feel excited, not intimidated. Plus, he noted, “There’s really no more beautiful place to be in the wintertime than out in the woods enjoying the environment.”

INFO Rikert Nordic Center, 106 College Cross Rd., Ripton, 443-2744, rikertnordic.com. SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

CHADWICK ESTEY

Top of the Church Street Marketplace

In the Spirit Gift shopping in Burlington with an eye for vintage BY M ARGARET GRAYSON

ne of the best gifts I’ve ever received was a floral fascinator from a vintage shop in Ottawa, a pile of dried flowers atop a headband that made me feel like a fairy. It was an absurd thing for a 13-year-old to own, and I had neither the occasion nor the confidence to wear it. But my grandma’s best friend bought it for me anyway, because it was beautiful and she thought this was reason enough for me to have it. This is what comes to mind when I ponder 10

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

my own gift-giving philosophy. The best presents are either a slightly fancy version of something practical or delightfully frivolous. Either way, gifts must be something the recipients wouldn’t think to buy for themselves — something that makes them feel seen and a little bit spoiled. Thus, I implore you this holiday season: Consider vintage shops, where you can find unique, even heirloom gifts. Buying secondhand is not only more environmentally

friendly, it makes for a more whimsical experience. I took a day out on the town in Burlington to craft a shopping itinerary so you can appreciate all of the quirk Vermont’s biggest city has to offer. The downtown district and its surrounding streets are an ideal place for checking everyone off your list. My outing was in mid-November, so the status of in-person shopping could change in the lead-up to the holidays, or you may

IN THE AREA • • • • • • • •

Old Gold

BARGE CANAL MARKET, bargecanalmarketvt.com CHERRY, radiobean.com CITY HALL PARK, enjoyburlington.com CROW BOOKSHOP, crowbooks.com MUDDY WATERS, Facebook OLD GOLD, Facebook TOP OF THE BLOCK SANDWICH SHOPPE, Facebook THE VAULT COLLECTIVE, thevaultcollective.com PHOTOS: MARGARET GRAYSON

“Distance Beast“ by Abby Manock at Muddy Waters

prefer some alternatives. In that case, many local stores offer online shopping, browsing by appointment or curbside pickup. Stay flexible and, of course, wear a mask, as all the shopkeepers and customers did while I was reporting. First: coffee. MUDDY WATERS, one of Burlington’s coolest watering holes, has reopened its coffee counter and cozy dining area — with some new guests. Massive, neon, bug-eyed beasts occupy chairs and corners and hang from the ceiling, encouraging customers to sit apart from one another. They’re called “Distance Beasts” and were created by Brooklyn/Burlington artist Abby Manock. The beasts, covered in a chaotic rainbow of fabric and fur, are difficult to describe and absolutely worth seeing. I gawked at them while

The Vault Collective

waiting for my mocha, then took the drink around the corner to the newly reopened CITY HALL PARK. After more than a year of hotly contested renovations, the park just west of Church Street is now a wide, open space dotted with trees, benches and brightly colored metal chairs. I took a seat in one, watching wildhaired kids slide down the stone steps of city hall. Once adequately caffeinated, I headed northeast to my first two shopping stops: the VAULT COLLECTIVE and OLD GOLD, perfectly paired clothing stores seated shoulder to shoulder on Cherry Street. The Vault Collective opened in 2017, and Old Gold moved there in 2018 after 40 years on Main Street. At the Vault Collective, I met Vanessa

Compton, one of the 10 sellers with an individual vintage “booth” inside the store. Each has their own unique style; Compton sources most of her wares in the Southwest, meaning lots of leather, Pendleton woolens and camouflage. She is also a visual artist who had a solo show at Soapbox Arts earlier this year. Compton is not the only tastemaker present: Vermont soul singer Kat Wright also has a booth. Her mannequin busts are topped with wide-brimmed hats, like those Wright might don onstage. “You don’t get rich doing this, but it’s so fun. It’s like treasure hunting,” Compton said of curating vintage. She loves that everyone can find something to suit their personal expression. “The amount of men who come in here IN THE SPIRIT

» P.12

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

PHOTOS: MARGARET GRAYSON

Cherry

In the Spirit « P.11 wearing eyeliner warms my heart,” she said. I lingered over some wool sweaters and noted a pair of outrageous cat-eye sunglasses that my best friend would rock. But it was next door at Old Gold where I found a gift jackpot: a gray wool beret that I could immediately picture atop the head of my ginger-haired former roommate. Done. Delightfully frivolous is our aim, remember? I also thumbed through the rack of flannels, thinking that a stack of cozy vintage plaid, freshly laundered and bound up in ribbon, would be the perfect gift for my dad. Then a rack of polyester button-ups caught my eye, just the thing for any young person who wants to look like Harry Styles. (The ’70s are very much back, which could be thrilling or terrifying for those who lived through them the first time.) If you want to get something wild for the teen in your life, something that will make them gasp upon opening it, Old Gold is the place. A few blocks away is CHERRY, a new retail venture in the former home of the Light Club Lamp Shop bar. I popped in to chat with owner Lee Anderson, who also runs Radio Bean and the new restaurant C’est Ça, all on the same block of North Winooski Avenue. Though I was still mourning the loss of the Lamp Shop, one of my favorite Burlington bars, I was excited to see its eclectic aesthetic live on at Cherry. As it turns out, that’s just Anderson’s taste. He’s drawn to midcentury wares and classic vintage, along with totally eccentric pieces — such as two standing lamps shaped like jesters that he 12

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

ST2V-OGE112520-LEFT 1

11/20/20 3:59 PM

Crow Bookshop

said once adorned the home of actress Mary Tyler Moore. Anderson has rotary telephones, vintage art and, of course, a vast array of lighting fixtures. “Most people walk in here, and they’re like, ‘Oh, my gosh, look at all this cool stuff,’” Anderson said. “I’m just happy to spark joy in people.” The next stop on our tour is also on the north end of downtown, so I took a brief hiatus from my shopping to grab a tuna melt from the TOP OF THE BLOCK SANDWICH SHOPPE, a true hole-in-thewall inside a turreted brick building. I figured the retro, all-American sandwich was a good fit for the day’s theme, and I appreciated the tangy kick of banana peppers tucked into the grilled wrap. From there it was just a few steps to CROW BOOKSHOP, with its ever-changing

Barge Canal Market

IKEA and an art gallery. Exploring it is a delight in normal times, but the pair goes all-out for Christmas. They closed for three days to transform the space into a classy, rustic winter wonderland. Lawrence is happy to make holiday shopping “a destination, not an obligation,” she said. A vintage gift is “heir-

I’m just happy to spark joy in people. LEE ANDERSON

stock of used books. It’s a place to find secondhand copies of works by Vermont heavy hitters such as Bill McKibben, Chris Bohjalian and Major Jackson, along with guidebooks, Vermont history and a cookbook for every diet. I picked up a Mavis Staples biography for my partner and quickly forced myself out the door, lest I add to my ever-growing personal pile of must-reads. My day was winding down, but I still wanted to make one last stop. A quick drive down Pine Street landed me at BARGE CANAL MARKET, a gem of a vintage furniture store in Burlington’s artsy South End. Owners Adelle Lawrence and Jeremy Smith put incredible care into the arrangement of the shop, making a maze of staged, themed “rooms” that feel like a cross between

loom worthy, something that someone could have a long time.” Alongside clothes, furniture, rugs, tchotchkes and a stunning array of glassware, Barge Canal sells an exclusive line of shirts designed by artist and employee Julianna Brazill, screen-printed just across the street at Unknown Arts. While I wandered, I overheard a customer tell Smith she’d tried to get a Christmas tree that day but found she was too early. “If there was ever a year to start Christmas early…” she said. Another pair of shoppers cooed at the holiday displays. “I do have a weakness for vintage Christmas,” one confessed. I picked up a few stickers designed by Brazill to tuck in the next letter to my pen pal and, contemplating the unknown nature of the Christmas season and how the pandemic would allow me to spend it, dropped $10 on a vinyl record from 1970 titled A Very Merry Christmas Volume IV. Let’s just say the spirit moved me. m ST2V-OGE112520-RIGHT 1

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

11/20/20 3:58 PM

Ski-Town Snacks

Citrus-marinated Faroe Island salmon over linguini at Black Lantern Inn

Head down the mountain for après-ski dining destinations BY JORDA N B A R RY

A hot toddy

FILE: MATTHEW THORSEN

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

Black Lantern Inn

Blackbird Bistro

2057 N. Main St., Montgomery, 326-3269, blacklanternvt.com

1037 S. Craftsbury Rd., Craftsbury, 586-2400, blackbirdbistrovt.com

The winter menu at Black Lantern Inn’s farm-to-table restaurant is full of ideal après-ski dishes. Jonesing for a bowl of French onion soup? How about a plate of smoked-duck poutine, or the vegan Sweet Potato LT — in which housesmoked sweet potatoes stand in for bacon? There’s something for everyone here. And if you eat too much, there just might be a room available at the inn. Call for a reservation and be sure to ask what’s on “the board,” where the restaurant lists its daily specials. Reservations for the intimate dining room are scheduled in 90-minute blocks. “You can leave the mountain at Jay at 4:30 and get here when we open at 5,” consulting executive chef Joey Buttendorf noted. Buttendorf splits her time between the Black Lantern and her role as senior chef-instructor at the Community Kitchen Academy at Capstone Community Action in Barre. At the Lantern, she’s proud of how Patrick Roberts and Paul Fenner “are cooking my thought process,” she said, feeding diners on-site and keeping up with “a tremendous amount of takeout.” The whole menu is available to-go, including the maple-chipotle chicken sandwich, which Buttendorf said “rocks the world.” The deep-fried chicken breast topped with cheddar, bacon and fennel slaw is so popular that it’s been on the menu since Buttendorf started three years ago. Sounds like a good way to end a day of rocking the slopes.

After zipping around the Craftsbury Outdoor Center on cross-country skis, stop at nearby Blackbird Bistro for a creative cocktail, poutine topped with Sweet Rowen Farmstead cheese curds, an over-the-top jumbo grilled cheese sandwich, or a burger. Warming drinks from the winter cocktail menu are perfect for sipping around one of the fire pits on the restaurant’s expansive lawn, which it shares with the Craftsbury Farmhouse. Have a hot toddy while you wait for a table inside or on the heated front porch. “Hot cocktails go hand in hand with standing by a campfire,” Blackbird Bistro owner Lee Kinsey said. “And Vermonters, we’re hardy people — especially if you’re already decked out in all your ski gear.” Blackbird Bistro opened in November 2019, and Kinsey said the fledgling business saw quite a bit of traffic from the outdoor center last winter. The restaurant is hoping to build on that connection this season, drawing outdoorsy people for riffs on classic cocktails and post-ski meals. “I’ve been watching our Scandinavian cousins and restaurants in Canada do [outdoor winter dining] for years,” Kinsey said. “We’re lucky to have a big backyard and a lot of elbow room here. If we see some more snow soon, people will be ready for it.”

FILE: MOLLY ZAPP

COURTESY OF BLA CK LANTERN INN

itting down for a steamy mug of hot chocolate or a cold beer in the base lodge is a ski-season tradition. But with resorts limiting their indoor capacities this year, skiers and riders will be looking down the mountain for their sips and snacks. Thankfully, mountain towns around Vermont have the après-ski vibe down to a science, even during a pandemic. Whether you want to warm up with a hot cocktail in front of an outdoor fire, dive into a hearty meal in a cozy dining room, or pick up dinner and drinks to bring home, these five dining destinations will welcome you this winter — snowsuits and all.

5123 Main St., Waitsfield, 496-6003, canteencreemee.com

Ice cream might not be your first thought after a frosty day on the mountain, but Waitsfield’s go-to creemee spot has more than just desserts. “I do ice cream all winter because it’s in my name, so I feel a certain obligation,” Canteen Creemee Company owner Charlie Menard said with a laugh. After a break in November, Canteen Creemee will reopen for winter the first week of December. Menard said he typically sees plenty of mountain-goers from nearby Mad River Glen and Sugarbush Resort, but winter is also a time for catching up with folks from the Mad River Valley. “We’re so busy during the summer, it’s nice to see locals come back and make them dinner,” he said. Those dinners feature items such as griddled burgers, fish and chips, and Grilled Kim-Cheese (with kimchi, of course). It’s the fried chicken, though, that can’t be missed. Get it in sandwich form as the Original Cluckster, or in a box — from two pieces to 32 — served with cornbread pudding, slaw and pickles. The walk-up window is for takeout only, so don’t forget your mittens. They’re perfect for holding creemees, after all.

FILE: JEB WALLA CE-BRODEUR

Canteen Creemee Company

Fried chicken box from Canteen Creemee Company

Mojo Café

4026 Main St., Manchester, 417-5049, thecrookedramvt.com

106 Main St., Ludlow, 228-6656, mojocafevt.com

Though it opened in early 2017 as a tiny bottle shop, the Crooked Ram has evolved into an eating and drinking destination. It carries interesting Vermont beers and ciders and one of the most dialed-in selections of natural and local wines in the state. Things have been busy during the pandemic, thanks to an influx of city folks who came to quarantine in the area, co-owner Peter Campbell said. So busy, in fact, that the Ram is expanding. The crew built out a full kitchen in the summer, added dinner service, and plans to increase outdoor seating with a beer garden. The dinner menu, which changes from week to week, features chef Nevin Taylor’s seasonal dishes. These include warm focaccia with fennel pollen, chile flakes and olive oil; beet romesco flatbread; salad with pecorino and lemon vinaigrette; beef tartare tucked under thin slices of kohlrabi; and littleneck clams in a garlic-lemon broth good enough to drink. Tables are by reservation, but service is low-key and ordering takes place at the counter. Not sure what to order from the extensive beverage lists? The staff will pour you a taste and share why they’re excited about what’s in the glass. Whether you nerd out on natural wine or load up on local beer, maybe plan to take the second chair at Stratton or Bromley the next morning.

Catfish gumbo and alligator tacos aren’t typical farm-to-table fare in Vermont — alligator farms are hard to come by. But that hasn’t stopped Mojo Café from carving out a “Ver-Mex-Orleans” niche in the growing Okemo-area dining scene. On Mojo’s menu — inspired by owners Jodi and John Seward’s travels and love of Cajun food — loaded burritos and punishingly hot Nashville chicken po’boys vie for attention, while unexpected spice mixes jazz up Vermont-grown vegetables and meats. Adventurous ordering is encouraged. “I don’t want to serve food you can make at home, because what’s the point of doing that?” John asked. The Sewards opened Mojo in 2014. John is the chef, and Jodi runs the front of house, keeping hungry skiers and snowboarders in line as they pour into the playful counter-service spot — currently open for takeout only. Grab a gumbo special or the slathered Enchurrito to-go. If you’re ordering in person, add a can of craft beer, a margarita or a Hurricane to get the bon temps rolling. Tacos at Mojo Café

Hot cocktails go hand in hand with standing by a campfire. LEE KINSEY

FILE: TOM MCNEILL

The Crooked Ram

Lee Kinsey with cocktails at Blackbird Bistro in 2019

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

Stars in Our Eyes Winter stargazing tips from a meteorologist and an astrologer BY MOL LY ZA P P

any of us have spent too much of this frenetic, soul-searching year looking down and feeling down. As a new season approaches, perhaps we should all take a tip from meteorologist Mark Breen, who has been teaching people how to look up and find wonder since Ronald Reagan was president. A host of the “Eye on the Sky” weather forecast and the planetarium director of St. Johnsbury’s Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium, Breen knows a lot about the celestial bodies above. And he views learning the night sky as part of understanding the world we’re in. “This is a constellation; this is Orion; this is what the Greeks were talking about thousands of years ago,” he said. Only 2 percent of Americans live in places where the Milky Way is visible. Rural Vermonters are often fortunate to be among them. Faced with a winter of long, dark evenings, we asked Breen for some pointers for observing our night sky. He began by explaining that the stars are in the same place in the sky at the same time every year, and that the sky looks different according to one’s latitude. For example, every mid-November, the constellation Cygnus can be viewed from our area in the northwest part of the sky. In contrast, the planets and the moon, which are much closer to Earth, “are the most changeable things in the sky,” Breen said. Different times of the month offer different advantages for stargazers. When the moon is fuller, it showcases only the brighter stars, which can make identifying constellations easier. In the two darkest weeks of the month, the blacker sky reveals more of its jewels, including the Milky Way. Breen counsels new stargazers to have a reference point to help them understand what they’re seeing. He recommends the delightful book The Stars by H.A. Rey (the illustrator of Curious George) or the Star Walk app. Guide in hand, head anywhere with an open horizon that’s 10 or 20 miles away from 16

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

more populated areas for a decent of expansion, optimism, constriction view of the night sky. and fear are sitting on the same degree The meteorologist advises novices of the sky, that speaks about what is to begin studying the sky with unaided happening on Earth.” eyes, as telescopes can be tricky to use As close as the planets will appear, and the planets are still pretty small they will remain hundreds of millions when viewed through a consumer of miles apart from each other — and telescope. “If you want to see more, us. And then, their cycle will continue. use binoculars,” he said. These can “These events keep happening,” even reveal some of the moon’s said Breen. “They’re cyclical but way craters. beyond our lifetimes — no matter what Winter weather, of course, comwe do to ourselves. It gives a sense plicates stargazing. The beginning of that we are not in a universe that is the season tends toward cloudiness, static. It’s dynamic. There is always which makes a change, and the sky clear night in is a safe place to December all the explore that.” more special. By The sky and its February, Breen changes are best said, Vermonters experienced in good typically have company. One mornmore clear nights. ing, my boyfriend This winter and I rose at 5:30 will begin with a a.m. to marvel at an MARK BREEN celestial specexceptionally bright tacle: a “great Mercury burning conjunction.” Every 20 years, the blue near the waxing crescent, Venus, orbits of Saturn and Jupiter, the two and the star Spica. largest planets, come together in our The night after we heard the Earthly view. On December 21, the elections results, we bundled up on winter solstice, the two planets will the deck and pondered the nature of be so close to each other that they’ll change as we gazed into the universe. appear to nearly merge into one. The Saturn and Jupiter appeared in the last time they were this close was in southwest at twilight; we set an 1623, when Galileo was writing a book intention to continue to observe their about heliocentrism, which puts the transit into the great conjunction. Is sun at the center of the universe. that a plane or a satellite?, we wonThis conjunction feels significant dered. Another one!, we gasped, as the to Breen, as well as to Linda River Taurid meteor shower bedazzled the Valente, a Montpelier-based astrologer sky. We took in a universe indifferent and holistic sex educator. In Roman toward election cycles and economic mythology, noted Breen, Jupiter is the systems that nonetheless allowed our son of Saturn. Valente explained that, new love to bloom, even in the midst astrologically speaking, Jupiter and of a pandemic. Saturn have been having their conjuncA welcome feeling of smallness tions in Earth signs, most recently in arose in knowing that we were gazing Capricorn, for the past 200 years. This at starlight that had traveled for solstice, their conjunction will occur in thousands or even millions of years Aquarius, an air sign. Their conjuncbefore reaching our insignificant eyes. tions will continue to occur in air signs These eyes and all of our bodies are for about the next 200 years. composed of atoms cooked up inside Valente sees this shift as a move massive stars that exploded billions of toward innovation, liberation and years ago. social justice. “Saturn is about conThis is not metaphor; we are striction and discipline,” she said. actually stardust, now capable of “Jupiter is about expansion, exuberawareness, beauty and wonder — if we ance and freedom. If these energies only look up.

INFO Learn more about the Fairbanks Museum & Planetarium at fairbanksmuseum.org.

There is always change, and the sky is a safe place to explore that.

ELISA JÄRNEFELT

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

18 ST1t-stjohnsburychamber112520 SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020 1

11/20/20 8:47 AM

Destination ‘ICE VISIONS’ On view in person and virtually through March 6 at Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, brattleboromuseum.org.

Untitled-28 1

10/13/20 8:17 AM

COURTESY OF BRATTLEBORO MUSEUM & ART CENTER

“Ice Visions 38” photo by Erik Hoffner

Human interventions in nature are sometimes uncannily beautiful when caught on film, as Edward Burtynsky’s large-format photographs of industrial landscapes illustrate. Erik Hoffner, a photographer and essayist from western Massachusetts, works in the same vein as Burtynsky, though closer to his subject matter. For “Ice Visions,” a series now on exhibit at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center in conjunction with the Vermont Folklife Center, Hoffner trekked or skated over frozen ponds and lakes around New England to photograph the previous day’s ice-fishing holes. These perfectly round perforations, approximately the diameter of a spread hand, are made by drilling an augur into the ice. After a day, the holes acquire thin new ice formations. Each of these circular formations, photographed in black and white, is unique. Some could be mistaken for close-ups of human irises, with fine lines radiating from a central spot. Others are filled with overlapping bubbles and resemble cells as seen under a microscope. Often, the ice outside the circle is filled with galaxies of tiny bubbles, captured in precise detail. As chief curator Mara Williams noted in her statement, “Hoffner is the Snowflake Bentley of our Also try… generation” — a purveyor of the beauty and infinite variety of ice • “MESSAGES FROM THE ANTHROPOCENE: formations. SITE SPECIFIC INSTALLATIONS THAT Hoffner’s abstract comREFLECT ON THE IMPACT OF HUMAN positions themselves are also ACTIVITY ON THE ENVIRONMENT,” by beautiful. Their flatness makes Patrick O’Shea, Tina Escaja, Bren Alvarez it difficult to distinguish where and Stuart Paton, through January 31 at the effects of light come into play, Flynndog in Burlington, flynndog.net. which accounts in part for the • “PRECARIOUS SHELTERS: HOUSES THAT pleasure of studying them. HOLD US,” sculptures by Jackie Abrams, But, as in Burtynsky’s work, December 5-January 24 at Mitchell there’s a bittersweet element • Giddings Fine Arts in Brattleboro, here. Hoffner photographed the mitchellgiddingsfinearts.com. 36 prints in “Ice Visions” over 20 years. The most recent, bubble-filled ones, he wrote in a statement, revealed “striking new kinds of formations I’ve never seen before” that could be “the fingerprint of a warming climate.” Hoffner’s series is both a celebration of winter’s wonders and a reminder that they’re far from timeless. AMY LILLY

ST8h-Burlingtonfarmersmarket112520 1

11/23/20 10:15 AM

20 Langdon St. Montpelier, VT • (802) 225-6736 • onionriver.com ST4T-OROutdoors112520 1

SEVEN DAYS STAYTRIPPER DECEMBER 2020

11/19/20 4:53 PM

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

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