Arts + Leisure Nov 3, 2016

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ARTS+LEISURE November 3, 2016

The Addison Independent

Mary McGuire, Diane Corey, Karen McEachen, Elissa Cobb and Anne Wallace are five of the seven women who run Yarn & Yoga in Bristol. Not pictured: Laurie Lowy and Janet Chill.

INDEPENDENT PHOTO/TRENT CAMPBELL

Stitching community together MATERIALS NEEDED: SEVEN WOMEN, YARN, YOGA AND A BUSINESS ON MAIN STREET IN BRISTOL.

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ust like a knitting project, this story starts with a simple idea. But as any knitter knows, simple ideas aren’t always that simple.

The first stitch was cast when Karen McEachen, a retired teacher at Bristol Elementary, invited Elissa Cobb to come to her barn in Bristol to teach a yoga class.

Inspired, after taking some time away from teaching yoga, Cobb decided to float the idea of starting a business with yarn and yoga.

BY ELSIE LYNN PARINI

“We’re living the dream,” said Wallace, a retired social worker at Addison County Parent-Child Center. “It keeps all us ‘old ladies’ off the streets.”

“WE’RE LIVING THE DREAM.”

The shop on Main Street is cozy — just as you’d expect a yarn shop to be. There are colorful skeins of yarn lining all the walls, sample sweaters, mittens, scarves and socks tacked to the shelves, needle-felted creatures tucked into any open shelf space, and vertical cubbies on wheels that make way for the yoga mats, belts, blankets and cushions.

— Anne Wallace

“She had a dream,” said Diane Corey, a now retired special educator at Middlebury Union Middle School.

“She went around to us, and asked us what we thought of creating a place to focus on fiber arts and do yoga.”

McEachen and Corey, along with Anne Wallace, Mary McGuire, Laurie Lowy and Janet Chill came together with Cobb and founded Yarn & Yoga in June of 2014.

“I think the smallness is a great part of it,” said Wallace.

“It seems like this space is elastic — there’s always enough room.”

Kinda like that wonderful book, The Mitten... If you haven’t read it, do.

Yoga classes are held five days a week and are taught by Cobb, Chill, Jen Peterson and Ali DaBica.

SEE YARN ON PAGE 3

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| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

Gary Hall ON EXHIBIT AT EDGEWATER GALLERY ON THE GREEN, MIDDLEBURY

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Gary Hall takes photos while paddling on Upper Saranac Lake. See his work at Edgewater Gallery in Middlebury.

ine art photographer Gary Hall was exposed to the craft from an early age back in the 1960s. “My father was constantly taking family photos and documenting our trips,” Hall said. Growing up in Charlotte, he was fascinated by the beauty of changing light on Lake Champlain, and wanted to capture those moments and scenes to share with others.

and the sunrise was hitting this peak; and it was a flash of orange. That’s when I knew, I had to get a good camera.”

Hall’s uncle helped him buy the equipment, and Hall took around 3,000 slides that first year.

As a boy scout, 16-year-old Hall remembers the moment he knew he’d be a photographer.

With his grandfather and father being veterans of WWI and WWII, respectively, and his brother stationed in Germany during the 1960s, it wasn’t surprising that Hall enlisted in the military as an Army Signal Corps Photographer after graduating from high school in 1971.

“We were hiking the Long trail around Camel’s Hump,” Hall said. “As we came down that morning I happened to look over my shoulder,

As his first tour of duty, he was sent to Vietnam to capture images on the ground, and from above by helicopter. He documented everything from

PHOTO / ZACH CLAYTON

award ceremonies to combat, and has the blood soaked documents to prove it, he says.

“We were always about 3-5 miles out,” Hall recalled. “But the shelling still shook the beds... It was hot and all I had was a concrete bunker and some chemicals.” He laughed, “maybe that’s why the photos came out so flat.”

Hall developed his 8-by-10 negatives and sent the photos back to the Pentagon.

“When I first got there I was a young guy who was invincible, at least I thought I was, until the first incoming,” Hall, who enlisted at 18, said.

“Then you realize how quickly you can die... You SEE HALL ON PAGE 7

Addison Independent

YARN CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

“There’s something nice about the softness of doing yoga around yarn,” said Cobb. “It’s comforting. I think it also helps with the acoustics.”

On Wednesdays, Yarn & Yoga also hosts Wednesday Night Inspirations — a free gathering that offers a small intimate space to people who’d like to perform or share. The evenings reflect

“THERE’S SOMETHING NICE ABOUT THE SOFTNESS OF DOING YOGA AROUND YARN... IT’S COMFORTING.” — Elissa Cobb

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 3

time) at Mount Abraham High School.

“People come in stuck on a project, and end up staying and talking,” said Cobb. “Usually, there’s much more than the project that’s tangled up.”

“Many of us are or were teachers and social workers,” said Wallace. “It comes in handy!”

As a team of seven, the women share all the ownership and responsibilities evenly — well, accept the books. They leave that to the trusty Laurie Lowy of Bristol. Lowy is also the full-time accountant for Vermont Community Foundation in Middlebury.

“She is the gentlest, most patient person,” said Cobb. “This is a person who works with numbers for a living and none of us hardly knows what a number is!”

Books, web-development, yoga instruction, knitting classes, special workshops... the list goes on.

“We’re more than the sum of our parts,” said Corey.

“We really work together well.”

our dedication to being a community center for learning, creativity and well-being. Wednesday, Nov. 9, features Healing Sound Meditation with Andrew Noethiger from 6-7:15 p.m.

“We want to be a community meeting place,” said Wallace, noting that giving back is part of their mission.

“We are a team of extremely creative, passionate, loving, resourceful, sensitive, adventuresome, joyous and fun women that I love spending time with,” Chill — who is a retired tour leader and manager for VBT Bicycling and Walking Vacations (she’s also been teaching yoga since 2003 and is a fine arts painter) — chimed in.

“It’s fun to see people gathering here,” said McGuire, an English teacher (now down to half-

“There’s a lot of mutual trust and respect,” said McGuire.

Racks of yarn offer a comforting perimeter around the yoga studio at Yarn & Yoga in Bristol. Classes are held five days a week.

“WE’RE MORE THAN THE SUM OF OUR PARTS... WE REALLY WORK TOGETHER WELL.” — Diane Corey

It looks like seven heads and 14 hands are better than one.

“It feels like our third year in business is on a really good track,” said Cobb, who worked for many years at the director of Phoenix Rising Yoga Therapy in Bristol, and prior to that, was a personal trainer and fitness instructor in Addison County.

“The better we do the more we can do for the community,” added Cobb. Yarn & Yoga has a long list of donations and ways they support the community, including the yarn swap — where you can bring in your unused yarn or needles and swap it, or come buy it for 50 cents per ounce. So far those donations have totaled over $500, which goes directly to Have a Heart Bristol Food Shelf.

“We’re not in it to make big bucks,” continued Cobb. “We need enough to stay here and enough to give back.”

There are many kinds of currency, Cobb said, and Yarn & Yoga is flush with the warm fuzzies.

“Come on in and get inspired that’s what we do best,” said Corey.

Yarn & Yoga carries yarn from many Vermont farms.

INDEPENDENT PHOTOS/TRENT CAMPBELL

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OUT OF TOWN

Paramount’s got ‘da blues

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his is the fourth show in a new series hosted by the Paramount Theatre that started last fall. The 802 Vermont Music Showcase feature’s artists of all types from all over Vermont.

Previous guests have included Bow Thayer, THURSDAY NOV. Waylon Speed and Paramount Theater, Rutland Jatoba, as well as Ida May Specker, Crazyhearse and Duane Carleton.

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The last show brought a twist. The band and the audience were brought on stage. Dropping the curtain, a new smaller stage was turned across the main stage. And with smooth lighting, chairs, high tops and a bar in the back, the stage of the Paramount was turned into a nightclub.

On Nov. 10 at 7 p.m., the Paramount will welcome guests back to the stage with nightclub-style

seating for an evening of blues by top notch Vermont bluesmen, Dave Keller and Bob Stannard (along with Stannard’s band, Those Dangerous Bluesmen).

Keller will kick off the show. He’s earned the respect of the torchbearers of the blues: recording and co-writing with legendary guitarist Ronnie Earl; touring regularly with Mississippi blues master Johnny Rawls; and spending many years as the protege of soul/blues singer Mighty Sam McClain.

Stannard has played with numerous musicians throughout the world including Sandra Wright of Nashville and the late Big Joe Burrell; formerly of the BB King band. He has also played with local stars Rick Redington and Duane Carleton.

He had Dennis Wilmott, Tommy Buckley, Jason Corbiere and Nick Sherman and Bill Carruth join him on one of his albums, which also included guest appearances from Grammy and W.C. Handy award winning pianist, David Maxwell and

Dave Keller will perform with Bob Stannard and Those Dangerous Bluesmen on Thursday, Nov. 19, at the Paramount Theater in Rutland.

west coast harmonica virtuoso, Mark Hummel.

The show is gonna’ be hoppin’, with the sixpiece Dangerous Bluesmen getting people up on their feet.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 day-of. Since it’s stage seating, tickets are limited.

Addison Independent

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IN TOWN

Call to artists: Submissions for winter exhibit JURIED EXHIBIT: ‘IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS’ COMES TO BRANDON JAN. 13- FEB. 25

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he Compass Music and Arts Center is accepting submissions for the juried photography exhibit “It’s the Little Things.” The exhibit runs from Jan. 13-Feb. 25. All submissions are due Dec 2.

We often hear “It’s the little things in life that matter the most.” Yet we allow ourselves to get wrapped up in the hustle and bustle of work, responsibilities, reaching that next goal, and the general speed in which we live our lives. This exhibit is a chance to reflect on the little things in life, the details, that when accumulated, equal a more joyful, fulfilling life. We all need to remember, as author Kurt Vonnegut stated, “Enjoy the little things in life because one day you’ll look back and realize they were the big things.”

Submissions will be considered by Vermont photographers Denise Letendre Bach, Norma Montaigne and Lowell Snowdon Klock, and judged based on the submitting artist’s interpretation of the “It’s the Little Things” theme. A cash prize will be awarded, along with future exhibiting opportunities at Compass.

The submission materials and fees must be received by Dec. 2. The submission guidelines are available at www.cmacvt.org or via info@ cmacvt.org.

ABOUT THE JURORS Denise Letendre Bach likes to work on projects that draw people in and then inspire them to look around their own environment in a fresh way, in a way that children often do. She

was awarded ‘Juror’s Choice’ in the Compass Center’s ‘Winter as Prism or Prison’ exhibit this past winter.

Norma Montaigne, local artist, photographer, graphic designer and illustrator went to school in Connecticut at the University of Hartford Art School and Paier School of Art in New Haven.

She illustrated the adult coloring book “Color the Open Road,” has exhibited locally, and is involved in Rutland art community events.

In her photography, Lowell Snowdon Klock transforms the ordinary into the extraordinary.

She has an Associate of Science Degree in Photography from Northern Virginia Community College in Alexandria, Virginia and has studied with photographers Elizabeth Opalenik, Frank Lavelle, and Jonathan Bailey, among others.

one two three THREE THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW THIS WEEK BE A MOVER AND A SHAKER It’s Family Polk SATURDAY NOV. Night at Burnham Hall in Lincoln.

Enjoy the RidgeRunners music, dance and help support the Lincoln Community School’s library book fund. When you’re not moving, there will be a 50/50 raffle, kielbasa and light refreshments. $5 per person or $10 for the whole family. The fun starts at 7 p.m. and lasts until 10.

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CODE BREAKER

INDEPENDENT PHOTO/TRENT CAMPBELL

LONG-RUNNING MUSICAL FINALLY COMES TO MIDDLEBURY! When the quirky little musical “The Fantasics” opened off-Broadway in 1960, nobody could have predicted that it would still be running today, 56 years later. The show, FRIDAY-SUNDAY which runs from humor to pathos, uses one of the finest scores in musical theater to tell a tale of romance, illusion, disillusion and wisdom. Middlebury NOV. Community Players will stage it at Town Hall Theater this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., with 2 p.m. matinees on Saturday and Sunday. www.townhalltheater.org.

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Retired neuroscience WEDNESDAY NOV. professor Tom Perera, one of the world’s leading experts on cipher devices, will present a talk on Nazis Germany’s infamous Enigma machine at the New Haven Community Library next Wednesday at 7 p.m. Perera has been hunting for, collecting, researching and restoring Enigmas for over 25 years — he event located and restored the Enigma machine used in the film “The Imitation Game.”

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| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

T HEATER

OWN HALL

Merchants Row, Middlebury, VT Tickets: 802-382-9222 • www.townhalltheater.org MIDDLEBURY COMMUNITY PLAYERS

THE FANTASTICKS

A timeless tale of young love, and longest running musical in American History.

Thu & Fri 11/3 & 11/4 @ 8pm; Sat 11/5 @ 2pm & 8pm; Sun 11/6 @ 2pm $15 for all seats on Thu night; $23 for all other shows; $18 with Student ID

Fri 11/11 7:30pm $10 ROCK ON FILM

WOODSTOCK

Academy Award® winning documentary of the landmark music festival.

Grooviness is assured

Sat 11/12 2:30pm & 7:30pm $20 Adults/ $15 Seniors and Students

MAIDEN VERMONT THE HILLS ARE ALIVE

FEATURING ELISABETH VON TRAPP Vermont’s own female barbershop chorus pairs up with Elisabeth Von Trapp to create a stellar day of music.

Wed 11/16 11am $10/$5 Students

EXHIBITS ADDISON COUNTY IN PROFILE: SILHOUETTES FROM THE HENRY SHELDON MUSEUM ARCHIVES. On exhibit through December at the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, 1 Park St., Middlebury. 3882117 or www.henrysheldonmuseum.org.

ANCIENT MEDITERRANEAN AND EARLY EUROPEAN ART. Ongoing exhibit, highlighting an Egyptian Old Kingdom relief and an early fifteenth-century Italian panel painting. Lower Gallery at the Middlebury College Museum of Art, 72 Porter Field Road, Middlebury. (802) 443-5007.

BLOOM AND DOOM: VISUAL EXPRESSIONS AND REFORM IN VIENNA 1900. On exhibit through Dec. 11 at the Middlebury College Museum of Art, Overbrook Gallery. 72 Porter Field Road, Middlebury. (802) 443-5007.

THE SPIRIT OF THE SEASON: MY FAVORITE THINGS. On exhibit Nov. 4-Jan. 31 featuring a holiday themed show by the ensemble company of the Brandon Artists Guild. An opening reception will be held 5-7 p.m. on Nov. 4. All are welcome. Brandon Artists Guild, 7 Center Street, Brandon.

(802) 247-4956.

EUROPEAN AND AMERICAN ART. Ongoing exhibit, featuring landscapes

by American painters Jasper Cropsey and John Frederick Kensett alongside sixteenth- and seventeenth-century European religious and devotional images and American and European sculpture. Cerf Gallery at the Middlebury College Museum of Art, 72 Porter Field Road, Middlebury.

(802) 443-5007.

FOLLOWING A THREAD. On exhibit through Nov. 13 featuring paintings by Ashley Wolff. Jackson Gallery on the lower level of Town Hall Theater, 68 South Pleasant Street, Middlebury. 802-382-9222.

GREAT ART WEDNESDAYS

INDEPENDENCE MUST BE WON: THE ART OF ELLEN VIERECK. On exhibit for 2016 at Mount Independence State Historic Site. 497 Mount Independence Road, Orwell. 802-948-2000 or www.historicsites.vermont. gov/MountIndependence.

Great artists such as Van Gogh, Pissarro, Sargent – among other famous masters – are featured in an innovative and extensive exhibition from The Royal Academy of Arts, London.

7 ARTISTS FOR OUR 7TH BIRTHDAY: A SMALL WORKS SHOW. On exhibit Nov. 1-Dec. 31 featuring the works of Sara Katz, Patty Sgrecci, Irma Cerese, Hannah Sessions, Amy Brnger, Michael Egan and CJ Hockett. Edgewater Gallery at the Falls, 1 Mill Street, Middlebury. 802-458-0098.

PAINTING THE MODERN GARDEN: MONET TO MATISSE

Fri 11/18 8pm $20

MIGRATION A FILM BY SAS CAREY

Experiential film will immerse you in the arduous annual journey of nomadic reindeer herders trekking through Mongolian wilderness from the Taiga forest to the rich pastures of the summer camp in the tundra.

7pm reception; Filmmaker Q&A follows the screening.

Sat 11/19 7pm $17/$10 Students

NT LIVE: FRANKENSTEIN

Academy Award®-winner Danny Boyle directs Benedict Cumberbatch (Creature) and Johnny Lee Miller (Frankenstein) in this thrilling production.

Sat 11/19 7-9pm Donations Appreciated

NINTH ANNUAL HOLIDAY SHOW of Original Works by Local Artists (Pictured right Out to Pasture by Mike Mayone)

POST POP: PRINTS OF KEITH HARING. On exhibit through Dec. 11.

Following the illustrious career of Keith Haring from 1982, when he made his first silkscreen prints, to his death from AIDS related complications in 1990. Middlebury College Museum of Art, 72 Porter Field Road, Middlebury. (802) 443-5007.

QUAKER MADE: VERMONT FURNITURE, 1820-1835. On exhibit starting Sunday, July 10 at the Rokeby Museum. Route 7, Ferrisburgh. 877-3406.

ROBERT F. REIFF GALLERY OF ASIAN ART. Ongoing exhibit of East Asian ceramics. Middlebury College Museum of Art, 72 Porter Field Road, Middlebury. (802) 443-5007.

‘PEACE ON EARTH.’ On exhibit Nov. 4-Jan.7 featuring the good in people, the beauty of this world, and that as human beings, we are all in this together. The exhibit was an open call to artists for that which celebrates and strengthens the ideals of ‘Peace on Earth’. The resulting compilation of work presents an eclectic view of the theme. Compass Center, 333 Jones Drive, Brandon. (802) 247-4295.

HAVE AN EXHIBIT YOU WANT PUBLISHED?

let us know

NEWS@ADDISONINDEPENDENT.COM

Addison Independent

HALL CONTINUED FROM PAGE 2

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 7

learn not to ask questions,” he said.

“It was pretty much a paranoid sort of existence; but after a while you get pretty hardened by it.”

After the U.S. pulled out of Vietnam in 1973, Hall was transferred to Thailand where he continued his war documentation, until his return to the States in 1974.

Serving time in the military gave Hall the opportunity to pursue his career in photography at Southern Illinois University, one of few establishments that offered a four-year photography program at the time.

“I got a great education,” said Hall. “I got a lot of the Midwestern aesthetic there. But I didn’t want to go straight into teaching; I wanted to learn in the trenches; I wanted to make pictures for a living.”

So, after earning his degree in Fine Arts Photography, Hall came home to Vermont.

In the early 1980s, Hall was awarded two Vermont Arts Council grants to document the urban renewal of Burlington, which included the birth of the Church Street Marketplace. Working in large format “color studies,” Hall focused on capturing the light reflecting off the new structures. Hall was at an advantage to pick up on details that others may have overlooked in this project, as having been away overseas gave him fresh eyes for the familiar downtown area, and made him keenly aware of the distinct growth and changes in the area since he was a child. The successful project gained notoriety for Hall in the community.

Soon after coming home, Hall married and their family grew. He needed to start using his craft to make money to support his children and family, so began exhibiting and selling his first prints.

In 1983, Hall was presented with an opportunity to visit a friend from college who was working in product photography in Chicago. While he was there, Hall learned about commercial photography and how to properly capture products for wellknown companies such as McDonalds and Samsonite Luggage.

When Hall returned to Vermont, he opened his own studio and pursued a career as a commercial photographer. His new skills, combined with the recognition he had garnered from the urban renewal documentation, opened doors for Hall that led to an affiliate membership with the American Institute of Architects and he began photographing high-end resorts around the world.

It was then — in the early 1990s during the Gulf War and the 40 days of extensive bombing of Iraq — that Hall started suffering PTSD.

Light Beams, Lake Champlain, by Gary Hall.

“I had pretty much buried everything,” he said of his earlier recollections. Hall had not been to therapy or explored any sort of post-processing since returning from Vietnam. “The bombing in Bagdad made me crash… My marriage lasted for another three years; then I found myself by myself.”

Hall got himself into therapy and inspiration began to return.

“I went out to the streams and woods; I could go out there and listen. It was really visceral,” he explained. “I was seeing time almost as a geologist would look at it; I was looking at things over a long time period — growing, eroding... shapes, forms and power. I was very sensitive to it.”

In 2007, Hall held his first show at the Amy E. Tarrant Gallery at the Flynn Theatre in Burlington, titled “Experimentation in Contemporary Luminism: Photographs from the Archives of Gary R. Hall.”

His influence for the show was the way in which painters are able to capture light and luminescence.

To accomplish this, he set long exposures on the camera to capture scenes in a way in which the naked eye cannot see. The finished photographs were a 20-inch by 20-inch pigment print, wherein he used digital darkroom printing techniques of scanning black and white negatives.

Photography for Hall, today, is “more about reconnecting with the planet,” he said. “It’s about going out with film cameras and slowing down... It’s been a long time coming.”

Hall continues to photograph both architecture and landscapes. He takes a rowboat out on Champlain and thinks of ways to “create new photos of the familiar scenes.” The best way to do this, he said, is to “capture the right light.”

Recently he has been experimenting with a technique known as contact prints. The process consists of placing negatives in intimate contact with a sheet of sensitized photographic paper and then applying light through a glass plate to both the paper and the negative for a short amount of time. He describes the process as being “humbling,” as it is a dated technique requiring an immense amount of time and practice to get the image right.

Halls’s goal is to capture “the timelessness of nature.” The reason for shooting in black and white, he said, is for the soul. It is a way of getting away from everything and finding a sense of peace.

—― Elsie Lynn Parini contributed to this piece.

PAGE 8 — Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

CALENDAR

kids pick

Winter is coming, but that doesn’t mean it’s time to hibernate quite yet! Grab a group of kiddos and try hockey for free this weekend at the Memorial Sports Center in Middlebury. Saturday Nov. 12 from 9:15-10:30 a.m. Bring a helmet (any type), skates and mittens.

— Eliza Eaton, MiniBury.com

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO NOVEMBER 3-13, 2016

ARTS

learn more about spinning wheels available to purchase or try one. Info: 453-5960.

COLOR PHOTOGRAPHY IN MIDDLEBURY. Thursday, Nov. 3, 8 a.m.-8 p.m., Johnson Memorial Building. Students in John Huddleston’s ART328 present an exhibit of color prints in the Johnson Central Atrium space. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 443-3168. Free.

HOLIDAY BAZAAR IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m.-3 p.m., Congregational Church of Middlebury.

Annual holiday bazaar featuring handmade fleece and knitted items, aprons, tote bags, toys, jewelry, new and antique wooden crafts, houseplants and much more. Lunch and snacks for sale. Santa will visit. Proceeds support community outreach programs.

OPENING RECEPTION IN BRANDON. Friday, Nov. 4, 5-7 p.m., Brandon Artists Guild, 7 Center Street. Opening reception for “The Spirit of the Season,” a collection featuring a variety of styles and media including original art, jewelry, clay, mixed media and glass.

MEET THE PRESS: PETER PLAGENS IN MIDDLEBURY. Thursday, Nov. 10, 4:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Robison Hall.

In his talk titled “If you think painting is dead, take a look at art criticism,” Peter Plagens, painter, novelist and art critic for Newsweek and the Wall Street Journal, discusses life as an art critic and answers questions. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 443-3168.

OPENING RECEPTION IN MIDDLEBURY. Friday, Nov. 11, 5-7 p.m., PhotoPlace Gallery, 3 Park Street. An opening reception for “Personal Narrative,” an international exhibition of photographs that through symbolism, metaphor and personal stories, are ultimately an exploration of self. Juried

by Susan Burstine.

TEDXMIDDLEBURY: PLAYING THE GAME IN MIDDLEBURY. Sunday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Robison Hall. The theme of TEDxMiddlebury is “Playing the Game,” which aims to highlight the ways we learn to navigate games and the systems that surround us. Tickets $20/$15/$8. Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 443-3168.

CRAFTS TWIST O’ WOOL SPINNING GUILD IN MIDDLEBURY. Thursday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m., 49 Wilson Road. There will be a general meeting and show and tell, followed by a spinning wheel round robin, where you can

HANDMADE HOLIDAYS IN BRISTOL. Saturday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m.-noon, Holley Hall. Join your friends and neighbors for a morning of fun and creativity as you make holiday gifts such as body butter, infused oils, homemade vanilla and more.

Registration deadline: Oct. 15. $35.

DANCE DANCING IN WEYBRIDGE. Friday, Nov. 11, 6-8 p.m., Weybridge Elementary School.

Friends of Weybridge Elementary presents the opportunity to dance, visit with friends and neighbors, enjoy seasonal treats and bid on items in a silent auction. Live music by Rick Klein and David Carpenter, and caller Luke Donforth. Admission by donation. Info: 545-2113.

FILM “LAMB” IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 5, 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Dana Auditorium. When an Ethiopian boy moves in with distant relatives, he takes along his pet sheep, but the upcoming holidays spell danger for his beloved friend. Sponsored by the Hirschfield International Film Series. Info: www. middlebury.edu/arts or 443-3168. Free.

PETER AND JOHN MOVIE IN VERGENNES. Saturday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., Vergennes Opera House. Guy de Maupassant’s 19th century seaside novel, “Pierre et Jean,” is widely credited for changing the course of narrative fiction. Q & A with director John Craven.

Tickets available at the door only.

Addison Independent

“JACKIE ROBINSON” IN FERRISBURGH. Sunday, Nov. 6, 2 p.m., Rokeby Museum.

Vermont Public Television and Rokeby Museum present a screening of Ken Burns’ new documentary “Jackie Robinson.” The film tells the story of the man who broke the color barrier in baseball when he was hired by the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1947.

“WOODSTOCK” IN MIDDLEBURY. Friday, Nov. 11, 7 p.m., Town Hall Theater. Town Hall Theater’s Rock on Film series continues with “Woodstock.” Tickets $10 and may be purchased at www.townhalltheater.org or 382-9222.

MUSIC THE JAZZ AMBASSADORS OF THE U.S. Army Field Band. Thursday, Nov. 3, 7 p.m., Vergennes Union High School. The evening features an amazingly talented, top-notch, exceptional group of patriots.

Free, but tickets are required. Info: www. vergennesoperahouse.org.

IMOGEN COOPER IN MIDDLEBURY. Thursday, Nov. 3, 7:30 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Robison Hall. Classical pianist Imogen Cooper returns to Middlebury for a program including Beethoven, Schumann, Debussy and Albeniz. Reserved seating. $25 public; $20 college ID holders; $6 students.

Sponsored by the Performing Arts Series.

Info: www.middlebury.edu/arts or 443-3168.

THE FANTASTICKS IN MIDDLEBURY. Thursday, Nov. 3, Friday, Nov. 4, Saturday, Nov. 5, 8 p.m., and Sunday, Nov. 6, 2 p.m., Town Hall Theater. The Fantasticks, a quirky little musical that opened off Broadway in 1960, finally comes to Middlebury. Tickets $15. Info: www.townhalltheater.org or 382-9222.

PAT DONOHUE CONCERT IN RIPTON. Saturday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., Ripton Community Coffee House. Guitar master and singersongwriter Pat Donohue in concert. Doors open at 7 p.m. Refreshments available. The Ripton Community Coffee House is wheelchair accessible but the bathrooms are not. $15 generous admission; $10 general admission; $3 children. Info: 388-9782.

JAMIE LEE THURSTON IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 5, 8-10 p.m., VFW Post #7823, 530 Exchange Street. Fundraiser concert

by Jamie Lee Thurston to benefit veteran’s programs.

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 9

$12 advance/$15 at the door. All ages are welcome. Doors open at 7 p.m. Info: 3889468.

top pick

MIDDLEBURY COLLEGE CHOIR IN MIDDLEBURY. Sunday, Nov. 6, 3 p.m., Mahaney Center for the Arts, Robison Hall.

Guest conductor Susanne Peck leads the choir in folk music, world music, American music and new compositions. Sponsored by the Department of Music. Info: www. middlebury.edu/arts or 443-3168. Free.

PARTAY AT WEBRIDGE ELEMENTARY!

MAIDEN VERMONT’S FALL SHOW “THE HILLS ARE ALIVE” IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., Town Hall Theater. Maiden Vermont presents their fall show, “The Hills are Alive.” The first half of the program will feature bell-like sounds of this multi-generational group of women who raise a cappella singing to a new level. The second half features their guest artist, Elizabeth Von Trapp. $20/$15 students and seniors. Info: www.townhalltheater.org or 382-9222.

HEAD OVER TO THE SCHOOL, AND KICK YOUR HEALS UP TO LIVE MUSIC BY RICK KLEIN AND DAVID CARPENTER. NOT INTO DANCING? (COUGH, LAME, COUGH). THERE'S A SILENT AUCTION, GOOD FRIENDS AND, OF COURSE, FOOD.

Better Middlebury Partnership is hosting a telecommuter happy hour. If you are a telecommuter or remote worker join in a discussion about improving the Addison County telework environment. Light snacks provided with a cash bar.

CLASSICAL TRIO PERFORMANCE IN BRISTOL. Saturday, Nov. 12, 7 p.m., WalkOver Concert Room, 15 Main Street. Annemeike McLane, piano, Letitia Quante, violin and Emily Jane Taubl, cello, will perform 18th and 19th century music. $15 advance; $20 at the door. Info: walkover@mac.com or 453-3188 ext 2.

SCAVENGER HUNT IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 5, 9 a.m., Wright Park. The Bread Loaf Section of the Green Mountain Club announces their Young Adventurers Club outings with leader Lauren Bierman.

Each outing has a theme tailored to the individual participants and will be fun for the whole family. This week’s theme is a scavenger hunt. Info: www.gmcbreadloaf. org/yac.

DADDYLONGLEGS IN BRANDON. Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m., Brandon Music. Rick Ceballos, David Gusakov and Matt Witten perform as DaddyLongLegs. Tickets $20.

Venue is BYOB. Reservations recommended.

Info: 247-4295 or www.brandon-music.net.

PENNY FAIR IN VERGENNES. Saturday, Nov. 5, 10 a.m., St. Peter’s Church. Come for a funfilled day at the penny fair. Drawings start at 6:30 p.m. Fun for all ages.

SOCIAL BUTTERFLIES

FAMILY POLKA PARTY IN LINCOLN. Saturday, Nov. 5, 7-10 p.m., Burnham Hall. Everyone, young and old, is invited to experience the joy of dancing to traditional polkas, obereks, waltzes and foxtrots. Kielbasa and light refreshments available. $5 admission, $10 for family. All proceeds go to purchase books for the Lincoln School. Music provided by the

TELECOMMUTERS EVENT IN MIDDLEBURY. Thursday, Nov. 3, 5:30-7 p.m., 51 Main. The

SEE CALENDAR ON PAGE 15

PAGE 10 — Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

Meet the chef

Chef Noi and Tip from the Sabai Sabai

M

eet Chef Noi. That means “little chef” in Thai, “but he’s not little,” joked Noi’s wife, Tip. And she’s right, Chef Noi (officially named Thammarong Uttamang) is anything but little. He not only has a large stature, but also a large heart and large dreams.

Chef Noi and Tip (who’s real name isn’t Tip, it’s Taphatsnun Sinpaksawat) moved to Middlebury five years ago with the hopes of running their own restaurant.

BY ELSIE LYNN PARINI

In 2014, the previous owners of Sabai Sabai sold to the Middlebury couple and Chef Noi’s life-long dream of owning his own restaurant in the US came true.

“It’s him,” said Tip, who met Noi while they were both working at the Royal Orchid restaurant in Montpelier.

“He had the dream.”

Tip is in charge of the business and operations side of things, and lets her husband focus on the food.

“As a young boy, I started cooking with my mom to sell food in the market,” Noi remembered. “We grew up in northeast Thailand in a rice paddy. We grew up in a very poor part of the country; there was no electricity, and we used a charcoal fire to cook everything.

“Like all boys, I was lazy,” said Noi, the eighth of 11 children. “But mom needed me... We worked really hard to help the family. I learned how to make everything from mom; like curry paste by soaking the chilis from mom’s garden.

Tip, far left, and her husband Chef Noi, far right, stand with their staff-family at Sabai Sabai Thai Cuisine in Middlebury.

“We Skype every day” Tip said, “Thank you Microsoft!”

“It was harder when he was younger,” she continued. “Now he’s almost six and he understands why we are so far away... It’s important that he grows up in Thailand so he knows his culture.”

“After I learned what mom could teach me, I found as many other jobs as I could,” said Noi. He’s been all over the U.S. and Southeast Asia cooking and working to support his family.

Originally from Bangkok herself, Tip calls her self a “city girl.” But not anymore. Now she and Noi live above the restaurant on Merchants Row in downtown Middlebury.

“Everywhere I go, I still keep mom’s original style, and then I mix it with the culture from wherever I am,” he explained. “That’s the recipe for success.”

“Many of our customers have been to Thailand,” said Tip. “People ask all the time about different things around the restaurant, and I’m grateful to share our lifestyles with them.”

Noi moved to Vermont in 2004 and then came to Middlebury with Tip and their 1-year-old son Tiger.

Tiger now lives in Thailand with Tip’s parents — in fact they’re all in the same house Tip grew up in, in Bangkok.

For example, every morning a fresh plate of food is put out in front of the restaurant for the “house spirit” — a common tradition at Asian restaurants, Tip said, but maybe something we don’t see every day around here. The food Angry Tuna roll prepared by Chef Lee.

Addison Independent

“EVERYONE HAS THE SAME SALT, BUT IT’S ABOUT HOW YOU MEASURE IT THAT CHANGES THE BALANCE IN THE FOOD, AND THAT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE.”

— Chef Noi

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 11

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offering is a way of saying thanks, and expressing gratitude for the good fortune of each day. (Former Addy Indy intern and writer Megan James wrote a great piece about it for Seven Days this spring, check it out.)

But these days, Middlebury “feels like home,” said Tip. “It’s a really nice community. I want to say thank you to the community and our customers. We try to make good quality food. We do the best we can, and try to give more than 100 percent every day.”

“We’ll keep going for as long as we can,” said Chef Noi. “And do our best to give people new choices (like the BBQ Rib noodles, people are loving those).”

Or like the new sushi chef, Chef Lee, they hired a couple months ago.

Chef Lee, also a native of Thailand, got his start as a sushi chef while working in a Japanese restaurant in Albany, N.Y. “I did a lot of work as a prep cook before they let me touch the fish,” he said. “But the restaurant business can be so ‘in-and-out’ that one day I got promoted... I started learning what people like and how to create my own sushi rolls and sauce.”

“I never stop learning,” he said, drizzling not the first, second or third, but fourth different sauce on a plate of appetizers. “That is the art... every time I prepare a plate I think three things: clean, tasty and nice presentation. Those are my goals.”

INDEPENDENT PHOTOS/TRENT CAMPBELL

“Everyone has the same salt,” Chef Noi said, “but it’s about how you measure it that changes the balance in the food, and that makes all the difference.”

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“It makes me proud that I learned how to be successful from what my mom taught me,” Chef Noi said. “I’m lucky to have a restaurant in the U.S. But my only real dream is to make people feel good, warm and happy.”

How do you think they came up with the name Sabai Sabai? It means comfortable.

“If I can make all our customers happy, full and feeling good and comfortable, that’s a successful life,” said Chef Noi remembering his mom, who passed a few years ago. “I was born with a good mom. She had a good heart and trained me about the importance of happiness... Helping each other is important. If we’re happy together, we’ll keep forever.”

Ain’t that the truth. After all, moms always know best.

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ARTS+LEISURE The Addison Independent

Who should we meet?

Send us your suggestions for the next chef.

Chef Noi prepares a spicy fish.

news@addisonindependent.com

PAGE 12 — Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

MOVIE MAKER personal reflections on Peter and John

2014 Golden Globe winner Jacqueline Bisset stars in Jay Craven's new film Peter and John, showing at the Vergennes Opera House this Saturday.

T

his Saturday, Nov. 5, the Vergennes Opera House is screening my film, Peter and John. The film is set in post-Civil War Nantucket and it tells the story of a young doctor whose life is thrown into turmoil when his younger brother receives word of a strange inheritance.

Then, both brothers fall for the same mysterious young woman who arrives on their island. Complications multiply.

BY JAY CRAVEN

Movies are like our own kids — we know and love them each quite distinctively. Maybe we also see a couple of flaws and even dwell too much on them. But we’ll stand up for our kids in any setting and pray for the day they make their way into the world, find a few good friends, and know when to wipe their nose.

I try to find a personal angle into every film — and I’ve been lucky to find stories to which I can connect, sometimes deeply. Genevieve Bujold’s portrayal of Cordelia in my 2007 film Disappearances, was informed by my one-of-

a-kind relationship with my dear grandmother who raised me. “Geema” could look beyond what was visible and she often spoke enigmatically, leaving me with something to ponder. She taught me about love — and provided an oasis in my family of difficult alcoholics.

“MOVIES ARE LIKE OUR OWN KIDS — WE KNOW AND LOVE THEM EACH QUITE DISTINCTIVELY.” — Jay Craven

My relationship with “Geema” was complex so I was pleased that when I made my 2013 film, Northern Borders, I got another chance to explore it. I also got a second opportunity to work with the fabulous Quebecois actress Genevieve Bujold, whose Abiah is very different from her Cordelia. Bujold sharply admonished

me on this point during our first day of shooting for Northern Borders, as she struggled ever so slightly to breathe life into her new character.

“If we think for a minute about Cordelia,” I whispered, trying to be helpful and start a conversation.

“Don’t ever mention Cordelia again,” Genevieve snapped.

I didn’t.

Guy de Maupassant’s novel, Pierre et Jean is the basis for my new film — and it was credited at the time for breaking ground for its psychological characterizations. Henry James, Tolstoy and Nabakov said the novel inspired them — and Maupassant’s vivid description of seaside settings also stirred Vincent van Gogh to exclaim their beauty in a letter to his brother Theo.

I found personal connections to Peter and John, too, mostly through its depiction of an emotionally perilous “too close” relationship SEE MOVIE ON PAGE 13

Addison Independent

between Peter and his mother, Louise, played CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12

by Jacqueline Bisset. I had this kind of relationship with my harddrinking mother and it complicated my early years. Peter’s relationship with his brother John also mirrors some of what I experienced — and continue to experience with my younger brother.

Like Peter, I needed to reach a point where I could let go of “the illusions by which I lived.”

MOVIE

We based our story’s love interest, Lucia, on an actual history of Cuban expatriate and Confederate spy, Lola Sanchez, whose family fled to St. Augustine, Florida before the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War. I named her Lucia, based on a deeply affecting film I saw in my early 20’s by the Cuban director Humberto Solas. Again, I made personal connections and sense memory to guide my work on the character.

We may get further into some of this at our screening. And I’m sure I’ll enlarge my own understanding of the picture through what audience members say. This, too, adds to my personal experience of making — and touring — the film.

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 13

film facts 11.5.16

Jay Craven’s new seaside film drama, Peter and John, will play the Vergennes Opera House Saturday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m. Craven will introduce the screening and lead a Q&A after the show.

Nantucket

Peter and John was shot on Nantucket and it was produced through the Movies From Marlboro (MfM) program, a biennial film intensive semester jointly produced by Marlboro College and Kingdom County Productions.

73

Jay Craven’s seven feature films have played 58 countries and 73 festivals, including Sundance — with special screenings at The Smithsonian, Lincoln Center, Le Cinémathèque Française, the Constitutional Court of Johannesburg, and others.

Golden Globe

Peter and John stars 2014 Golden Globe winner Jacqueline Bisset (“Bullitt,” Truffaut’s “Day for Night”); Christian Coulson (“The Hours,” “Harry Potter: Chamber of Secrets”); Shane Patrick Kearns (“Blue Collar Boys”); Diane Guerrero (“Orange is the New Black,” “Jane the Virgin”); and Gordon Clapp (“Matewan,” “Eight Men Out,” “Glengarry Glen Ross”).

8

Peter and John marks Craven’s eighth narrative film based in New England — it was nominated for a 2016 New England Emmy.

For more information go to www.KingdomCounty.org or contact Jay Craven at jcraven@marlboro.edu.

ARTS+LEISURE

The Addison Independent

Add a little glamour.

Look for it in the new Arts + Leisure section.

Every Thursday.

Diane Guerrero, from “Orange is the New Black,” and “Jane the Virgin,” also stars in Peter and John.

802-388-4944

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PAGE 14 — Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

MUSIC

Ripton Coffee House presents Pat Donohue

R

ipton Community Coffee House, a nonprofit community concert series now in it’s 22nd year, welcomes finger-picking guitarist and singer-songwriter Pat Donohue on Saturday evening.

SATURDAY

Donohue has been the guitarist for the Guys All-Star Shoe Band of “A Prairie Home Companion” for 20 years; where he shows off his savvy licks and distinctive original songs to millions of listeners each week.

5 NOV.

Though he considers himself foremost a folk guitarist, Donohue’s influences are rooted in bluesmen Blind Blake, Robert Johnson, Charlie Parker, Duke Ellington, Muddy Waters and Miles Davis.

He manages to blend jazz and blues with folk, and the mix is seamless.

Over the years he has captivated audiences with his unique original compositions, dazzling instrumentals and humorous song parodies, including “Sushi-Yucki” and “Would You Like to Play the Guitar?” (sung to the tune of “Would you like to swing on a star” and ending with “or would you rather get a job?”).

Ripton Community Coffee House

A Grammy winner, Donohue is a Midwesterner with the rhythm of a drummer and the soul of a New Orleans saxophonist. He is a clever songwriter who uses intelligent, creative rhymes and wastes few words.

“His instrumentals display his characteristic of clarity and ingenuity, combining the essential qualities of the originals with his own recognizable fresh sound,” raved Acoustic Guitar Magazine. “He brilliantly mixes register changes, picking variations and tricks, and bass line melodies. Even the simplest musical conventions take on a richness under his fingers.”

The Ripton concert begins at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 5 (doors open at 7 p.m.) with an open mike set, followed by the featured performers. Admission to the coffeehouse is $3 kids (12 and under), $10 general admission, and $15

Pat Donohue, guitarist for "A Prarie Home Companion," will perform at the Ripton Community Coffee House on Saturday evening. PHOTO/STEPHEN HOUSEWORTH PHOTOGRAPHY

generous admission. Tickets are all sold at the door. The economically challenged may pay what they can afford. Refreshments will benefit the coffeehouse.

The coffeehouse is held on the first Saturday of each month, except August. Interested in performing in one of the four open-mic slots? Call in advance and reserve your space. For more information, contact Richard Ruane or Andrea Chesman at 388-9782.

live music Bad Smell. Thursday, Nov. 3, 9-10 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

Paul Asbell. Friday, Nov. 4, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

Ricochet Duo. Saturday, Nov. 5, 7:30 p.m., Brandon Music.

Keating 5. Saturday, Nov. 5, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

Good Medicine Band. Wednesday, Nov. 9, 8-10 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

Paradiddles. Thursday, Nov. 10, 7-9 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

Abraxas. Friday, Nov. 11, 8:30-10:30 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

DaddyLongLegs. Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m., Brandon Music.

The Dave Keller Band. Saturday, Nov. 12, 7:30 p.m., Burnham Music Series, 52 River Road, Lincoln.

Linda Draper. Saturday, Nov. 12, 9-10:30 p.m., 51 Main, Middlebury.

Catch Paul Asbell this Friday at 51 Main in Middlebury.

Addison Independent

CALENDAR

Theater, Hannaford Career Center. Bald Mountain Theater presents their original, all-ages adaptation of “Puss in Boots” or “How to get ahead in the world.” Suitable for ages six and older. Tickets available at the door. $15 adults; $10 under age 10 or over 65; $40 family of four. Info: www. baldmountaintheater.org or 767-4800.

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9

Ridgerunners Brass Band.

DJ SKATE NIGHT IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 5 and Saturday, Nov. 12, 8-10 p.m., Memorial Sports Center. DJ skate night presented by friends of Middlebury hockey. All ages and abilities welcome. $5 adult; $3 student. Snack bar will be open and rental skates available. Info: www. memorialsportscenter.org.

THEATER “ROBIN HOOD” IN BRANDON. Friday, Nov. 4 and Saturday, Nov. 5, 7 p.m., and again Sunday, Nov. 6, 2 p.m., Brandon Town Hall.

Brandon Youth Theater presents “Robin Hood.” Tickets $5; under age 3 free.

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 15

Color isn’t everything.

WRITERS WRITERS READ IN BRANDON. Thursday, Nov. 3, 6:30 p.m., Book & Leaf Bookstore.

Book & Leaf Bookstore will present authors Jerry Johnson and Margery G. Sharpe for its third Writers Read series titled “Vermont Adventures.” There will be an open mic for poets and prose writers (five minute maximum). Come and enjoy great presentations, conversation, book signings, complimentary tea, coffee and sweets.

“WORLD WAR I REMEMBERED” POETRY READING IN MIDDLEBURY. Friday, Nov. 11, 11 a.m.-noon, EastView at Middlebury. Author and poet Ed Barna will read 11 poems by Wilfred Owen, considered by many to be the foremost poet of World War I.

“PUSS IN BOOTS” IN MIDDLEBURY. Saturday, Nov. 12, 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., ART

top pick

SHARPEN UP THOSE BLADES, GRAB YOUR SEQUINS AND HEAD OVER TO THE MEMORIAL SPORTS CENTER THIS SATURDAY AND NEXT SATURDAY FOR DJ SKATE NIGHT. STYLE POINTS MATTER.

Call us to find your best angle.

HAVE AN EVENT YOU WANT PUBLISHED?

let us know

CALENDAR@ADDISONINDEPENDENT.COM

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PAGE 16 — Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

the movie QUEEN OF KATWE — RUNNING TIME: 2:04 — RATING: PG Queen of Katwe tells of the passage of a young Ugandan girl from poverty to chess championship. That unlikely journey demands the nuanced acting and strong direction that this movie delivers. It is full of fine performances including a towering one from Lupita Nyong’o who conveys the desperate need for the discipline that will allow her to guide her children to adulthood when they often have nothing to eat and all sleep on the floor.

Throughout the movie director Mira Nair gives us a rendering of a culture of poverty that stuns us to silence. The sheer numbers of people rummaging among the crowds for food, looking for ways to earn money and facing certain defeat while we sit comfortably in the theater is overwhelming. The heat, the hunger, the noise, the lack of hope.

Lupita Nyong'o and Madina Nalwanga in Queen of Katwe (2016).

In the middle of this crushing culture, single mother Nakku (Lupite Nyong’o) struggles to keep her family alive in their fragile shelter. She is harsh with them to the point of alienating all of us who are watching until we gradually begin to understand that it is her way of holding her family together, of protecting them from the dangers that surround them.

She is trying desperately to help them find a way out, to educate them in a school and in her home so they will one day be able to escape their poverty.

Phiona (Madina Nalwanga) falls under the guiding hand of a kind, thoughtful man named Robert (David Oyelowo) who is trying to help children by teaching them to play chess in a tent. After a relatively short time, Phiona begins to soar and Robert asks, “Where did you learn those moves? Did you read one of my books?” Her reply: “I don’t know how to read.”

We are treated to a long and lovely experience of watching Robert guide his charges through tournaments in alien lands. His tender encouragement and understanding as they adjust to the places of plenty

they had never imagined is touching. And then Phiona returns to a proud mother and her family still sleeping on the floor in their shelter. She watches her mother light a candle so her newly educated daughter can read by the light while Robert says, “Your children are blessed because they have a mother who never gave up on them.”

This beautiful story is never sentimentalized. It washes over audiences with all its rough edges as Phiona struggles through the emotional and physical pitfalls of her upward climb through different worlds. As fine as the cast is, the towering performance comes from Lupita Nyong’o as Phiona’s mother. Against the impossible odds of their immediate surroundings, she imposes the harsh discipline that will protect her children and allow them to rise if ever they get the chance.

A final salute is due to Disney who made the film. We can be forgiven for expecting they might have made it of sugar. They didn’t.

— Reviewed by Joan Ellis

the books NOTWITHSTANDING: STORIES FROM AN ENGLISH VILLAGE — BY LOUIS DE BERNIÈRES THE ROAD TO LITTLE DRIBBLING — BILL BRYSON Thinking about crossing the pond? These two books will surely help get you sorted. Notwithstanding: Stories From An English Village (Vintage International), a new paperback by Louis de Bernières, is a wonderful fictional tribute to the kind of quaint English village he knew as a child. The small town of Notwithstanding in the years following World War II has so far avoided admitting that the modern world exists. Populated with all the perfectly eccentric British types like the aged general who often forgets to wear his trousers, and Mrs. Mac the spiritualist who is always accompanied by the ghost of her husband, these stories weave together the lives and places which define the charm of an enchanting disappearing world. Bill Bryson’s latest The Road to Little Dribbling (Anchor Books) is also now out in paperback. Bryson, an American who has lived in England for many years, sets out to travel Britain, from Bognor Regis on the south coast all the way to Cape Wrath on the North Sea. In his usual hilarious and engaging style, he describes the delightful variety and unique characters of his adopted country. Driving the winding tracks, hiking the pathways and seeking out the oddest places that still exist or are slipping into obscurity, Bryson gives us an insider’s view of the amazing wonders packed into this small island. Cheers!

— Reviewed by Jenny Lyons of the Vermont Book Shop in Middlebury.

BOOKS FOR EMPOWERED FEMINISTS Sex Object: A Memoir,

by Jessica Valenti How to Be a Woman,

by Caitlin Moran Bad Feminist,

by Roxanne Gay The Complete Collected Poems of Maya Angelou Men Explain Things to Me,

by Rebecca Solnit We Should All Be Feminists,

by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 17

Banish the winter blahs COSIER HOMES WARM EVEN THE COLDEST NIGHTS It’s been a freakin’ long day at work and you just want to get home and relax on your deck. But nooooooo, it’s already dark outside and that chill in the air is telling you it’s time to pull out your parka.

OK, inside it is. But then it hits you: Indoors feels more like a dank cave than a welcoming oasis. Depressing.

You don’t have to succumb to the winter blahs. Just implement a few of these ideas, and you’ll be warm and comfy inside until winter’s worst blows over.

1. Clean your light fixtures and bulbs — you’ll get a brighter home and energy savings boost.

2. Keep the cold air out by sealing up all the nooks and crannies.

3. Dig out your slow cooker and make a hot meal or two.

4. Bring home some plants.

5. Vacuum with your thermostat fan on to remove extra dust.

6. Change the furnace filter for nice, clean air.

7. Let the sunlight in — it’ll make you happy, promise.

8. Put your window screens into hibernation.

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PAGE 18 — Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016

realestate

ADVERTISE ON THIS PAGE.

CALL 802-388-4944

For more information visit www.acbor.org or www.houselogic.com

ARTS+LEISURE

The Addison Independent

ADDISON: This 5,361 sq. ft 3 BR, 4BA custom Contemporary home is sited on a lovely 142 acre parcel of land overlooking the Adirondacks and Lake Champlain.

The house features a first floor master with en suite, chefs kitchen, lower level family room, theatre room and hardwood floors throughout. Also on the property is a heated 3 bay garage/barn. $1,200,000

Go ahead, put your feet up.

Let our real estate section do the work for you.

ORWELL: Well maintained c 1840 Colonial with remarkable landscaping, large vegetable gardens, fenced swimming pool, heated and air conditioned studio/office. Approximately 8 fenced acres for beef cows or horses. This is an opportunity to have a 15 acre “Gentleman’s Farm.” $349,000

802-388-7983 Bill Beck Real Estate

802-388-4944

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to try WE ALL HAVE ONE... DARK ROOM WITH LITTLE OR NO SUNLIGHT — UGH, THEY'RE THE WORST. THAT CAVE-OFA-ROOM WILL LOOK AND FEEL WARMER IF YOU PAINT THE WALLS IN REDS, ORANGES, OR YELLOWS. GIVE IT A TRY!

BillBeck.com

ADDISON: This beautifully maintained 4 BR home on 10 acres has gorgeous, big sky, western views over fields and Adirondacks. In addition to the saltwater pool, there is a 2-car attached garage, 2-bay equipment garage, a shop building, and a pole barn for larger equipment. $335,000

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EQUAL HOUSING OPPORTUNITY All real estate advertising in this newspaper is subject to the Federal Fair Housing Act of 1968 as amended which makes it illegal to advertise “any preference, limitation or discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, handicap, familial status, national origin, sexual orientation, or persons receiving public assistance, or an intention to make any such preference, limitation or discrimination.”

This newspaper will not knowingly accept any advertisement for real estate which is in violation of the law.

Our readers are hereby informed that all dwellings advertised in this newspaper are available on an equal opportunity basis. To complain of discrimination, call HUD Toll-free at 1-800-424-8590.

For the Washington, DC area please call HUD at 426-3500.

Addison Independent

| ARTS+LEISURE | Thursday, November 3, 2016 — PAGE 19